Saudi entertainment seasons return in Q4 of 2021

The national tourism platform Visit Saudi revealed that entertainment seasons will begin with the return of Riyadh Season this year, and aims to serve all different segments of the society through diverse entertainment, arts and culture activities and experiences.

For the first time, members of the public were invited to participate in shaping the entertainment program by sharing their opinions and suggestions on the website www.2years.sa.

Prior to the latest announcement, a promotional campaign started a week ago with the slogan “We will compensate you for the two past years” being distributed across Riyadh city and throughout social media.

“The promotional campaign was a success, it really got everyone curious and looking forward to know what it was about,” Yara Khalil from Riyadh told Arab News. “We are all enthusiastic about returning to our vibrant life before the pandemic.”

Norah Salem from Riyadh told Arab News that the teaser advertisement caught her attention. “I saw it in every corner and street and I thought, would it really mean the return of Riyadh Season? Impossible!”

“I’m really happy to see that things are heading forward to normal life again, I can’t wait for the moment when I’ll be throwing all my masks away,” she said.

The launch of the new Saudi Seasons is in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan to enrich the lives of Saudis and expats, enhance the quality of life, promote different tourist destinations and highlight cultural, entertainment and sports treasures in the country.

However, some people still have health-related concerns and fear the return of COVID-19 trauma.

Fahad Mohammed from Riyadh told Arab News: “The return of entertainment seasons means that we as a nation were able to overcome this crisis and dealt with it properly. Nonetheless, I personally remain unsure about my willingness to take part. I hope we maintain the current achievement and that the return of social gatherings and activities doesn’t cause another outbreak of the coronavirus in Saudi Arabia.”

For others, the new announcement encouraged them to take the vaccine. Osama Adel told Arab News that he booked his vaccine appointment just for Riyadh Season.

“I am very optimistic and excited about the Riyadh Season this year because I enjoyed the last season,” he said. “The new one is definitely going to be a lot more exciting after what we all have been through in the past tough year.”

Saudi Seasons will also contribute to diversifying the national economy and providing attractive investment opportunities to drive growth in many diverse sectors, enabling the private sector to play its role in the implementation of seasons and events, which in turn will create seasonal and permanent job opportunities.

In 2019, Saudi Seasons contributed to advancing social and economic growth across the country through a diverse calendar of events and activities with more than 390 key events.