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.



Power Generation Loss in Spain’s Blackout Started in Granada, Badajoz, Seville 

Power lines connecting pylons of high-tension electricity are seen during sunset at an electricity substation on the outskirts of Ronda, during a blackout in the city, Spain April 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Power lines connecting pylons of high-tension electricity are seen during sunset at an electricity substation on the outskirts of Ronda, during a blackout in the city, Spain April 28, 2025. (Reuters)
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Power Generation Loss in Spain’s Blackout Started in Granada, Badajoz, Seville 

Power lines connecting pylons of high-tension electricity are seen during sunset at an electricity substation on the outskirts of Ronda, during a blackout in the city, Spain April 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Power lines connecting pylons of high-tension electricity are seen during sunset at an electricity substation on the outskirts of Ronda, during a blackout in the city, Spain April 28, 2025. (Reuters)

An abrupt power generation loss that led to a massive grid disruption and blackout in Spain and Portugal on April 28 started in the southern areas of Spain around Granada, Badajoz and Seville, Energy Minister Sara Aagesen said on Wednesday.

Several investigations involving government, security agencies and technical experts are looking into the unprecedented power outage, but it is the first time Spanish authorities point to specific areas as the origin of the events.

"We are analyzing millions of data ... But there are already elements that we know," Aagesen told lawmakers, adding that investigators had ruled out supply and demand imbalance and insufficient grid capacity as causes.

"We also continue to make progress in identifying where these generation losses occurred and we already know that they started in Granada, Badajoz and Seville," she said.