Riyadh Season 2022 Kicks off with Shows 'Beyond Imagination'

 Boulevard World part of Riyadh Season 2022 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Boulevard World part of Riyadh Season 2022 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Riyadh Season 2022 Kicks off with Shows 'Beyond Imagination'

 Boulevard World part of Riyadh Season 2022 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Boulevard World part of Riyadh Season 2022 (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), Turki Al-Sheikh, announced on Wednesday the launching of the Riyadh Season 2022 under the slogan “Beyong Imagination”, which will kick off on Oct. 21 with an international event featuring the world-acclaimed Cirque du Soleil.

Al-Sheikh explained that the new season would consist of 15 areas, including the Boulevard World, which would display restaurants, markets and arts from several regions around the world, including America, France, Greece, India, China, Spain, and Japan, Morocco, Mexico, in addition to the Italian city of Venice.

The Boulevard World will also include the world’s largest artificial lake, allowing visitors to enjoy riding submarines for the first time in Riyadh.

Al-Sheikh said that visitors would also enjoy a number of special attractions, such as the Kombat Village and the Superhero Village, in addition to a cable car that allows movement between the Boulevard World and the Boulevard Riyadh City, with a capacity of up to 3,000 visitors per hour.

As for the Boulevard Riyadh City, which was present in the past seasons, Al-Sheikh said that it has been expanded to include 12 new restaurants and cafes, in addition to 25 Arab and international plays, including seven Saudi plays.

Al-Sheikh indicated that the Winter Wonderland area returns this year with five new attractions. This season will also feature the Riyadh Zoo, with more than 1,300 animals of 190 species.

With the World Cup kicking off next month, Al-Sheikh announced that the Riyadh Season would include the Fan Festival zone at Mrsool Park that would accommodate 20,000 fans for each game, in parallel with exhibitions on late football star Diego Maradona and the Newcastle Club.

Other sports events will be happening this year, including the Riyadh Season Cup that will bring together Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and players from Al Hilal SFC and Al-Nassr FC, in addition to WWE matches.



Japan's Imperial Family to Start YouTube Account

People ride on the boat near the blooming cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
People ride on the boat near the blooming cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
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Japan's Imperial Family to Start YouTube Account

People ride on the boat near the blooming cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
People ride on the boat near the blooming cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

Japan's ancient imperial family will launch a YouTube account next week, the government said Friday, in the latest attempt at public outreach by the tradition-bound monarchy.
Last year the royals made their social media debut with an Instagram account which now has nearly two million followers.
Its posts show Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their family meeting foreign dignitaries, visiting victims of natural disasters or checking out prized art exhibits.
From Tuesday the family will also publish videos on YouTube, a spokesman at the Imperial Household Agency told AFP.
Naruhito, 65, ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019 after his father became the first emperor to abdicate in over two centuries.
The monarchy holds no political power under Japan's post-war constitution, instead acting as symbolic figureheads.
Although the family remain deeply adored and respected, especially among older citizens, they also face huge pressure to meet exacting standards of behavior and have sometimes become the target of online vitriol.
The emperor's brother Prince Akishino said last year that his family had been targeted by "bullying-like" messages.
When his daughter Mako married her college sweetheart in 2021, reports appeared in Japanese media about money troubles faced by his mother, a scandal seen as damaging to the royal family.
The couple opted not to have a public wedding ceremony and left Japan to live in the United States.