Riyadh Season 2022 kicks off October 21 with 15 zones, World Cup fan festival
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Riyadh: Season 2022 will kick off on October 21 with a Cirque du Soleil performance and the launch of 15 entertainment zones, which will include a mega dining destination and a superhero village.
Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority (GEA) chairman Turki al-Shikh revealed details about this year's Riyadh Season - which is happening under the slogan 'Beyond Imagination' – on Wednesday in a video on top of one of Riyadh's skyscrapers.
After the opening night, October 22 will see "the zones begin to open one after one and we will announce the opening of each," al-Shikh said in the video.
This year's season will include a variety of zones - some that have been present in previous editions but have now been expanded - and others that are new.
The multi-cultural Boulevard World is one of those.
'Imagine that you're visiting the US, France, Britain, Greece, India, China, Spain, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, and Italy all at the same time. Their markets, cuisines, and arts will all be here," al-Shikh said describing Boulevard World.
It will also include the biggest artificial lake in the world, submarines, a combat field area, and a village for superheroes.
"What do you think about having the first teleferique [aerial tramway] in Riyadh that will transfer you from Boulevard World to Boulevard Riyadh City with a capacity of three thousand visitors per hour?" al-Shikh added. The Boulevard City has been expanded to include more restaurants and cafes and will continue to host music concerts and plays.
Sky Riyadh is another new addition to Riyadh Season 2022. The new zone will include different locations that will give visitors a chance to enjoy the view of Riyadh city from high above, including the skyscraper that al-Shikh made the announcement from.
Among the newly opened zones is Via Riyadh, which will include top-notch restaurants, cinemas and international brands.
With the World Cup kicking off next month, the Riyadh Season will include the Fan Festival zone at Mrsool Park that will accommodate 20,000 fans for each game and will include exhibitions on late football star Diego Maradona and another exhibition on the Newcastle Club, al-Shikh said.
Other sports events will be happening this year, including the Riyadh Season Cup that will bring together Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and players from Al Hilal SFC and Al-Nassr FC, in addition to WWE matches.