The event takes place from 16 January to 14 February 2026.
AlUla is home to world-class sights, historical attractions, and vibrant festivals. Now, the AlUla Arts Festival is returning for its fifth edition, turning the ancient oasis into a stage for contemporary art, design and culture from 16 January to 14 February 2026.
AlUla Arts Festival takes place across AlUla, including Al Jadidah and AlUla Old Town. The events include exhibitions, dance, and music performances by local and international artists. Plus, guests can join talks, workshops and specially curated programmes.
Desert X AlUla
Desert X AlUla 2026 returns for its fourth outing with 10 new site-specific artworks curated into the landscape. Inspired by the poetry of Kahlil Gibran, this year’s theme, Space Without Measure, positions each artwork as a point on a new map, tracing flourishing utopias, unexpected vistas and sound corridors across the desert. Under the artistic direction of Neville Wakefield and Raneem Farsi, and alongside two guest curators, Desert X AlUla will once again spotlight visionary Saudi and international artists.
Arduna and the future contemporary art museum
Arduna, meaning “our land” in Arabic, is a pioneering exhibition within the pre-opening programme of AlUla’s upcoming contemporary art museum. Featuring more than 80 artworks from Saudi Arabia, the wider region and beyond, it explores evolving relationships between people, nature and land. Co-curated with Centre Pompidou and the French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA), Arduna brings together works from the Royal Commission for AlUla collection and the Musée National d’Art Moderne, including pieces by Kandinsky and Picasso.
AlJadidah Arts District
Throughout the festival, AlJadidah Arts District will function as a creative hub, with public spaces serving as outdoor galleries. Newly commissioned public art will line the Incense Road and surround Gathering Square, bringing contemporary works into the heart of AlUla’s historic streets. AlUla Music Hub will host concerts spanning Arabic, fusion, vocal and jazz performances, while ATHR Gallery presents works by Saudi contemporary artist Sara Abdu. At Madrasat Addeera, visitors can meet local artisans and see how traditional crafts are being reimagined through contemporary design. Cinema AlJadidah will also screen a curated programme of art-themed documentaries, shorts and feature films.
Design Space AlUla
Design Space AlUla will stage the AlUla Design Exhibition, underlining the city’s role as a rising centre for design and cultural innovation. The showcase will feature works from the AlUla Artists Residency Programme and AlUla Design Award 2025, created by designers who immersed themselves in the region’s landscapes, heritage and craft traditions. AlUla Design Stores will present retail products developed through the AlUla Design Award, Designathon, AlUla Design Residency and collaborations with three designers from Madrasat Addeera.
Villa Hegra
Villa Hegra, the first Saudi-French cultural foundation, will host Not Deserted: AlUla’s Archives in Movement, a photography exhibition featuring early 20th-century images by Tony André alongside cinematic desert landscapes by Saudi filmmaker and Villa Hegra resident Saad Tahaitah. On 16 January, “Vertigo”, a contemporary performance created with Chaillot National Dance Theatre and supported by Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, will be staged at Wadi AlFann with French highliner Nathan Paulin and performers from the AlUla community.
A short distance from AlUla Old Town, Daimumah farm will invite visitors to slow down and connect with the landscape through public art workshops, planting sessions, craft classes and cultural performances, alongside a selection of F&B concepts set within the living cultural landscape.
With majestic desert canyons, lush palm groves and the lively AlJadidah Arts District as its backdrop, the 2026 edition is gearing up to be the most diverse and immersive programme to date.
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GO: Visit www.experiencealula.com for more information.