Quality of Life & Culture
Is there more to do, see, and enjoy?
Vibrant Society pillar20 sources10 metricsLast reviewed 2026-05-16
What this means for citizens
For most Saudis under 30, a Friday-night choice between a concert, a film, an exhibition, a sports event or a festival is now part of normal life. Money once spent abroad on entertainment stays in the local economy and pays Saudi salaries.
The Story
Before
Before 2017, Saudi Arabia had no public cinemas (a 35-year ban), no formal concert circuit, no national entertainment regulator. Saudis spent an estimated SAR 50B+ each year on entertainment abroad — money that left the country.
Initiative
The General Entertainment Authority (GEA) was established to regulate and develop the sector. Cinema ban lifted (2018). Riyadh Season, Jeddah Season, AlUla, Diriyah, and city-level event calendars. A licensing framework that prioritized safety and compliance while opening the field to private investment.
Outcome
In 2025, Saudi entertainment venues and events drew over 89 million visits across 1,690 events spanning 75,661 event days. The number of active entertainment destinations almost doubled in a single year — from 513 in 2024 to 975 in 2025. Cinema screens went from zero to 700+ across 60+ locations.
For citizens
For most Saudis under 30, a Friday-night choice between a concert, a film, an exhibition, a sports event or a festival is now part of normal life. Money once spent abroad on entertainment stays in the local economy and pays Saudi salaries.
Supporting metrics
Events hosted
1,690
2025
Event days
75,661
2025
Companies in sector
6,778
2025
Compliance with GEA regulations
92%
2025
Cinema screens — geographic spread
81 screens across 16 governorates
by end-2025 (from zero before 2018)
Norah at Cannes — first Saudi feature selected
Un Certain Regard
2024 (Tawfik Alzaidi, first Saudi film at the section)
Cinema, reborn from zero
700+
From 0 cinema screens in 2017 to 700+ at 60+ locations across 16 governorates
Riyadh Season — country's biggest festival
13M
13 million visits to the multi-month festival in 2024-2025
Saudis employed in entertainment
100K+
100,000+ direct jobs in the entertainment sector
MDLBeast Soundstorm — biggest Saudi music festival
700K+
700,000+ attendees at a single multi-day festival
Annual Saudi cinema box office
SAR 1B+
Over SAR 1 billion in box-office revenue every year
Saudis in professional sports
30K-40K
30,000 to 40,000 Saudis employed across professional sports
Savvy Games — global gaming commitment
SAR 142B
SAR 142 billion ($38B) committed to gaming and esports
Active entertainment destinations
975
975 entertainment destinations operating — up from 513 the year before
Saudi paid streaming subscribers (Shahid)
~5M
~5 million Saudi paid subscribers on MBC's Shahid platform
Timeline of Milestones
2017
General Entertainment Authority (GEA) established
2018
35-year cinema ban lifted; first cinema opens (AMC, Riyadh)
2019
First Riyadh Season launches
2025
89M visits, 975 active destinations, 700+ cinema screens
Recent milestones in this sector
All milestones →First Saudi professional T20 cricket league announced
Six-team Dunes T20 League scheduled for October 2026 — first professional cricket competition in the kingdom.
Red Sea Film Foundation hosts Women in Cinema at Cannes
Saudi-born Aixa Kay honored at the Cannes Women in Cinema events — extending the kingdom's growing international cinema visibility.
PIF becomes 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament supporter
Sovereign wealth fund becomes an official tournament supporter — partnership supports grassroots, youth and women's football, education and infrastructure.
Riyadh Metro Western Station opens
Completes the four iconic stations. 112,000 sqm site, 60,000+ rail passengers/hour, 1,300 bus passengers/hour, 600+ parking spaces.
Programs delivering these outcomes · 8
Qiddiya
projectAn entertainment-led development southwest of Riyadh — theme parks, sports venues, a motor-racing circuit, and the planned home of Saudi Arabia's first Formula 1 race. Targets 2024–2027 phased openings.
GEA
institutionGeneral Entertainment Authority
The government body that licenses and curates public entertainment events in the kingdom, established in 2016. Oversees concerts, festivals, theme park operations, and Riyadh Season programming. Its annual visit aggregate is the source of the 89M entertainment visits figure tracked in this portal.
Riyadh Season
programA months-long annual entertainment program in Riyadh, launched in 2019 and managed by GEA. Combines concerts, sports, food festivals, theme park openings, and cultural programming across multiple zones (Boulevard, Wonder Garden, BLVD City, etc.). The 2024–2025 edition drew 13 million visits.
Saudi Pro League
programThe kingdom's top-tier professional football league, founded in 1976. Underwent a major financial transformation starting June 2023, when PIF acquired controlling stakes in the four largest clubs (Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli) and the league launched an aggressive international transfer cycle. The 2023-24 window included signings of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar, Sadio Mané, and Riyad Mahrez, briefly making the SPL the highest-spending football league in the world by transfer fees.
GAS
institutionMinistry of Sport
The kingdom's central authority for sports policy, established as a Ministry in 2020 (previously the General Sports Authority, founded 2016). Oversees federations, infrastructure development, and major-event bidding including the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the 2034 FIFA World Cup, the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, and the 2029 Asian Winter Games at Trojena. Distinct from the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) — sports and entertainment sit under separate institutional structures.
Riyadh Metro
projectThe kingdom's first major urban metro system. Six lines, 85 stations, 176 km of track — opened in staged phases starting December 2024 and continuing through 2025. The largest single metro inauguration in modern transit history by line count opened simultaneously. Operated by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and the Public Transport Authority. Initial 2025 ridership running ahead of the conservative projection but below the 3.6M-passengers-per-day long-term capacity.
Evidence library · 2 sources
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