Saudi National Day: What to do and where to go

Access to all events will only be granted with a green pass on the Tawakalna app. (Shutterstock)
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Updated 23 September 2021
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Saudi National Day: What to do and where to go

RIYADH: Celebrations for 91st Saudi National Day will kick off on Wednesday with plenty to entertain revellers across the Kingdom well into the weekend.

Access to all events will only be granted with a green pass on the Tawakalna app.

National Day Horse Jumping competition — Riyadh 




Guests can purchase their 50 SAR tickets online. (Shutterstock)

Hosted in the Almortajaz Equestrian center in Riyadh, the two-day competition will celebrate National Day with show jumping event. Guests can purchase their 50 SAR tickets online through Riyadh Platinum or through Enjoy Saudi via the General entertainment Authority. The event will take place between Sept. 22-Sept. 24 from 4:00pm-12:00am.

Saudi Hawks Air Show — Khobar, Jeddah and Riyadh




The show can be viewed from the Khobar Corniche, Um Ajlan Park in Riyadh, and Jeddah Corniche. (Shutterstock)

Organized by the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, the Saudi Hawks show is expected to be a spectacular air show with jetfighter and civil aircraft taking part in what is billed as the largest air show in the Kingdoms’ history. The show can be viewed from the Khobar Corniche, Um Ajlan Park in Riyadh, and Jeddah Corniche. Admission is free and the air show will be held from on Sept. 24 and 25. The show will take place from 04:15pm to 05:30pm (Khobar)  and 4:00pm to 5:15pm (Riyadh).

Culture and Heritage Program — Ithra, Dhahra




Visitors will learn more about traditional coffee farming practices, the diversity of culture and fashion in the Kingdom, and experience traditional performances of grain pounding. (Shutterstock)

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) will be holding a special National Day cultural and heritage program for the public to enjoy. Visitors will learn more about traditional coffee farming practices, the diversity of culture and fashion in the Kingdom, and experience traditional performances of grain pounding.

The program will run from Sept. 22-25, from 04:00pm-07:30pm and 8:00pm-12:00am. Tickets cost 50 SAR.

National Day 91 Fireworks — Hail, Tabuk, Albaha, Buraidah, Abha, Madinah, Jazan and Jeddah




The fireworks will take place in Hail, Tabuk, Albaha, Buraidah, Abha, Madinah, Jazan and Jeddah. (Shutterstock)

●     The National Day Firework Show in Hail will be held in Al-Salam Park from 9:25pm-9:30pm.

●     The National Day Firework Show in Albaha will be held in  King Abdulaziz Cultural Center from 9:00pm-9:05pm.

●     The National Day Firework Show in Tabuk will be held on University Bridge from 9:00pm-9:05pm. 

●     The National Day Firework Show in BuraidahKing will take place on Fahad Road from 9:00pm-9:05pm.

●     The National Day Firework Show in Abha will be held in Alqser Place from 9:00pm-9:05pm.

●     The National Day Firework Show in Madinah will be held in Al-Hadiqah from 9:00pm-9:05pm.

●     The National Day Firework Show in Jazan will be held at Corniche Jazan from 9:00pm-9:05pm.

●     The National Day Firework Show in Jeddah will be held at the Red Sea Mall from 9:00pm-9:07pm. 

Abadi Al-Johar and Huda Al-Fahad in Concert — Riyadh




Abadi Al-Joharn will perform on Sept. 23. (Supplied)

A concert will be held on Sept. 23 in Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in the Conference Center from 10:00pm -1:00am in Riyadh. Children are not allowed during this event and guests can purchase their tickets through the Enjoy Saudi website.

Diriyah, past, present and future
On Saudi Arabia’s 91st National Day, the birthplace of the Kingdom continues to make history

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Director Kaouther Ben Hania rejects Berlin honor over Gaza

Updated 20 February 2026
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Director Kaouther Ben Hania rejects Berlin honor over Gaza

DUBAI: Kaouther Ben Hania, the Tunisian filmmaker behind “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” refused to accept an award at a Berlin ceremony this week after an Israeli general was recognized at the same event.

The director was due to receive the Most Valuable Film award at the Cinema for Peace gala, held alongside the Berlinale, but chose to leave the prize behind.

On stage, Ben Hania said the moment carried a sense of responsibility rather than celebration. She used her remarks to demand justice and accountability for Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza in 2024, along with two paramedics who were shot while trying to reach her.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by @artists4ceasefire

“Justice means accountability. Without accountability, there is no peace,” Ben Hania said.

“The Israeli army killed Hind Rajab; killed her family; killed the two paramedics who came to save her, with the complicity of the world’s most powerful governments and institutions,” she said.

“I refuse to let their deaths become a backdrop for a polite speech about peace. Not while the structures that enabled them remain untouched.”

Ben Hania said she would accept the honor “with joy” only when peace is treated as a legal and moral duty, grounded in accountability for genocide.