Seventh edition · Theme: Big Time
Riyadh Season 2026: dates, zones, events and tickets
Riyadh Season 2026 opened on Wednesday 21 October 2026 and runs for ten weeks, through late December and into the new year. It is the seventh edition, it carries the campaign line Big Time, and it is organised by the General Entertainment Authority under its chairman Turki Alalshikh. Tickets and schedules sit on Webook, the official platform.
This page tracks the confirmed dates, the zones that are open, what each one is for, and the transport that actually works on a Thursday night. Last updated 7 November 2026. For the first days, see our Riyadh Season 2026 opening week guide.
Zone openings are staggered this year, so keep our Riyadh Season 2026 zone opening dates tracker open for the day by day position.
- 21 Oct 2026 opening day
- 10 weeks of programming
- 12 zones across the city
- 4 PM to late in the main zones
The essentials
Riyadh Season 2026 at a glance
The confirmed facts, with the date we checked each one.
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Edition | The seventh Riyadh Season |
| Opening day | Wednesday 21 October 2026 |
| Duration | Ten weeks, running through late December 2026 and into early 2027 |
| Theme | Big Time |
| Organiser | The General Entertainment Authority, chaired by Turki Alalshikh |
| Scale | A 10-week programme across 12 zones |
| Where | Zones spread across Riyadh rather than one site |
| Typical hours | Main lifestyle zones from 4:00 PM, closing at midnight or 4:00 AM depending on the zone |
| Official tickets | Webook |
| New for 2026 | Four Boulevard World pavilions: the Netherlands, Portugal, Uzbekistan and Yemen |
| Getting around | Riyadh Metro to KAFD station, then complimentary shuttles to the gates |
| Weather | Daytime highs around 22 to 26C, evenings dropping to 10 to 15C |
The format
What Riyadh Season actually is
Riyadh Season is not a venue. It is a ten week programme that takes over separate districts across the capital at the same time, each one built for a different kind of night out. One zone is a free street level district of shops and theatres. Another is a ticketed park of country pavilions. Another is a luxury retail quarter hosting a fashion exhibition. They run in parallel, on the same calendar.
That structure is why visitors get caught out. There is no single gate, no single ticket and no single map. Deciding which zone you want is the first real decision, and it is usually the difference between a good evening and three hours in traffic.
The 2026 edition is the seventh, and it is deliberately compressed: it runs a 10-week programme across 12 zones rather than a longer run.
Confirmed fixtures
The headline events of Riyadh Season 2026
These are the dates published on official listings so far. The season adds programming in waves, so this table grows rather than arrives complete.
| Event | Date | Venue | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Six Kings Slam | 27, 28 and 30 December 2026 | ANB Arena | Postponed on 14 October (announced by Turki Alalshikh) to 27 to 30 December 2026. Exhibition tennis with Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur. Sinner is back. Broadcast on Netflix. |
| Mexico vs The World: Canelo Alvarez against Christian Mbilli | 31 October 2026 | The Venue, Riyadh | WBC super middleweight title fight, won by Saul Canelo Alvarez against Christian Mbilli by unanimous decision on 31 October 2026, regaining the title. |
| Esports Nations Cup 2026 | November 2027 | SEF Arena, Boulevard City | Postponed to November 2027 (announced 18 August 2026 by the Esports Foundation). More than 100 countries across PUBG Mobile, Dota 2, Rocket League and more. |
| Power Slap 26 | 6 November 2026 | The Venue, Riyadh | Logan Greenhalgh beat Luke Simonds by TKO in round 3 to win the vacant light heavyweight title; eight bouts, 16 competitors. Power Slap 26 guide Power Slap 26 results |
| Abadi Al Johar and Natasha | 6 November 2026 | Mohammed Abdo Arena, Boulevard City | Gates 7:00 PM, show 9:00 PM; ages 12 and over; tickets from SAR 230 via WeBook. Abadi Al Johar and Natasha concert guide |
| WWE Crown Jewel | 7 November 2026 | The Venue, Riyadh | WWE premium live event at The Venue, Riyadh (moved from Riyadh Season Stadium at KAFD on 28 October 2026; full refunds for the original sale; tickets back on sale 30 October via WeBook from SAR 120); four matches confirmed. |
| Zuffa Boxing 13 | 14 November 2026 | The Venue, Riyadh | Carlos Adames against Gerome Warburton in a ten-round non-title bout at 165 lb, with Jason Moloney against Andres Teran as co-main event. Zuffa Boxing 13 guide |
| Riyadh Cat Show and Dog Village | 9 to 11 November 2026 | Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center | Large scale public pet expo and competition |
| Ethnosport Cultural Festival | 19 to 28 November 2026 | Not announced yet | Heritage and traditional sports from around the world |
Venue confirmed for the Canelo fight. The 31 October bout is at The Venue, Riyadh, per the official Webook listing. Our fight preview carries the detail as it is confirmed.
A week after the Canelo fight, WWE stages Crown Jewel at The Venue, Riyadh on Saturday 7 November 2026, after Riyadh Season moved it from Riyadh Season Stadium at KAFD on 28 October 2026, with full refunds for the original ticket sale and tickets back on sale 30 October via WeBook from SAR 120. Our WWE Crown Jewel Riyadh 2026 guide sets out the date, the venue position and the ticket position, and the four matches confirmed so far.
Six Kings Slam
Three days of exhibition tennis at the ANB Arena, rescheduled to 27 to 30 December 2026 after the postponement announced by Turki Alalshikh on 14 October. Sinner is back to defend his title and Learner Tien is out. Read our Six Kings Slam preview.
Canelo against Mbilli
The WBC super middleweight title on 31 October. Full build up in our fight guide.
Esports Nations Cup
Postponed to November 2027 (announced 18 August 2026 by the Esports Foundation). It was set for twelve days at the SEF Arena inside Boulevard City. See our Riyadh esports coverage.
Where the season happens
The zones, and which one you actually want
Each zone is built for a different evening. Pick on that basis rather than on which name you recognise.
Boulevard City
The pedestrian core of the season: dining, shops, broadcast studios and live theatre, free to walk into, reopening with updated attractions for 2026. The SEF Arena sits inside it.
The zone also holds the Abu Bakr Salem Stage, where opening week brought Fadel Chaker selling out two nights at Abu Bakr Salem Stage.
Boulevard World
The ticketed park of global cultural pavilions built around the BLVD Lagoon, with four new pavilions for 2026: the Netherlands, Portugal, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
Wonder Garden
An outdoor, garden themed amusement destination: family rides, games and large illuminated installations. The easiest zone to take young children to.
VIA Riyadh
The luxury tier district. It is associated with the Ana Arabia Exhibition, which has featured more than 300 designers from 22 Arab countries, alongside upscale dining and artisan pop-ups.
The Groves and Al Suwaidi Park
Heritage and botanical settings given over to global food festivals, traditional dance and outdoor lifestyle programming. See our Suwaidi Park guide.
Booking
Tickets and how booking works
Webook is the official platform for Riyadh Season. Entry to the ticketed zones, seats at the arena events and most of the paid attractions inside the free zones are all sold there. Schedules are published there first.
- Entry to Boulevard City is free. You pay for the attractions, theatre shows and arena events inside it.
- Boulevard World needs a pre booked mobile ticket, listed from SAR 30 on WeBook (checked 25 October 2026), with under fives free.
- Arena events are ticketed individually and priced per event, not per season.
- There is no single season pass that covers everything. Anyone offering one is not selling an official product.
- Line-ups are released in stages, so a zone with little listed today may be full a fortnight later.
We are an independent guide. We do not sell tickets and we take no commission, so every figure here points back to an official listing with the date we checked it.
Practical
Visiting: transport, weather and timing
Take the metro
Traffic around Boulevard City and Boulevard World is the single biggest complaint visitors have. Ride the Riyadh Metro to KAFD station and use the complimentary shuttles that run to the gates.
For visitors flying in, King Khalid International Airport resumed operations on Sunday 25 October 2026, with Terminal 1 handling domestic flights and Terminal 2 handling international flights operated by national carriers. Check your booking with your airline before travelling.
Dress for a cold evening
Riyadh winter days sit around 22 to 26C, but evenings drop to roughly 10 to 15C. Most of the season is outdoors and after dark, so take a jacket or a sweater.
Go early or go late
Gates open at 4:00 PM. Arriving close to opening, or after 10:00 PM, avoids the worst of both the queue and the crowd.
Planning a stay around it? See our guide to the best hotels near the Boulevard district, and what is on in Riyadh this week for the next few days.
From the desk
Riyadh Season coverage
Event previews, zone guides and season reporting from our team.
Answers
Questions visitors ask
Each answer carries the date we checked it.
When does Riyadh Season 2026 start?
Wednesday 21 October 2026. It runs for ten weeks, through late December and into the new year.
What is the theme of Riyadh Season 2026?
Big Time. It is the seventh edition of the season, organised by the General Entertainment Authority under its chairman Turki Alalshikh.
How long does Riyadh Season last?
Ten weeks for the 2026 edition, which is a shorter and denser run than some earlier years. The 2026 edition runs a 10-week programme across 12 zones.
Where do I buy Riyadh Season tickets?
Webook is the official platform. Zone entry, arena events and paid attractions are all listed there. There is no single pass covering the whole season.
Is Riyadh Season free to attend?
Partly. Boulevard City is free to walk into and you pay only for what you do inside it. Boulevard World and the arena events are ticketed separately.
What are the opening hours?
The main lifestyle zones open at 4:00 PM and close at midnight or 4:00 AM depending on the zone. Boulevard City runs to 4:00 AM, Boulevard World to midnight.
Which zone should I go to first?
Boulevard City if you want dining, shopping and a free walk around. Boulevard World if you want rides and the country pavilions. Wonder Garden if you are bringing young children.
What is new for 2026?
Four new Boulevard World pavilions: the Netherlands, Portugal, Uzbekistan and Yemen. VIA Riyadh is associated with the Ana Arabia Exhibition, which has featured more than 300 designers from 22 Arab countries, and the Esports Nations Cup comes to the SEF Arena.
What should I wear?
Layers. Riyadh winter days reach roughly 22 to 26C but evenings fall to about 10 to 15C, and most of the season happens outdoors after dark.
How do I avoid the traffic?
Riyadh Metro to KAFD station, then the complimentary shuttle to the gates. Driving to Boulevard City or Boulevard World on a weekend evening means queueing on the approach roads.