Arabian nights: what goes on when the sun goes down

AlUla Moments

Tucked away at the back of a five-star hotel in Riyadh is one of the city’s best-kept secrets. 

A London-themed sports bar decorated with British icons – sofas and chairs draped in Union Jacks, avant-garde portraits of a certain late beloved queen, even a mock red telephone box. 

“Welcome, sir. You want a beer?” a young Saudi called Suleiman asks enthusiastically, ushering lone guests to the bar that opened last November.

There a vat of Heineken lies in wait. It is of course zero alcohol, although brewing technology has done well to disguise that fact. The taste is convincing. 

“Maybe in three years, before the World Cup or Expo, they [will] have prepared everything,” says Suleiman, citing two of the biggest events Saudi Arabia has lined up for a hoped-for mass influx of tourists: the Fifa World Cup in 2034 and World Expo in 2030. 

Despite denials from Saudi officials that alcohol will soon be on the menu in the effort to boost tourism to 10 percent of GDP by 2030, there is a widespread expectation that non-Muslims will be allowed to drink in some hotels. 

As an entrée, the government has allowed a shop to open in the Diplomatic Quarter where diplomats can buy spirits, wine and beer – regulating a market that has operated underground. 

Opening up to global drinking culture is just one element of the plan to make Saudi Arabia a nightlife destination on the regional and even global map. 

After decades as one of the most closed societies in the world, the country of 36 million people – the largest in the Gulf – is rebranding itself as a place where you can hear the latest DJs, pop groups and even opera stars from around the world. 

There have been some hits and misses. 

Several thousand people, mostly Saudis, danced and cheered to the headline act at the first Riyadh International Jazz Festival in February, the disco and soul star Chaka Khan. 

“Who is she again?” an Australian said, lining up for a bottle of water before the show began in an arts and entertainment district on the edge of the city. “She was big in the 80s,” his partner responded dryly. 

But wooed by declarations that Saudis were “my people”, the audience loved it. “All the women in the house! All you men in the house! Come on, this is for you. I’m every woman!” the 71-year-old yelled as she embarked on one of her most famous numbers. 

Anne-Marie Forker/Alamy via Reuters Connect

This month music promoter MDL Beast holds its third Azimuth dance rave in the Nabataean ruins of AlUla, northwest Saudi Arabia. DJs from around the world will perform over a three-day period. 

The company also organises a three-day Soundstorm festival in Riyadh every December. Last year’s acts included 50 Cent, Metallica and Black Eyed Peas. 

While these big-ticket events are designed to attract foreign tourists, MDL Beast has also organised weekly dance parties in Riyadh and Jeddah, often at unusual locations such as a disused hospital or a rooftop in the capital’s King Abdullah Financial District.  

AlUla Moments

About 60 percent of Saudi Arabia’s population is under 30, so the government sees a big market for such events among a younger generation for whom the strict religious culture of old is a distant memory. 

For the less adventurous, the General Entertainment Authority, set up in 2016, organises a non-stop calendar of events throughout the winter months. The Riyadh Season features global sports stars and purveyors of saccharine Arab pop.  

The recent Esports World Cup brought gamers from around the world to a district of the capital city called The Boulevard where locals can eat and stroll in the evening. The Broadway classic The Phantom of the Opera ran for nearly two months during a world tour last year – a first in Riyadh that took two years to organise.    

Andrew Hammond

“The country is young and the young people want to have fun,” said a Saudi-based marketing expert, who asked not to be named. “Pretty much every night during winter Riyadh Season is full. It’s like having someone bottled up for so long, they just want to get out there and go for it!” 

A Saudi businessman, pondering the transformation, said the sudden break with tradition was the best way to move beyond years of failed reforms. 

“They’re forcing a change as quickly as they can, and it’s working – even the Lebanese are coming here for new year,” he said. “I wouldn’t say we’re turning into Las Vegas, I’d say we’re being normal.”