Saudi Arabia hosted the Arab-Islamic Summit last week and has been holding a vastly different event for over a month.
On Oct. 12, the kingdom launched "Riyadh Season," a massive festival that runs through March 2025. Featuring concerts, cultural shows, fashion events, culinary experiences, and sports activities for all ages, the festival spans multiple zones in Riyadh, each offering attractions such as theme parks, restaurants, exhibitions, and manicured gardens, including a zoo.
Launched in 2019, Riyadh Season is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, an initiative to diversify the kingdom’s economy by promoting tourism and reducing reliance on oil revenue. Each year, the festival draws millions of visitors. During its first month this year, it has hosted prominent Arab and international celebrities. The festival is spearheaded by Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.
While widely praised online, this year’s event has drawn sharp criticism due to ongoing wars in the region and the festival’s content. Critics argue that holding such celebrations amid the prolonged wars in Gaza and Lebanon is tone-deaf. A similar backlash arose during Riyadh Season 2023, which launched last October during the early days of the Israel-Hamas war. Critics used hashtags like “Gaza is destroyed, Riyadh celebrates” to condemn the festivities. Despite this, last year’s festival reached a record 20 million visitors.
This year’s criticism intensified after a fashion show by Lebanese designer Elie Saab, one of the season’s highlights, sparked controversy. Titled "1001 Seasons of Elie Saab," the show fused modern aesthetics with Arab heritage, drawing inspiration from One Thousand and One Nights.
It featured performances by global stars Céline Dion, Camila Cabello, and Jennifer Lopez. Lopez, in particular, faced online backlash for her revealing attire and dance routines, which some argued clashed with Saudi Arabia’s religious character as the “Land of the Two Holy Mosques.” Critics accused the event of desecrating the kingdom’s sanctity, targeting both Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turki Al-Sheikh for hosting such performances.
A user on X (formerly Twitter) shared a video of Camila Cabello from the fashion show, writing: “Forgive us, Prophet of God, for this video. Forgive us for celebrating Riyadh’s ‘season of porn’ while Gaza fights. Where are Saudi Arabia’s free people to stand up to Turki Al-Sheikh and his thugs?” Another account criticized the event, stating, “Where are the real stars? In the sky,” referencing the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: