The tradition & historical record
4 min read · 2 sourcesRiyadh Season (Arabic: موسم الرياض) is an annual series of entertainment, cultural, and sporting events held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The season is organized by the General Entertainment Authority as part of the Saudi Seasons initiative supporting Saudi Vision 2030. Riyadh Season has long been criticized as being part of the country's sportswashing campaign designed to divert attention from the country's poor human rights record, particularly following the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi. In 2025, academic Christopher Davidson argued: "They don’t have to cultivate a brand of being progressive or human rights-friendly, because they don’t care about that. Dubai has already perfectly demonstrated to the world that that does not matter. People will come if it’s a flashy, interesting destination." 1
History
Riyadh Season was introduced in 2019 as part of an initiative by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) known as Saudi Seasons, a portfolio of 11 regional cultural festivals that aim to promote tourism in Saudi Arabia in support of Saudi Vision 2030. The inaugural edition of Riyadh Season resulted in a sizable increase in tourism during the period; the GEA estimated that the events collectively generated six billion riyals in revenue, there were at least 11 million visitors to the city during the 66-day period, a 106% increase in flight bookings to the city, and a 240% increase in bookings to one, two, and three-star hotels. Riyadh Season was not held in 2020–21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned for 2021–22, extended through March 2022. With COVID-19 restrictions eased, its opening ceremony (which featured a performance by American rapper Pitbull) was attended by 750,000 people in the boulevard district. The 2022 opening ceremony set a record for the largest number of drones simultaneously launching fireworks. At least five million visitors attended events in the first two months of the period. In October 2024, sports streaming service DAZN reached an agreement with the GEA making it the exclusive broadcaster of all Riyadh Season-sponsored events, including international distribution rights to all of its boxing cards outside of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. 1