DIRIYAH UNVEILS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SAUDI CULTURAL CALENDAR: DIRIYAH SEASON 2023/24
- With its mission to entertain all visitors’ cultural curiosity, Diriyah Season is a three-month extravaganza of exciting cultural events and mindful entertainment with the first major event taking place on Tuesday December 12, 2023.
- Diriyah, ‘The City Of Earth’, is ready to showcase its unique heritage and tradition to the world, welcoming all.
DIRIYAH, December 5, 2023 – Diriyah, the birthplace of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has unveiled its highly-anticipated Diriyah Season 2023/24. The Season celebrates Diriyah’s living heritage with a three-month extravaganza of events and experiences starting Tuesday, December 12, 2023.
This year’s program positions Diriyah Season as the highlight of the Saudi cultural calendar and honors Diriyah’s origin story and “Hal Al Awja”, a rallying call for all Saudis to come together and celebrate their shared heritage and identity. The Season’s activities are spread across Diriyah, including the iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site of At-Turaif, Bujairi Terrace, the Kingdom’s premier dining destination, and its beautiful parks and wadis.
Held under the patronage of His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Secretary General and Board Member of Diriyah Company, the Diriyah Season launch took place in the historic district of At-Turaif. Commenting on the occasion, he praised the role of culture as a lead catalyst for the Kingdom’s rapidly growing tourism sector. “Residents and visitors alike explore the Kingdom for its many and varied authentic and meaningful experiences. This is what Diriyah Season is all about. Here, in Diriyah, in the birthplace of the nation, we are connecting our own people and those from around the world to our rich heritage and culture. In the light of the news that Riyadh will host Expo 2030, we look forward to expanding Diriyah Season as a leading cultural festival and increasing opportunities to create connection and dialogue over the coming years.”
This year’s Diriyah Season starts on a musical high note, with a stand-out series of cultural concerts promising to wow lovers of live music and performance. The first cultural concert will take place on December 12th and feature Saudi music legends Rabeh Saqer and Ayed, who will perform in Mayadeen, with tickets going on sale on Sunday 10th December.
The Season also includes the “Journey to the Future” themed Escape Room to challenge participants’ escapist skills while expanding their knowledge of the Kingdom’s stories of the past, culinary experiences that celebrate both traditional and contemporary cuisine, and a wide range of captivating experiences, exhibitions, and events from December through to March 2024.
A further highlight of Diriyah Season includes ‘Diriyah Nights’, which sees one of Diriyah’s heritage farms transformed into an open-air illuminated wonderland, showcasing the best of local and global contemporary art and design, cuisine, live music, dance, poetry, and theatrical performances. ‘Diriyah Doors exhibition’ invites visitors to reflect on the ideas, meaning and legacy of Diriyah and the Najd region’s brightly colored, patterned, and engraved doors, while ‘At-Turaif Retrospective’ brings together the stories and memories of Diriyah through a multimedia installation that explores and embraces the ongoing impact of the values of At-Turaif on contemporary Saudi Arabia.
Foodies are well-catered for during Diriyah Season. The Ministry of Culture’s Culinary Arts Commission presents ‘Shetana’, an outdoor evening Saudi winter food experience held daily over four weeks at the Mayadeen Theater. And, throughout the Season, Bujairi Terrace features a range of special events and activations every weekend, in addition to its existing offering of the world’s most exciting cuisines.
For lovers of speed and adrenaline, the Diriyah E-Prix championship, organized by the Ministry of Sport, returns to Diriyah Season. The event provides a striking link between the old and the new, with the state-of-the-art cars standing in stark contrast to the backdrop of the heritage site and highlighting the role of sustainability and innovation in preserving our heritage.
In his address at the launch, Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of Diriyah Company, said Diriyah Season is expected to welcome more than a million visitors in the coming three months. “This year’s Season is a platform for diverse artistic expressions and immersive experiences. It features the breadth of cultural programming from musical and theatrical performances to gastronomy, immersive art installations and thought-provoking exhibitions. It blends the old with the new and takes us on a journey of self-discovery as we reconnect with our authentic selves. This is not just entertainment: it’s entertainment with meaning. We invite you to come, entertain your cultural curiosity, discover Diriyah and leave with a connection that will remain with you for a lifetime.”
Diriyah Season 23/24 is presented by Diriyah Company, in partnership with Diriyah Gate Development Authority.
