RIYADH—The General Entertainment Authority (GEA) announced the details of the fifth edition of Riyadh Season 2024, which will kick-start on October 12. GEA Chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said that the new edition includes 14 entertainment areas, 11 world championships, in addition to 10 festivals and exhibitions. He pointed out that the 5th edition of Riyadh Season will be launched on a total area spreading over 7.2 million square meters, while the season itself includes 4,200 contracts and 2,100 companies, of which the percentage of local companies reaches about 95%. Al-Sheikh disclosed about a new zone within the season's zones called The Venue Zone, with an area of 9,425 square meters, and a capacity of about 8,000, while the number of its events reaches 7 events, saying: "It is a very wonderful and different area." The current season includes Riyadh Season Tennis Cup event, describing the event as one of the most important events included in the new season, noting that 70% of the events are within the Boulevard City area. He explained that the fifth edition will witness the opening of a new zone, "Boulevard Runway", where the idea of working in the area in partnership with Saudi Airlines is to benefit from old unused aircraft models. Al-Sheikh said that the number of areas in Boulevard Runway reaches 3 areas, and the capacity reaches 9,000, while its area is about 140,000 square meters. There will also be an important event for customers and fashion, as Riyadh Season cooperates with the international designer Elie Saab. In addition to holding the Joy Awards ceremony with a number, which is double of last year. The season also features one of the largest real dinosaur models in Boulevard City. Winter Garden is one of the most important areas to enjoy. It has a larger area and more experiences. It is half a million square meters and can accommodate 23000 people it contains 15 different stores. Al-Sheikh also spoke about the free areas, which will include: the zoo, which has an area of 116000 square meters and a capacity of 12000. It is expected to be one of the most visited areas. In addition to the Suwaidi area, it focuses on 9 cultures from 9 countries, containing different experiences, theaters and shows. Al Awalen market is an experience of the Saudi regions, their identity, and popular foods from all regions of Saudi Arabia. The General Entertainment Authority also revealed the results of the report on combating the "black market" and that is in cooperation with the relevant authorities. The results showed that the "Entertainment" Authority established a special team in the WeBook application for purchasing tickets to combat the black market. A day will be allocated to be determined and will be dedicated to the children of martyrs of duty and orphans of all combatants, free of charge. The market was able to analyze more than 3 million transactions through the application to take action to block 13,000 tickets and 5,000 suspicious accounts, in addition to disabling 8 black market platforms. Al-Sheikh called on visitors wishing to visit the Riyadh Season events to purchase tickets through the "WeBook" application only, stressing that the Authority will not tolerate those who resort to purchasing tickets through black market applications, confirming that the WeBook platform is the official platform for purchasing tickets. The authority indicated that the previous edition of Riyadh Season recorded a "zero" rate of fake tickets at the gates of the season's zones and events, because of the measures taken against the black market for tickets. It also clarified the availability of new features to develop the user experience in the coming Riyadh Season, such as providing new subscription packages for comprehensive experiences in the season via the WeBook platform, in addition to online store for the WeBook platform, as well as improving the ticket purchasing experience. The authority announced what it called the "biggest announcement" represented by the Riyadh Season package, the Silver package, the Black package, and the Diamond package. The "Riyadh Season" is one of the major entertainment events that establishes new concepts in the world of entertainment, and makes Riyadh, the first destination for those seeking global entertainment diversity in terms of events, restaurants, and other entertainment elements targeted by those seeking fun and exploring distinctive entertainment options.
