Souad Massi
On March 4th and 5th 2022, the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh will host its first ever Al Wasla festival that is set to feature a lineup of indie and alternative Arab artists.
Having been hosted in Dubai for the last three years, the show has been highly successful and presented a showcase of some of the Arab world’s most talented musicians of the genre.
Artists at the festival will include Arab indie star Hamza Namira, Egyptian musicians, Cairokee and Algerian singer, Souad Massi. There will also be a plethora of local Saudi talents performing at the new festival in Riyadh including Al Farabi, Hajaj, Fulana, and Statues of Singing Men.
The festival has been organized by the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (SGEA), and will host 15 or more bands playing live music over the two days. The musical genres include jazz and electropop, and are for everyone to enjoy as the majority of performances will be in Arabic with a few in English.
Hamza Namira
Saudi’s edition of the Al Wasla festival will be situated outdoors in a grass valley on the outskirts of the capital. Aside from being able to enjoy some great live music, attendees can also indulge in a barbeque brunch or eat at a variety of food and beverage outlets that will be present at the event.
Moreover, there will also be local artists, fashion designers and boutiques that will be showing their wares.
Co-founder and music director for the festival, Omar Ayat, shared his excitement on Riyadh hosting the festival for the first time ever, and said in a statement, “This is the first Wasla is in Saudi Arabia, and we are proud of our diverse lineup this year. We have four regional headliners coming for the first time to Saudi and over 20 Saudi bands that we have scouted over the past two years that cover mostly Arabic and some English pop, rock, jazz and fusion. Almost half of these talents are women, and most of them are Saudi.”
Founder and CEO of Wasla, Amr Ramadan also added, “For our first festival in Saudi, we are focusing on creating what we call the Wasla experience. There is much more talent on offer than just music. We have a program for the whole family.”
The Al Wasla Festival takes place on March 4th -5th 2022 at The Hidden Valley, Riyadh. Tickets are available to purchase at Riyadh.platinumlist.net.
