Chairman of Saudi entertainment authority says income from Riyadh Season 2021 will exceed SR2.9 billion

A fireworks display takes place above the headquarters of Kingdom Holding Co. to mark start of the first Riyadh Season Festival in Riyadh. (@RiyadhSeason)

• Riyadh Season did not take place in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic
• The entertainment-packed season will launch on Oct. 20 this year

RIYADH: The chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment in Saudi Arabia said that he expects net income from this year’s Riyadh Season to exceed SR2.9 billion ($773 million).
In a tweet on Friday, Turki Alalshikh said that “direct and indirect income” from Riyadh Season 2019 reached SR6 billion amid spending of SR3.1 billion.
“And because our ambitions are high and with less spending, we expect to exceed this number, God willing, this season with the efforts of my Saudi brothers and sisters,” the chairman said.
Riyadh Season did not take place in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and will launch on Oct. 20 this year.
The season is expected to run until March 2022, with more than 7,500 events that will cover an area of 5.4 million square meters across 14 districts in Riyadh.
The program includes 70 Arabic concerts, six international concerts, ten international exhibitions, 350 theater performances, 18 Arabic plays and six international plays, in addition to one free-wrestling championship, two international matches, 100 interactive experiences, 200 restaurants and 70 cafes.