JEDDAH: The third AlUla Arts Festival is all set to begin in the historic city from Feb. 8 to Feb 24.
With a captivating lineup, the multi-artist festival promises a top-notch experience for attendees, featuring flagship events, immersive exhibitions, live performances, photography exhibitions, street art tours, cinema screenings and hands-on workshops.
The three-week program aims to shine a spotlight on AlUla’s role as a hub for creative inspiration and cultural interchange.
It aims to stimulate imagination, foster dialogue and position AlUla as a prominent center for contemporary art and art integrated with the landscape, with a vision to revive ancient artistic traditions of past civilizations.
It will also feature the third Desert X AlUla, from Feb. 8 to March 23, which will once again showcase visionary contemporary artworks by both Saudi and international artists amid the breathtaking desert backdrop of AlUla.
Desert X AlUla, the inaugural site-responsive exhibition in Saudi Arabia, invites everyone to experience an artistic exchange among international and local communities and curators.
Rooted in a curatorial vision inspired by the desert, this exhibition is complemented by Wadi AlFann, a cultural destination showcasing permanent contemporary land art installations in AlUla’s breathtaking desert landscape, which is opening in 2026.
As part of the pre-opening program at Wadi AlFann, visitors to this year’s festival can enjoy an exhibition by Saudi artist Manal Al-Dowayan.
Her work captures stories from AlUla’s communities, setting the stage for her groundbreaking commission, “Oasis of Stories.”
The Saudi contemporary artist Al-Dowayan is also set to represent the Kingdom at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, taking place from April 20-Nov. 24.
The festival also features the exhibition “More than Meets the Eye,” a key component of the flagship event lineup.
Attendees can explore modern and contemporary works by Saudi artists, with support from prominent art collectors aiming to re-canonize the history of Saudi Arabian art.
This documentation offers the stories of artists and recent art movements and serves as part of the pre-opening program for AlUla’s contemporary art museum, focusing on regional and global contemporary art with an emphasis on the Arab world.
Madrasat Addeera, AlUla’s mixed-use creative hub, provides the backdrop for workshops spanning palm-weaving, pottery, jewelry-making, geometry, 3D structures, textiles, and more. Additionally, culture enthusiasts can explore Design Space AlUla, set to open during the Arts Festival with its inaugural exhibition.
