Riyadh Season comes to a close with ‘Leila, the Land of Imagination’ show
Riyadh Season comes to a close with ‘Leila, the Land of Imagination’ show/node/1614226/saudi-arabia
Riyadh Season comes to a close with ‘Leila, the Land of Imagination’ show
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The Riyadh Season came to a conclusion on Thursday night with Balich Worldwide Shows’ one-night production of “Leila, the Land of Imagination.” (AN Photo/Hala Tashkandi)
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The Riyadh Season came to a conclusion on Thursday night with Balich Worldwide Shows’ one-night production of “Leila, the Land of Imagination.” (AN Photo/Hala Tashkandi)
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The Riyadh Season came to a conclusion on Thursday night with Balich Worldwide Shows’ one-night production of “Leila, the Land of Imagination.” (AN Photo/Hala Tashkandi)
Riyadh Season comes to a close with ‘Leila, the Land of Imagination’ show
The hour-and-a-half long show featured an impressive number of technical, musical, and physical feats
488 performers, 293 crew members, and even two horses gave the performance of a lifetime
Updated 16 January 2020
Hala Tashkandi
RIYADH: The Riyadh Season came to a conclusion on Thursday night with Balich Worldwide Shows’ one-night production of “Leila, the Land of Imagination.”
The hour-and-a-half long show featured an impressive number of technical, musical, and physical feats, wowing the Riyadh crowds.
488 performers, 293 crew members, and even two horses gave the performance of a lifetime at the King Fahd International Stadium.
“Your journey is about to begin, Leila. Close your eyes and dream,” said the narrator, and the show began. The show detailed a night of protagonist Leila’s dreams, played with great skill and passion by fresh Saudi face Noura Al-Abeed.
Leila, who represents a “new Saudi generation who live a changing reality,” spent a night traversing Saudi Arabia in a dream, taking viewers on a magical journey across the beautiful landscape of the country.
“No one can believe what I’m seeing. My land, stunning, elegant, magical,” Leila cried in a monologue, earning cheers and applause from the audience.
A scene representing the famous battle of Al Masmak Fort, with a projection of the late King AbdulAziz featured on the giant inflatable castle, garnered huge cheers from the audience, as a traditional war song played along with a Ardah, or war dance.
The show was also punctuated with incredible special effects, with firecrackers going off at intervals to represent thunder during the rain scene, or, an aerial dancer who twirled in the heart of a waterfall, and even a giant, illuminated moon, that trailed across the stage, even serving as a hot air balloon that carried Leila across the desert.
The costumes, props, and stage design were all created to reflect Saudi culture. Over the course of the show, the harsh desert transformed beautifully into a stunning oasis, with palm trees sprouting and lakes forming.
Hundreds of costumes were created for the performance, which ranged from representations of desert animals like oryx and camels, to traditional Saudi men and women’s garb depending on the scene.
The music was a mixture of traditional Saudi beats and more modern music, with each region in Saudi Arabia getting to showcase a traditional dance and traditional costume toward the end of the show.
The show had many on social media calling for an extension, saying that the performance was wasted on a single night.
“I wish more people could get the opportunity to see it, it was so beautiful,” tweeted one showgoer.
“I wanted to go so badly but I was busy tonight. Now that I’ve seen the posts on social media I wish I had gone. It looks stunning,” lamented another Twitter user.
The show ended with a simple, but strong message: anything is possible if you can just imagine it. As Leila’s final monologue says, “I never thought the Land of Imagination would be my own home country.”
Saudi House kicks off Davos with push on Vision 2030, AI platform and ‘humanizing’ tourism
Saudi ministers dominate pre-summit spotlight at Saudi pavilion, touting Vision 2030’s next phase and human capital as key to global edge
Ministry of Economy and Planning announced the SUSTAIN Platform which aims to accelerate AI-enabled, cross-sector collaboration for sustainable development
Updated 20 January 2026
GABRIELE MALVISI
DAVOS: For regulars at the World Economic Forum, Monday in Davos is usually a chance to ease into the week, a time to reconnect, plan meetings and prepare for the intense schedule ahead.
This year, Saudi Arabia moved quickly to fill that lull, taking center stage with a packed program of panels ahead of Tuesday’s official opening.
At the Saudi House — the Kingdom’s official pavilion on the Promenade, returning after its debut as a standalone venue at the 2025 WEF Annual Meeting — Saudi ministers and global executives set out how the Kingdom sees the next phase of its transformation.
Monday’s speakers at the Saudi House included Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb, and President and Vice Chairman of Meta Dina Powell McCormick. (Supplied)
Established by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, the venue is pitched as a platform for international thought leaders to tackle the challenges, opportunities and solutions shaping the global economy.
Opening a session on the Kingdom’s role at this year’s Forum and the next phase of Vision 2030 — now in its 10th year and roughly two-thirds complete — Princess Reema bint Bandar, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, said human capital “is the actual driver if you want a competitive, modern economy.”
She described one of the biggest achievements of the past decade as the emergence of a highly qualified cohort of young Saudis who could work anywhere in the world but “choose to come home, choose to build at home and choose to deliver at home,” calling this “the biggest symbol of the success of Vision 2030.”
Who can give you optimum access to opportunities while addressing risks? I contend that Saudi Arabia has been able to provide that formula.
Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi minister of investment
On the same panel, Minister of Finance Mohammed Aljadaan said this success is rooted in a “behavioral change” that has strengthened the Kingdom’s credibility with both international partners and its own citizens.
“Credibility comes from being very pragmatic, making sure that you maintain your fiscal policy discipline, but at the same time refocus your resources where it matters,” he said, warning that “markets will call your bluff if you’re not serious.”
The Saudi House, a cross-ministerial initiative led by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, is intended to underscore the Kingdom’s “commitment to global cooperation” by offering “a platform where visionary ideas are shared and shaped,” while showcasing opportunities and lessons from its “unprecedented national transformation.”
Lubna Olayan, Chair of the Corporate Board, Olayan Group
Echoing earlier comments to Arab News, Economy and Planning Minister Faisal Alibrahim said the Kingdom’s role as an anchor of stability has helped unlock its potential, stressing that while the objective is to decouple from reliance on a single commodity, “2030 is not the finishing line.”
Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi minister of investment, said Saudi Arabia has been able to enable access to opportunities while addressing major risks, arguing that few countries can match the Kingdom’s overall mix.
“No country has all of those to 100 percent,” he said. “But who can give you the mix that gives you optimum access to opportunities while addressing all of those risks?
Dr. Bedour Alrayes, Deputy CEO, Human Capability Development Program, Saudi Arabia
“I contend that Saudi Arabia has been able to provide that formula and the proof is in the pudding,” noting that local investment has doubled in recent years to reach levels comparable with India and China.
While societal transformation dominated the morning discussions, the afternoon turned to technology, tourism, sport and culture, four strategic sectors expected to spearhead Vision 2030’s next phase.
The Ministry of Economy and Planning used the day to announce the SUSTAIN Platform, due to launch in 2026, which aims to accelerate AI-enabled, cross-sector collaboration for sustainable development.
The ministry said SUSTAIN will translate the Kingdom’s public and private-sector coordination mandate into a practical national tool to help government entities, businesses, investors, academia and civil society identify credible partners, form trusted coalitions and move initiatives “from planning to implementation more efficiently,” addressing a global challenge where fragmented partnerships often slow delivery and blunt impact.
“We are in a moment in time where technology may well impact the face of humanity,” said Dina Powell McCormick, recently appointed president and vice chairman of Meta, welcoming the Kingdom’s “desire” to partner with technology companies and its embrace of innovation.
Minister of Tourism Ahmed Alkhateeb, discussing how technology is being deployed in his sector, underlined that “in travel and tourism, people are very important. We learn about other people’s culture through interacting with people. We digitalize the unnecessary and humanize the necessary.”
He added that while technological transformation is a priority, “we don’t want to replace this big workforce with technology. I think we need to protect them in Saudi Arabia, where we’re being a model. I’m an advocate of keeping the people.”
Throughout the week, Saudi House will host more than 20 sessions, including over 10 accredited by the WEF, across six themes: Bold Vision, Insights for Impact, People and Human Capability, Quality of Life, Investment and Collaboration, and Welcoming the World.
The pavilion will also launch “NextOn,” a new series of influential and educational talks featuring leading global voices.
