• The fifth edition surpassed its predecessors with a fusion of premium celebrations.
  • ‘Preparations for next year are already underway,’ leaving behind a new benchmark to emulate.

AlUla, Saudi Arabia: AlUla Moments bid Winter at Tantora’s latest edition a fond farewell this past weekend, concluding its incredible fifth version in fitting fashion by welcoming large crowds throughout the final few days.

The region’s favorite culture, art, and music festival, Winter at Tantora, presented a six-week-long extravaganza of premium celebrations this time around, living up to its billing as the ‘biggest, best, and most memorable yet.’ From December 21 through to January 27, visitors explored a world-class activities and events program, enjoying a plethora of immersive experiences and diverse performances that showcased the very best of AlUla.

Met with audience acclaim from start to finish, this latest edition of Winter at Tantora emulated the success of its predecessors, going above and beyond to set a new benchmark for those that follow.

From cultural explorers, entertainment enthusiasts, and fashion admirers to music fans, sports fans, and nature lovers, Winter at Tantora catered to audiences of every preference, transforming into a vibrant winter destination against the backdrop of stunning desert and oasis landscapes. At the heart of this year’s programming were six themed weekends, each with unique attractions that enabled audiences to explore the culture, heritage, history, and wonders within AlUla.

Live entertainment came to the fore with Tantora Celebration, Shorfat AlJadidah musical performances and ‘Jamil and Bouthayna’ shows. All three returned following their immense success in recent years, provided more dazzling performances and cultural celebrations. Additionnaly, the festival offered musical concerts such as Hegra Candlelit Classics, Majida El Roumi, Abadi Al Johar, Nancy Ajram, Swiss Orchestra and Andrea Bocelli.

The festival also featured performances by Saudi singers: Zeina Emad, who performed the opening act at the Jamil and Bouthayna musical, and presented a song written exclusively for AlUla; and Sawsan AlBahiti, the Saudi opera singer who performed the opening act for the Bocelli’s concert at Maraya, and performed with him on his famous song "Con Te Partiro."

Arabic culture, poetry, and customs were also celebrated with activations like Word of AlUla, Poets Parade and Poets Night events. Meanwhile, the ancient city’s emergence as a sporting destination was on full display as large crowds and celebrity audiences participated at the AlUla Trail Race and attended the Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo, with the AlUla Citrus Festival being another outstanding event that showcased the fresh fruits of AlUla’s winter season.

While Winter at Tantora is officially over, there’s so much more still to come in the AlUla Moments journey. Next up is the revamped AlUla Tour, as the biggest names from the world of professional cycling compete in the stunning five-stage event from January 30 – February 3.

The internationally coveted AlUla Arts Festival also returns with its third successive edition from February 9 until March 2, presenting flagship events, immersive exhibitions, and creative initiatives for a city-wide celebration of all things art.

Elsewhere over the coming weeks, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup returns with two epic competitions on February 10 and 11, with Tough Mudder Infinity AlUla locked in for February 24 alongside many other activations and events.

For more information, visit experiencealula.com.

For further information, please contact: alulamoments@hkstrategies.com

About AlUla Moments:

AlUla Moments is AlUla’s new home for events. AlUla Moments calendar was launched at the end of 2021 and introduced new festivals and events to celebrate and unlock AlUla’s stories, uncover its secrets, and celebrate local and international cultures. With 7,000 years of civilisations and home to some of the most sophisticated ancient kingdoms of antiquity, AlUla is no stranger to social gatherings and cultural celebrations.

AlUla Moments calendar comprises of five festivals offering diverse experiences in art, culture, music, nature, wellness, equestrian activities, dining, and astronomy. The AlUla Wellness Festival featuring the latest practices to engage the mind, body and soul; Winter at Tantora, the original AlUla celebration of heritage, culture, fashion and music; the Ancient Kingdoms Festival offers immersive events acknowledging the ancient civilisations that lived in AlUla and its neighboring oases in Khaybar and Tayma; AlUla Skies Festival with the popular hot air balloons and stargazing experiences; and AlUla Arts Festival bringing together contemporary and ancient art events and experiences.

In addition to the festivals AlUla Moments calendar offers a number of marquee events, including AZIMUTH and Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo, along with the heritage sports events such as The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup, AlUla Camel Cup, AlUla Falcon Cup, the Tent Pegging World Championchip and Horseback Archery World Cup, a world-class fashion, adventure and sporting events.

For more information, please visit experiencealula.com  

About AlUla:

Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.

The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and is comprised of 111 well-preserved tombs, many with elaborate facades cut out of the sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement.

Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after the Roman’s conquered the Nabataeans in 106 CE.

In addition to Hegra, AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages, which has been recently listed on the UNESCO’s memory of the World Register. Also AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes developed from at least the 12th century, which has been selected as one of the World’s Best Tourism Villages in 2022 by the UNWTO. Additionally, Hijaz Railway and Hegra Fort, which are key sites in the story and conquests of Lawrence of Arabia.

For more information, please visit: experiencealula.com