The fifth annual AlUla Arts Festival concluded after a month of extraordinary creativity, cultural exchange, and community engagement, reaffirming AlUla’s position as one of the world’s most exciting destinations for art in dialogue with landscape and heritage.
From January 16 to February 14, the AlUla Arts Festival featured site-responsive land art from Desert X AlUla 2026, groundbreaking design at Design Space AlUla, and Arduna, the pre-opening exhibition of the AlUla Contemporary Art Museum, making it the largest edition to date.
Over the month-long program, AlUla became a meeting place for creativity without borders with audiences engaging in groundbreaking exhibitions, dynamic performances, and hands-on workshops shaped by the region’s landscapes and heritage.
The festival saw significant engagement, with more than 45,000 visitors participating in the program. Twelve exhibitions featured more than 120 artworks and installations by more than 70 artists from 35 countries, presented across AlUla’s canyons, streets, galleries, and gardens. The event welcomed more than 470 students from 22 schools, creating memorable learning experiences and strengthening youth engagement with contemporary art. In addition, a range of talks, panel discussions, performances, and special exhibitions offered audiences opportunities to engage directly with artists and creative leaders.
While the official festival closes on February 14, selected key exhibitions will remain open, including “Desert X AlUla” and “Material Witness: Celebrating Design from Within” at Design Space AlUla until February 28, and at Arduna until April 15.
“This fifth edition of the AlUla Arts Festival embodies the spirit of AlUla- past, present and future,” said Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) Director of Arts and Creative Industries Hamad Alhomiedan. “Through ambitious commissions, global partnerships, and deep community engagement, we have shown how art can bridge boundaries and inspire connection.”
“The festival’s programs act as a prelude to the permanent cultural landmarks now in development from Wadi AlFann’s monumental land art to the forthcoming AlUla Contemporary Art Museum and the expanding AlJadidah Arts District,” the RCU art director said. “Together, these initiatives will form a world-class, year-round destination for creativity in dialogue with AlUla’s landscape and heritage. As we look ahead to future editions, AlUla continues to affirm its place in the global cultural dialogue.”
Desert X AlUla 2026, presented in collaboration with Arts AlUla, returned with the theme Space Without Measure, inspired by the poetic vision of Lebanese-American writer Kahlil Gibran. Co-curated by Wejdan Reda and Zoé Whitley, with Artistic Direction from Neville Wakefield and Raneem Farsi, this year’s edition invited audiences to contemplate the boundless creativity that flourishes when art responds to place.
Set amid AlUla’s valleys, canyons, and oases were 11 artist projects comprising 15 artworks, including 10 new site-responsive commissions and five historic works loaned from Riyadh Art, courtesy of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, animating the landscape with ideas rooted in nature, heritage, and human connection.
Participating artists included Sara Abdu, Mohammed Alfaraj, Mohammed AlSaleem, Tarek Atoui, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Agnes Denes, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Basmah Felemban, Vibha Galhotra, and Héctor Zamora.
Arduna marked the pre-opening of the AlUla Contemporary Art Museum, presented in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou with the support of AFALULA. Featuring over 80 major works from Saudi, regional, and international artists, the pioneering exhibition explored humanity’s evolving relationship with nature through six thematic chapters, from Echoes of Arcadia to Borderline. On January 31, Arts AlUla officially unveiled the museum’s name and vision, a milestone in AlUla’s long-term cultural development, with architect Lina Ghotmeh tasked with designing its future home in the Oasis.
The AlJadidah Arts District, Daimumah, Villa Hegra, and AlUla Oasis offered diverse experiences from outdoor cinema and live music to heritage trails and intimate encounters with local crafts at Madrasat Addeera. Partnerships with institutions such as the British Council and Villa Hegra introduced new layers of dialogue and performance, while local talent was celebrated across music, design, and visual art.
The fifth edition deepened its roots in the local community, with outreach programs and education initiatives that welcomed more than 470 students from 22 schools to create, learn, and connect with AlUla’s heritage and contemporary arts scene. Artist-led walks, stargazing tours, and interactive performances encouraged personal encounters with AlUla’s landscapes and stories, fostering a sense of ownership and shared cultural pride.
The AlUla Arts Festival is part of the AlUla Moments calendar, presenting a diverse program of annual events across art, culture, heritage, and nature.
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