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Turki Alalshikh Announces Details of Riyadh Season 2025

Alalshikh revealed that the estimated brand value of Riyadh Season has reached $3.2 billion. (SPA)
Alalshikh revealed that the estimated brand value of Riyadh Season has reached $3.2 billion. (SPA)
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Turki Alalshikh Announces Details of Riyadh Season 2025

Alalshikh revealed that the estimated brand value of Riyadh Season has reached $3.2 billion. (SPA)
Alalshikh revealed that the estimated brand value of Riyadh Season has reached $3.2 billion. (SPA)

Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki Alalshikh announced the details of Riyadh Season 2025 on Sunday. The new edition will kick off on Friday with a massive parade showcasing the season's new elements.

This year's season represents a major leap forward in the entertainment industry in the Kingdom, continuing the success of previous editions that have established Riyadh as a global entertainment destination.

He extended his highest gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their great support to the entertainment sector, enabling it to become a key economic driver and a pillar of quality of life within Saudi Vision 2030.

The latest edition of Riyadh Season marked a new stage of growth in the entertainment sector, attracting more than 20 million visitors from over 135 countries, recording over 3,300 international media visits, and achieving more than 110 billion media impressions across global platforms.

Alalshikh revealed that the estimated brand value of Riyadh Season has reached $3.2 billion (SAR12 billion), highlighting the remarkable global growth of its reputation and affirming its position as one of the leading entertainment brands in the Middle East and the world.

This year's edition features 11 major entertainment zones across Riyadh, hosting 15 global championships and 34 exhibitions and festivals, with participation from more than 2,100 companies—95% of which are local—through 4,200 contracts signed with the private sector. This reflects the empowerment of national talent, the strengthening of the private sector's role, and its contribution to the local economy.

Riyadh Season 2025 reinforces the Kingdom's leadership in the entertainment industry by hosting major global events, making Riyadh the entertainment capital of the region, Alalshikh stressed.

This year's edition is set to capture worldwide attention through its large-scale activities and conferences, including the Joy Forum, which will be held on October 16-17 at Boulevard City. The forum will feature some of the most prominent global entertainment figures, including American content creator MrBeast, UFC President Dana White, sports legend Jon Jones, basketball icon Shaquille O'Neal, TV host and investor Daymond John, and Indian actor and director Aamir Khan, among other global entertainment leaders.

The new season introduces unprecedented international partnerships, most notably the collaboration with MrBeast to launch "Beast Land," a 200,000-square-meter zone featuring over 27 rides and experiences, 40 restaurants and stores, and interactive games and prizes, marking a world-first experience in entertainment design.

As part of its global reach, Alalshikh announced that Riyadh Season will host the Royal Rumble, a major WWE event being held for the first time outside North America.

He also revealed that Boulevard World will feature enhanced content this year, including 1,600 shops, 350 restaurants and cafés, 40 rides and experiences, and 24 subzones, three of which are new: Kuwait, South Korea, and Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Boulevard City will offer a rich array of entertainment, including eight sports tournaments such as Power Slap 17, The Ring V, Riyadh Season P1 Padel Championship, Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, Saudi Masters Darts, and Kings Cup MENA. It will also host 19 entertainment experiences, including six new ones such as Minecraft and Poppy Playtime, along with 20 Arabic concerts and 14 new theatrical productions.

He added: "The Flying Over Saudi Arabia experience, which promotes tourism across various regions of the Kingdom, will also debut this season. This project, developed over three years, allows up to 90 people simultaneously to experience an interactive aerial journey across Saudi destinations."

He further noted that Sneaker Con will return to Boulevard City for its second year, following its great success, while Auto Show Riyadh will be held at Kingdom Arena, featuring 50 cars as prizes for attendees.

At Via Riyadh, the successful Ana Arabia exhibition will continue, showcasing a wide range of premium products across multiple pavilions representing several Arab countries.

He also noted that The Groves remains one of the most upscale destinations of the season, bringing together seven fine-dining restaurants and 16 high-end stores, offering visitors an exceptional luxury shopping and dining experience.

He confirmed that Riyadh Season 2025 places particular emphasis on theater, featuring a diverse selection of plays from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Syria. This reflects the diversity of Gulf and Arab culture, aiming to empower creators to present their work in a high-quality, competitive environment.

This year's concerts will be exceptional in scale and artistic depth, with major performances by leading Saudi and Gulf artists accompanied by Saudi musicians, showcasing the Kingdom's vibrant and evolving artistic scene.

On the artistic front, Riyadh Season will continue to host the prestigious Joy Awards 2026, one of the most significant entertainment awards in the region, celebrating excellence in drama, music, and the arts.

Among the season's major returning events are world-renowned tournaments such as the Six Kings Slam tennis championship, the Ring IV boxing event, and the WBC Grand Prix, whose qualifiers were held in Riyadh with participants from more than 40 countries. The season will also feature Snooker 167, the Kings Cup MENA, and the Saudi Masters Darts, along with the Fantastic Flag Football Classic, featuring NFL legend Tom Brady and global stars, scheduled for March 21, 2026, at the Kingdom Arena.

Alalshikh further announced the launch of new zones, including Boulevard Flowers, spanning 215,000 square meters and featuring over 200 million flowers, 200 floral sculptures, and three Boeing 777 aircraft, alongside 40 restaurants and cafés, forming a breathtaking artistic landscape that merges natural beauty with creativity. He also revealed that Anb Arena will host the Jewelry Salon Exhibition, an international showcase of luxury jewelry.

For the first time in its history, Riyadh Season will feature a floating entertainment zone named "Auria Cruise," offering a unique experience on the Red Sea. The cruise features 14 destinations, 29 restaurants and cafés, 10 spa and fitness facilities, and 20 entertainment areas, offering a fully integrated luxury leisure experience.

The season also aims to reach all segments of society through enhanced family-oriented content. Riyadh Zoo has been redeveloped to house over 1,600 animals from 170 species across six themed zones, providing educational and interactive experiences for families and children. Meanwhile, Al-Suwaidi Park will continue to showcase 13 diverse cultures, hosting countries such as Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India through 49 concerts, 84 theater performances, and 100 cultural carnivals.

Alalshikh explained that the sixth edition of Riyadh Season continues to support the national economy by creating extensive job opportunities, exceeding 25,000 direct jobs and 100,000 indirect jobs across various fields, including operations, production, and services.

This reflects the season's commitment to empowering national talents, strengthening local supply chains, supporting Saudi companies, and fostering collaboration with government entities, all of which contribute to sectoral growth and sustainability, and elevating the quality of experiences offered to visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom.

In terms of social responsibility, Alalshikh said Riyadh Season pays special attention to community initiatives. The "Laylat Al-Omr" (Night of a Lifetime) initiative, held in collaboration with community service sponsors last year, achieved a significant humanitarian impact. He added that this year, the initiative will be reviewed and further developed for a future launch, with its details and timing to be announced later, in coordination with sponsors to ensure its enhanced success.

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Entertainment

Rapper Lil Jon Confirms Death of His Son, Nathan Smith

Lil Jon performs at Gronk Beach music festival during Super Bowl week on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP)
Lil Jon performs at Gronk Beach music festival during Super Bowl week on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP)
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Rapper Lil Jon Confirms Death of His Son, Nathan Smith

Lil Jon performs at Gronk Beach music festival during Super Bowl week on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP)
Lil Jon performs at Gronk Beach music festival during Super Bowl week on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP)

American rapper Lil Jon said on Friday that his son, Nathan Smith, has died, the record producer confirmed in a joint statement with Smith’s mother.

"I am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother (Nicole Smith) and I are devastated,” the statement said.

Lil Jon described his son as ‌an “amazingly talented ‌young man” who was ‌a ⁠music producer, artist, ‌engineer, and a New York University graduate.

“Thank you for all of the prayers and support in trying to locate him over the last several days. Thank you to the entire Milton police department involved,” the “Snap ⁠Yo Fingers” rapper added.

A missing persons report was ‌filed on Tuesday for Smith ‍in Milton, Georgia, authorities ‍said in a post on the ‍Milton government website.

Police officials added that a broader search for Smith, also known by the stage name DJ Young Slade, led divers from the Cherokee County Fire Department to recover a body from a pond near ⁠his home on Friday.

"The individual is believed to be Nathan Smith, pending official confirmation by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office,” the post continued.

While no foul play is suspected, the Milton Police Department Criminal Investigations Division will be investigating the events surrounding Smith’s death.

Lil Jon is a Grammy-winning rapper known for a string ‌of chart-topping hits and collaborations, including “Get Low,” “Turn Down for What” and “Shots.”

Entertainment

Keke Palmer Is a Fish Out of Water in Horror-Comedy Series Based on Cult Movie ‘The ’Burbs’

Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall attend Premiere Event Of Peacock's "The 'Burbs" at Universal Studios Backlot on February 05, 2026 in Universal City, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall attend Premiere Event Of Peacock's "The 'Burbs" at Universal Studios Backlot on February 05, 2026 in Universal City, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Keke Palmer Is a Fish Out of Water in Horror-Comedy Series Based on Cult Movie ‘The ’Burbs’

Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall attend Premiere Event Of Peacock's "The 'Burbs" at Universal Studios Backlot on February 05, 2026 in Universal City, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall attend Premiere Event Of Peacock's "The 'Burbs" at Universal Studios Backlot on February 05, 2026 in Universal City, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

The suburbs are anything but bland in the new Peacock series “The 'Burbs,” where strange things are going on. Like how jokes mix with the dread.

Inspired by the 1989 Tom Hanks-led movie of the same name, “The 'Burbs” follows a new mom as she navigates a foreign world of white picket fences and manicured lawns while also investigating a possible murder.

“It’s got the comedy, it has the drama, it's got the mystery, it's got the horror, the thrills, the suspense — all of it,” says Celeste Hughey, the creator, writer and executive producer. All eight episodes drop Friday.

Hanks is replaced by Keke Palmer, who plays a newlywed and new mom who moves into her husband's family home in fictional Hinkley Hills, where everyone is in everybody else's business. “Suburbia is a spectator sport,” she is told.

Across the street is an abandoned home, where a local teen disappeared decades ago. Palmer's Samira soon joins forces with a band of off-beat suburbanites to help solve the case, even if her own husband had some sort of role.

“I really wanted to focus on that fish-out-of-water feeling, centering Samira as a Black woman in a white suburb who is a new mom, a new wife — new everything — and trying to figure out where she belongs in the environment,” says Hughey.

The cast includes Jack Whitehall as Samira's husband and the trio of Julia Duffy, Mark Proksch and Paula Pell as her wine-swilling, investigating neighbors who form a sort of found family.

“The movie came out when I was quite young, but I remember seeing it as a kid and it being like this terrifying movie to me,” says Hughey. “But revisiting it as an adult, it's just like the most timely movie.”

The scripts crackle with witty humor, from references to Marie Kondo to “Baby Reindeer,” and jokes often improvised by the actors. Chocolate brownies are described as “the Beyoncé of desserts” and there’s a joke about how white ladies love salad.

“The ’Burbs” also touches on more serious issues over its eight episodes — microaggressions, racial profiling, bullying and childhood trauma — but takes a kooky, off-beat approach.

“I always look at things with a sense of humor,” says Hughey. “I think comedy is a way to be able to examine all these pretty heavy subjects, but in a way that’s accessible, in a way that is clarifying.”

Palmer says she grew up watching Norman Lear shows and admired his ability to both entertain and address social tensions — something she found in “The 'Burbs.”

“When I read this script for the first time, then as we started doing the show, it started to become clear that we had an opportunity to do the same thing,” Palmer says. “We can expose cliches, we can lean into things, which is one of the greatest tools of satire and comedy in itself, and horror as well, because horror can play as a good allegory for the issues in our life.”

Whitehall, who grew up in the London suburb of Putney, says he appreciates that the social commentary never feels that heavy handed between the comedy and horror: “It was great to sort of be able to play in both genres.”

There are multiple nods to the original movie, like picking the last name Fisher after the late actor Carrie Fisher, who appeared in the Hanks-led version, and naming a dog Darla after the name of the pup who starred in the 1989 version. Hanks, himself, appears in a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it image.

There’s a scene where Samira steps onto her neighbor’s grass and leaves suddenly swirl around her feet menacingly, an echo to the original. And there’s a moment when sardines and pretzels are served, a riff off a classic moment in the movie. The creators even asked original actor Wendy Schaal to return to play the town librarian.

“I really wanted to honor the original fans of the movie and make sure that they see that someone who respects the original material and loves the movie had it in their hands,” says Hughey. “I see the fans.”

Hughey said she wrote the series with Palmer's voice in mind, a piece of manifesting that turned out to actually work when she first met Palmer over a year later.

The music ranges from Bill Withers' “Lovely Day” to Steve Lacy's “Dark Red” to Doechii’s “Anxiety” and Big Pun's “I'm Not a Player.”

“Music is very much a part of my creative process and something that I wanted to stand out in the show as well,” says Hughey. “I got to pull in so many of my inspiration songs.”

Entertainment

Kurt Cobain's 'Nevermind' Guitar Up for Sale

Guitars are displayed during a press preview of The Jim Irsay Collection at Christie's Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, California, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
Guitars are displayed during a press preview of The Jim Irsay Collection at Christie's Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, California, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
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Kurt Cobain's 'Nevermind' Guitar Up for Sale

Guitars are displayed during a press preview of The Jim Irsay Collection at Christie's Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, California, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
Guitars are displayed during a press preview of The Jim Irsay Collection at Christie's Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, California, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)

The guitar played by late rock legend Kurt Cobain on the anthemic grunge track "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is going under the hammer next month.

 

The 1966 Fender Mustang is among a treasure trove of instruments and musical memorabilia that also includes the logo-emblazoned drum that announced The Beatles to the United States when the Fab Four played "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964.

 

The Jim Irsay collection -- put together by the one-time owner of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team -- includes guitars played by musicians who defined the 20th century, including Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour, The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, as well as Eric Clapton, John Coltrane and Johnny Cash.

 

But at the center of the collection are handwritten lyrics for The Beatles' smash "Hey Jude" as well as guitars played by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

 

"I think it's fair to say that this collection of Beatles instruments...is the most important assembled Beatles collection for somebody who wasn't a member of the band," Amelia Walker, the London-based head of private and iconic collections at Christie's, told AFP in Beverly Hills.

 

"There are five Beatles guitars in his collection, as well as Ringo Starr's first Ludwig drum kit (and) John Lennon's piano, on which he composed several songs from Sergeant Pepper."

 

Also included is "the drum skin from Ringo's second Ludwig kit, which is the vision which greeted 73 million Americans who tuned in to watch 'The Ed Sullivan Show' on the ninth of February 1964 when the Beatles broke America."

 

The drum kit is expected to fetch around $2 million, while the guitars could sell for around $1 million at the auction in New York, Christie's estimates.

Perhaps the most expensive item in the collection is Cobain's guitar, which experts say might sell for up to $5 million.

"It's a talismanic guitar for people of my generation... who lived through grunge," said Walker.

"(Smells Like Teen Spirit) was the anthem of that generation. That video is so iconic.

"We're incredibly proud and privileged to have that here."