RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s most anticipated gaming event of the year kicks off this Friday as part of the Riyadh Season’s six-month calendar of interactive experiences and entertainment.
The RUSH gaming festival will bring together the largest gathering of entertainers, streamers and fans to the Riyadh Front, one of the 14 zones dedicated to entertaining guests.
It is set to be an annual event with the official curtain opening taking place on Oct. 22 and will run for five days until Oct. 26.
The festival is expected to attract thousands of e-gamers to the heart of the capital to enter into competitions and challenges in a variety of games.
More than 18 different gaming tournaments, including Tekken 7, Peggy, Overwatch, FIFA 2022, Call of Duty, as well as the largest cosplay competition, and prizes totaling SAR 1 million ($266,612) — are some of what people can expect at RUSH’s first edition later this week.
Some of the competitions will be broadcasted for viewers to live-stream remotely on platforms such as Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, in addition to catching some of the live performances in between.
The cosplay competition will take place on Oct. 25 where the winners will be crowned. Registration for participation has been closed since Oct. 13.
Fans of the fictional universe who registered will compete for “best costume”, modeled after their favorite character, and stand to win a grand prize of SAR 70,000 ($18,662), under the observing eyes of local and international judges.
The second edition of Riyadh Season will launch on Oct. 20, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of General Authority for Entertainment (GEA) Turki Al-Sheikh announced in August.
Ticket prices including VAT cost SAR 50 ($13) and can be found on the Riyadh Season website.
According to the terms and conditions, the ticket must be added to the Tawakkalna application to be able to enter.
“A ticket that’s not linked to Tawakkalna will show on our system,” Al-Sheikh said in a tweet on Monday. “We’re taking the strictest measures to ensure the black market ends here and now.”
In the event of a cancellation, ticket holders will receive a refund in the form of credit that can be used to purchase a ticket to the same event or any other event, with the credit only valid for the duration of the season.
The Riyadh Season was first held in 2019, beginning in October and ending in January 2020 — shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic brought such events to a grinding halt.
