Latest news with #AZIMUTH
CairoScene
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Your Guide to AlUla's Season of Sound, Sport & Storytelling
From ancient ruins lit by candlelight to desert dance floors—AlUla's 2025–2026 season is a journey through time, rhythm, and renewal in one of Saudi's most iconic destinations. Framed by sandstone cliffs and stories carved into stone, AlUla is no longer just a place to visit—it's a destination to return to, again and again. Each year, AlUla transforms into the backdrop for 'AlUla Moments'—a curated, six-month season of festivals, concerts, wellness retreats, outdoor adventures, and cultural experiences set in one of Saudi Arabia's most storied landscapes. Running from September 2025 to February 2026, the upcoming season weaves together everything from electronic sets in the desert to candlelit heritage tours, sound baths in ancient valleys to cycling races across timeless terrain. So, whether you're here for rhythm or reflection, performance or pilgrimage—this is your map to everything unfolding in the 2025–2026 AlUla Moments season. September – AZIMUTH The season opens with a sonic desert storm—AZIMUTH, AlUla's signature music and digital art festival, merges global beats with immersive visuals under star-studded skies. October – AlUla Wellness Festival From sound healing and meditation in Ashar Valley to Les Mills pop-ups, a half marathon, duathlon, and triathlon—this is where stillness meets stamina. November – Ancient Kingdoms Festival AlUla becomes a living museum—you can wander The Incense Road, experience Hegra After Dark, or look up for the drone show above ancient tombs. December – Winter at Tantora Winter at Tantora blends gastronomy, music, and heritage—featuring performances by Ahlam, pop-ups from Ducasse and Annabel's, Tantora Nights, and a celebration of Saudi craft. January – Sport and Art Collide From AlUla Desert Polo and the AlUla Tour cycling race to AlUla Arts Festival, January delivers a dynamic blend of sport and culture—featuring Desert X, Centre Pompidou exhibitions, and design showcases across the AlJadidah Arts District. February – Endurance and Adventure AlFursan Endurance returns with top-tier equestrian competition, while the AlUla Trail Race challenges athletes across some of the region's most dramatic natural terrain.
Zawya
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Zawya
AlUla Moments reveals 2025-2026 Calendar: A year of culture, music, and discovery in Arabia's Timeless Oasis
AlUla, Saudi Arabia: AlUla Moments has unveiled its eagerly awaited 2025-2026 calendar, inviting visitors from across the Kingdom and around the world to experience a year of extraordinary festivals and events. Celebrating AlUla's timeless landscapes, deep heritage, and flourishing creative scene, the calendar offers a thoughtfully curated blend of heritage, music, art, wellness, sport, gastronomy, and community experiences, reinforcing AlUla's emergence as one of the region's most inspiring year-round destinations. Rami AlMoallim, Vice President of Destination Management and Marketing at the Royal Commission for AlUla, said: 'Each year, AlUla Moments evolves to offer an even more diverse and enriching array of experiences. The 2025-2026 calendar is a testament to our commitment to creating unique and authentic events that resonate with visitors from around the world. Whether it's through heritage, music, art, adventure, or wellness, AlUla continues to inspire and captivate.' The AlUla Moments 2025-2026 launches in September with the return of AZIMUTH the annual music event to mark the Saudi National Day weekend, uniting global and regional music talent with immersive performances, and cutting-edge visuals in a celebration of culture and creativity beneath AlUla's vast open skies. October brings a renewed focus on wellness, movement, and heritage with the return of AlUla Wellness Festival, a week-long celebration of balance and transformation. Alongside daily yoga sessions, guided meditations, and live performances, the programme introduces for the first time high-energy challenges including the AlUla Half Marathon Road Race, AlUla 24-Hour Endurance Race, AlUla Duathlon, and Ashar Valley Triathlon, alongside iconic fitness sessions with Les Mills, all inviting participants to push their limits amid breathtaking desert landscapes. Launching in November, The Ancient Kingdoms Festival invites visitors to 'journey through time' and experience AlUla's spectacular ancient sites and stories, brought to life in exciting new ways. From day-time discoveries to after-dark encounters, visitors can step into the world's largest living museum to explore the extraordinary landscapes shaped by nature, history, and human legacy at the heart of the Incense Road. Highlights include Hegra After Dark , The Incense Road Experience, the epic Hegra Drone Show 'Stories from the Sky', Ikmah After Dark and Hegra Candlelit Classics concerts, featuring world-renowned international artists. An unmissable opportunity for visitors to enjoy close encounters on the sites where history was made, celebrating AlUla's cultural legacy. In December, Winter at Tantora returns with its beloved blend of music, gastronomy, and heritage celebration. Opening with a tribute to the Saudi Year of Handicrafts and a performance by acclaimed artist Ahlam, this year's edition features highlights including Shorofat Tantora, Old Town Culinary Voyage, Tantora Old Town Nights, and exclusive fine dining restaurants with the return of Ducasse and Annabel's, all set against the enchanting backdrop of AlUla's historic oasis. The start of 2026 is marked by world-class sporting events that spotlight equestrian excellence and endurance racing. In January, AlUla Desert Polo returns to the purpose-built sand track near AlUla's sandstone cliffs, drawing elite players and international attention. Later that month, the AlUla Tour brings top international cyclists to the region for a multi-stage UCI Asia Tour race, showcasing AlUla's dramatic landscapes and rising status in global sport. In February, AlFursan Endurance AlUla challenges the world's top riders in one of the sport's most prestigious competitions, while the AlUla Trail Race welcomes athletes from around the globe to tackle one of the region's most scenic—and demanding—trail courses. Returning for its fifth edition in January, AlUla Arts Festival celebrates creative expression across disciplines, transforming the landscape into a living gallery. The festival features the fourth edition of Desert X AlUla, a landmark open-air exhibition placing visionary contemporary artworks by Saudi and international artists in the dramatic desert landscape, and a major new exhibition curated by AlUla's contemporary art museum in collaboration with the renowned Pompidou Centre, Paris. AlJadidah Arts District will again be animated by performances and programming and will feature an exhibition of contemporary AlUla-inspired design. The AlUla Moments 2025-2026 calendar reflects the destination's evolution into a global stage for creative expression, human connection, and extraordinary experiences. It celebrates what makes AlUla truly unique - its culture, nature, and community - and extends a bold invitation for the world to be part of its revitalizing story. About AlUla Moments: AlUla Moments is AlUla's new home for events. AlUla Moments calendar was launched at the end of 2021 and introduced new festivals and events to celebrate and unlock AlUla's stories, uncover its secrets, and celebrate local and international cultures. With 7,000 years of continuous human civilisations and home to some of the most sophisticated ancient kingdoms of antiquity, AlUla is no stranger to social gatherings and cultural celebrations. AlUla Moments calendar comprises of five festivals offering diverse experiences in art, culture, music, nature, wellness, equestrian activities, dining, and astronomy. The AlUla Wellness Festival featuring the latest practices to engage the mind, body and soul; Winter at Tantora, the original AlUla celebration of heritage, culture, fashion and music; the Ancient Kingdoms Festival offers immersive events acknowledging the ancient civilisations that lived in AlUla and its neighboring oases in Khaybar and Tayma; AlUla Skies Festival with the popular hot air balloons and stargazing experiences; and AlUla Arts Festival bringing together contemporary and ancient art events and experiences. In addition to the festivals AlUla Moments calendar offers a number of marquee events, including AZIMUTH and Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo, along with the heritage sports events such as The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup, AlUla Camel Cup, AlUla Falcon Cup, the Tent Pegging World Championship and Horseback Archery World Cup, a world-class fashion, adventure and sporting events. About AlUla: Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned. The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and is comprised of 140 well-preserved tombs, many with elaborate facades cut out of the sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement. Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after the Roman's conquered the Nabataeans in 106 CE. In addition to Hegra, AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages, which has been recently listed on the UNESCO's memory of the World Register. Also AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes developed from at least the 12th century, which has been selected as one of the World's Best Tourism Villages in 2022 by the UNWTO.
Mid East Info
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mid East Info
AlUla Moments Reveals 2025-2026 Calendar: A Year of Culture, Music, and Discovery in Arabia's Timeless Oasis
AlUla Moments has unveiled its eagerly awaited 2025-2026 calendar, inviting visitors from across the Kingdom and around the world to experience a year of extraordinary festivals and events. Celebrating AlUla's timeless landscapes, deep heritage, and flourishing creative scene, the calendar offers a thoughtfully curated blend of heritage, music, art, wellness, sport, gastronomy, and community experiences, reinforcing AlUla's emergence as one of the region's most inspiring year-round destinations. Rami AlMoallim, Vice President of Destination Management and Marketing at the Royal Commission for AlUla, said: 'Each year, AlUla Moments evolves to offer an even more diverse and enriching array of experiences. The 2025-2026 calendar is a testament to our commitment to creating unique and authentic events that resonate with visitors from around the world. Whether it's through heritage, music, art, adventure, or wellness, AlUla continues to inspire and captivate.' The AlUla Moments 2025-2026 launches in September with the return of AZIMUTH the annual music event to mark the Saudi National Day weekend, uniting global and regional music talent with immersive performances, and cutting-edge visuals in a celebration of culture and creativity beneath AlUla's vast open skies. October brings a renewed focus on wellness, movement, and heritage with the return of AlUla Wellness Festival, a week-long celebration of balance and transformation. Alongside daily yoga sessions, guided meditations, and live performances, the programme introduces for the first time high-energy challenges including the AlUla Half Marathon Road Race, AlUla 24-Hour Endurance Race, AlUla Duathlon, and Ashar Valley Triathlon, alongside iconic fitness sessions with Les Mills, all inviting participants to push their limits amid breathtaking desert landscapes. Launching in November, The Ancient Kingdoms Festival invites visitors to 'journey through time' and experience AlUla's spectacular ancient sites and stories, brought to life in exciting new ways. From day-time discoveries to after-dark encounters, visitors can step into the world's largest living museum to explore the extraordinary landscapes shaped by nature, history, and human legacy at the heart of the Incense Road. Highlights include Hegra After Dark , The Incense Road Experience, the epic Hegra Drone Show 'Stories from the Sky', Ikmah After Dark and Hegra Candlelit Classics concerts, featuring world-renowned international artists. An unmissable opportunity for visitors to enjoy close encounters on the sites where history was made, celebrating AlUla's cultural legacy. In December, Winter at Tantora returns with its beloved blend of music, gastronomy, and heritage celebration. Opening with a tribute to the Saudi Year of Handicrafts and a performance by acclaimed artist Ahlam, this year's edition features highlights including Shorofat Tantora, Old Town Culinary Voyage, Tantora Old Town Nights, and exclusive fine dining restaurants with the return of Ducasse and Annabel's, all set against the enchanting backdrop of AlUla's historic oasis. The start of 2026 is marked by world-class sporting events that spotlight equestrian excellence and endurance racing. In January, AlUla Desert Polo returns to the purpose-built sand track near AlUla's sandstone cliffs, drawing elite players and international attention. Later that month, the AlUla Tour brings top international cyclists to the region for a multi-stage UCI Asia Tour race, showcasing AlUla's dramatic landscapes and rising status in global sport. In February, AlFursan Endurance AlUla challenges the world's top riders in one of the sport's most prestigious competitions, while the AlUla Trail Race welcomes athletes from around the globe to tackle one of the region's most scenic—and demanding—trail courses. Returning for its fifth edition in January, AlUla Arts Festival celebrates creative expression across disciplines, transforming the landscape into a living gallery. The festival features the fourth edition of Desert X AlUla, a landmark open-air exhibition placing visionary contemporary artworks by Saudi and international artists in the dramatic desert landscape, and a major new exhibition curated by AlUla's contemporary art museum in collaboration with the renowned Pompidou Centre, Paris. AlJadidah Arts District will again be animated by performances and programming and will feature an exhibition of contemporary AlUla-inspired design. The AlUla Moments 2025-2026 calendar reflects the destination's evolution into a global stage for creative expression, human connection, and extraordinary experiences. It celebrates what makes AlUla truly unique – its culture, nature, and community – and extends a bold invitation for the world to be part of its revitalizing story.
FACT
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- FACT
AZIMUTH Festival makes a splash with new poolside series in AlUla
Beat the summer heat by soaking in the cool waters amidst gorgeous rock formations and canyons. As the desert sun rises higher and temperatures soar, AlUla is turning up the heat in the coolest way possible. Known for blending marvellous music with surreal landscapes, the team behind the AZIMUTH Festival is making waves once again with a brand-new summer series called Poolside by AZIMUTH. Set to run every weekend from 4 July to 16 August, Poolside by AZIMUTH transforms AlUla's striking rock-carved scenery into an immersive oasis. Expect laid-back beats, shimmering pools, and a backdrop of dramatic sandstone formations, all part of a sun-drenched escape that merges nature with nightlife. Four of AlUla's premier resorts will play host to the summer series: Banyan Tree AlUla, Dar Tantora, Our Habitas AlUla and Shaden Resort. Each venue will bring its own distinct flair, but the formula remains the same: swimming, music, vibes, and views. Guests can dip into refreshing waters by day, and dance into the evening with a rotation of live DJs and performers. While food isn't included in the ticket, curated menus will be available at each location, featuring light bites and beverages to keep you going well past sunset. Running from 4pm to 1am, tickets are priced at SAR 200 for women, SAR 600 for men, and SAR 500 per couple. Pre-booking is essential, and with limited capacity and high demand, it's best to lock in your plans early. Although Poolside by AZIMUTH is a prelude to the main AZIMUTH Festival, scheduled for 25 and 26 September, the spirit is just as electric. A part of the AlUla Moments calendar, the flagship AZIMUTH has become one of the region's leading music events since launching in 2020, attracting talent and fans from across the world. This new poolside concept brings the same energy in a more intimate, sun-soaked format. So, whether you're a music lover, poolside aficionado, or simply seeking a summer scene like no other, Poolside by AZIMUTH promises memorable weekends under the desert stars. GO: Visit for tickets and more information.
