AlUla, Saudi Arabia: 19 November 2025: AlUla Arts Festival is set to return for its highly anticipated fifth edition in January 2026, transforming the ancient oasis city of AlUla into a vibrant stage for contemporary art, design and culture. Set against a dramatic backdrop of majestic desert canyons, lush palm groves and the vibrant AlJadidah Arts District, the 2026 edition promises to be the most diverse yet.

Running from 16 January to 14 February, the festival features bold new land art commissions as part of the fourth edition of Desert X AlUla. It also includes a major art exhibition, a collaboration between the contemporary art museum in AlUla – as part of its pre-opening programme – and Centre Pompidou; and a Design Space AlUla exhibition spotlighting Saudi and international talents and more.

Visitors will enjoy a dynamic spectrum of experiences, ranging from live music and immersive performances to educational programmes and design showcases.  

AlUla Arts Festival is a landmark annual event that transforms the ancient city of AlUla into a vibrant canvas for artistic expression, solidifying its position as a year-round global hub for creativity and culture. Part of AlUla Moments 2025/2026 Calendar, the festival has grown into one of the region's most celebrated arts events, bringing together groundbreaking works by diverse local, regional and international artists situated alongside the rich natural and cultural heritage of AlUla, creating spectacular moments of inspiration and wonder.

Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: “AlUla Arts Festival is the contemporary expression of ancient traditions of creativity and cultural exchange in AlUla. In this year's diverse programme, AlUla becomes a canvas for creative dialogue and a catalyst for conversations in the Kingdom and beyond. We are proud to showcase ambitious works by some of Saudi Arabia's most celebrated artists alongside internationally renowned pioneers, all inspired by the unique culture and landscapes of AlUla. I look forward to welcoming visitors from the local community and across the world to experience this one-of-a-kind event and explore the wonders of AlUla.”

Overview of the activities:

Desert X AlUla 2026 (16 January to 28 February) will return for its fourth edition, presenting 10 new site specific artworks from leading multigenerational artists curated into the landscape of AlUla. Inspired by the poetry of Kahlil Gibran, this year's theme, Space Without Measure, presents each artwork as a point on a new map, marking flourishes of imagination, from flowering utopias to previously inconceivable vistas, and sound corridors. Desert X AlUla 2026 will showcase visionary contemporary artworks by Saudi and international artists, under the vision of Artistic Directors Neville Wakefield and Raneem Farsi, and two guest curators reflecting the region's long history of cross-cultural exchange.

Arduna (1 February to 15 April), which translates to 'our land' in Arabic, is a pioneering exhibition presented as part of the pre-opening programme of the upcoming contemporary art museum in AlUla. The compelling showcase will offer visitors a glimpse of the museum's vision through a selection of more than 80 diverse artworks from Saudi Arabia, the region and beyond, exploring our evolving relationship to nature and land. Co-curated in collaboration with the acclaimed Centre Pompidou and the French Agency for AlUla development (AFALULA), Arduna features contemporary art from the Royal Commission for AlUla collection alongside pieces from the Musée National d'Art Moderne, including works by Kandinsky and Picasso. AlUla's forthcoming contemporary art museum will be a centre for regional and global 21st-century art, rooted in AlUla's unique cultural oasis and heritage.

AlJadidah Arts District is a vibrant hub for creativity in the heart of AlUla, connecting designers, visitors and communities through world-class arts, education, and cultural experiences. During the festival, the public spaces will become outdoor galleries, with newly commissioned public art installed along the Incense Road and around Gathering Square, breathing creativity into every corner of AlUla's storied streets and oasis. AlUla Music Hub (1 November to 31 January) will present a series of concerts across the district featuring Arabic, fusion, vocal and jazz performances, while ATHR Gallery (January to February) will exhibit works by Saudi contemporary artist, Sara Abdu. Visitors to the art and design centre Madrasat Addeera (16 January to 30 April) will have an opportunity to engage with local artisans and witness how they are reviving traditional arts and handicrafts through contemporary design programmes and practices. The open-air Cinema AlJadidah, will present a special series of art-themed documentaries, shorts and feature films.

Design Space AlUla will host the AlUla Design Exhibition (16 January to 28 February), highlighting AlUla's growing role as a hub for creativity and cultural innovation. The exhibition will introduce visitors to the work produced by the AlUla Artists Residency Programme and AlUla Design Award 2025, where leading international and regional designers immersed themselves in AlUla's landscapes, heritage, and craft traditions to develop original works. Meanwhile, AlUla Design Stores (22 January to 28 February) will also showcase retail products developed during the fourth AlUla Design Award, Designathon and AlUla Design Residency, alongside collaborations with three designers from Madrasat Addeera.

Elsewhere in AlJadidah Arts District, adding to the atmosphere:

From 16 January to 14 February, Villa Hegra – the first Saudi–French cultural foundation – will host the photography exhibition Not Deserted: AlUla's Archives in Movement, featuring early 20th-century photographs by Tony André, alongside an exhibition of cinematic images of desert landscapes by Saudi filmmaker and Villa Hegra resident Saad Tahaitah. On 16 January, “Vertigo”, a contemporary performance, will be presented in partnership with Chaillot – National Dance Theatre, with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels. The immersive show will take place at Wadi AlFann, featuring French highliner Nathan Paulin and performers from the AlUla community. Visitors will also be invited to experience a programme of curated initiatives at Villa Hegra, including workshops with musician Christophe Chassol, dancer Saido Lehlou, and choreographer Rachid Ouramdane, in dialogue with Saudi talents such as dancer Akram (16 and 17 January).

Additionally, from 16 January to 14 February, the British Council in KSA will present Reflections, two installations, which were awarded grants for cultural initiatives in AlUla. The Council will present works by Studio Ü London, which aims to create a sustainable capsule collection inspired by AlUla's cultural and natural heritage through collaboration with Saudi artists and craftsmen. The other grant recipient is Musson and Retallick - Cries in the Desert, a collaboration transforming archived oral histories and music into immersive visual and sound installations, celebrating AlUla's past and future.

Located a short distance from AlUla Old Town, Daimumah is a picturesque farm, blending nature, art and heritage into a slow, sensory-driven experience. During the festival, Daimumah invites visitors to reflect, connect and participate in the ongoing care and celebration of AlUla's environment through a series of public art workshops, planting sessions, craft classes and cultural performances. The living cultural landscape also hosts a range of F&B options catering to every taste​.

AlUla Arts Festival 2026 promises a month-long journey of art, heritage and creativity in one of the world's most extraordinary landscapes. For more information, please visit: experiencealula.com 

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Multimedia gallery:

High-resolution photos can be found here

About Arts AlUla

The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance, presenting the art of our time, and shaping a future propelled by creativity. AlUla has long been a consistent and ever-evolving hub of cultural transfer. It has been a place of passage, a crossroads for trade, and home to successive civilizations who carved, sculpted and inscribed their lives into the landscape. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.

Arts AlUla will bring to fruition a series of new initiatives, projects and exhibitions. The artwork curation will speak to RCU's vision for the continued development of AlUla's contemporary art scenes: positioning the arts as a key contributor to AlUla's character, the quality of life for its local community and the region's economic future.

Arts AlUla focuses on transferring the talents of the Saudi nation and the local AlUla community into meaningful long-standing social and economic opportunities. This is a key part of the Journey through Time masterplan bringing together the 15 different landmark destinations for culture, heritage and creativity across AlUla.

About Wadi AlFann:

Wadi AlFann, meaning 'Valley of the Arts', will be a global cultural destination for land art, unveiling from 2028 onwards, where era-defining works by artists from around the world will be permanently sited in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia.

New, large-scale, site-specific commissions by Manal AlDowayan (b. 1973, Saudi Arabia), Agnes Denes (b. 1931, Hungary), Michael Heizer (b. 1944, USA), Ahmed Mater (b. 1979, Saudi Arabia) and James Turrell (b. 1943, USA) will be the first five works to be conceived for Wadi AlFann, a spectacular valley spanning approximately 65 square kilometres. Further artists are engaged and commissioned through temporary commissioned exhibitions including Desert X AlUla, and the 'Wadi AlFann Presents' performance commissioning and exhibitions programmes, and the Public Art programme.  

Wadi AlFann offers a profound opportunity to experience art in dialogue with nature. Learning from the desert, the artists are responding to the landscape of AlUla, taking inspiration from its dramatic topography, undulating vistas, remarkable geological structures complex natural ecosystem and local communities. The works will be created with respect for the landscape, set against the stunning sandstone cliffs and canyons of the vast terrain.

Wadi AlFann will provide unparalleled opportunities for local communities to experience art as a source of education and enrichment. Through job creation, skills development and engagement with local creatives, Wadi AlFann will strengthen AlUla's cultural economy, inspiring a new generation of arts professionals and enhancing quality of life for its residents.

This epic new destination will also welcome art lovers, adventurers, and globetrotters from across the world on a transformative cultural journey to a unique place of creative and geographical wonder, continuing the region's history as a place of cross-cultural exchange.

A full press release about Wadi AlFann can be found here.

About AlUla Moments:

AlUla Moments calendar introduces a diverse lineup of festivals and events designed to unlock AlUla's stories, reveal its hidden layers, and celebrate both local and global cultures. With over 7,000 years of continuous human presence and once home to some of the most sophisticated ancient civilisations, AlUla has always been a natural setting for cultural gatherings and shared experiences.

The calendar features five flagship festivals, each offering a rich mix of experiences across art, culture, music, nature, wellness and astronomy. These include the AlUla Wellness Festival, focused on modern practices that engage mind, body, and soul; Winter at Tantora, the original AlUla celebration of heritage, fashion, music, and culture; and the Ancient Kingdoms Festival, which honours the civilisations that once thrived in AlUla through immersive storytelling and experiences. The AlUla Skies Festival celebrates the wonders of the night sky with hot air balloons and stargazing, while the AlUla Arts Festival brings together contemporary and ancient expressions of creativity through exhibitions, installations, and cultural programming.

Alongside these festivals, the AlUla Moments calendar also includes standout marquee events such as AZIMUTH and AlUla Desert Polo, in addition to heritage sports events like the AlFursan Endurance AlUla. These are complemented by world-class experiences across fashion, adventure, and sport, further positioning AlUla as a leading destination for meaningful and memorable experiences.

For more information, please visit experiencealula.com

About AlUla:

Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.

The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and comprises of over 140 well-preserved tombs, many with elaborate facades cut out of the sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement.

Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after the Romans conquered the Nabataeans in 106 CE.

In addition to Hegra, AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open-air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages, which has been recently listed on the UNESCO's memory of the World Register. Also, AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes developed from at least the 12th century, has been selected as one of the World's Best Tourism Villages in 2022 by the UNWTO.

For more information, please visit: experiencealula.com

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