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Updated May 2024

Winter at Tantora, Saudi Arabia’s most anticipated music and culture festival, returns for its sixth installment in 2024. The annual festival offers an array of activities for adventure seekers and history enthusiasts.

Additionally, visitors can cheer on riders in the world’s second-biggest endurance horse race, along with other desert-related activists, while savoring culinary experiences curated by top chefs. Keep reading with Wego to find out more about Winter at Tantora 2024!

What is Winter at Tantora?

Winter at Tantora is the very first music and arts festival in the Kingdom. The name itself comes from a sundial, culturally significant to the people of the region. At the beginning of winter, they relied on it to tell the time and celebrate the return of the planting season. Now, this festive season is filled with high-end events, star-studded concerts, adventurous activities and historical heritage.

For this year’s iteration, guests will be welcomed by expert storytellers and participate in an immersive experience in which augmented reality and imaging technology bring the past to vivid life.

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When will Winter at Tantora be held?

This year, Winter at Tantora is expected to be held around the month of October. The official dates haven’t been announced yet.

What can we expect from the Winter at Tantora 2024?

There have been no announcements made regarding this year’s Winter at Tantora. Please note that we’ll update this article once we receive pertinent information.

However, to get an idea of what to expect, let’s look at the previous edition of Winter at Tantora.

Last year, Winter at Tantora featured an array of artistic events like poetry, music, and art. Saudi singer Zeina Emad performed a new song at the opening act of the “Jamil and Bouthayna” musical, celebrating a legendary couple from the region. The festival’s vice president promised an exceptional edition, blending familiar festival highlights with exciting new additions.

There was also an event called “Word of AlUla,” which celebrated the Arabic language through workshops, talks, and live performances that was conducted from Dec. 21 to Jan. 21. A “Poets’ Parade” with 14 poets under the Ministry of Culture marked the Year of Arabic Poetry on Dec. 21-22.

Various events and shows like the “Tantora Celebration,” “Shorfat Al-Jadidah,” “Hegra Candlelit Classics,” and the “Swiss Orchestra Concert” at Maraya were in store for visitors.

The Tantora Cultural Celebration kicked off the WAT festival as it does every year. Last year, the celebration ran for four days, which offered locals and visitors a chance to gather in the Tantora piazza and welcome in the new season with traditional music and dance festivities.

Flavours of Al Ula offered a colourful new event celebrating the fusion, fun and art of food. There were a variety of cooking demonstrations, tastings and many instagrammable moments inspired by the flavours of Al Ula and Saudi cuisine in general.

For dining, many new and exciting restaurants were opened during the Winter at Tantora, which had foodies spoilt for choice. From international restaurants in stunning spaces to home-grown concepts offering delectable dishes from nearby, Al Ula is fast becoming a destination dining hotspot.

Additionally, key highlight events were conducted, such as the ‘Alula Citrus Festival,’ a celebration of all things citrus, taking place on 5, 6, 12, and 13 January. The Balcony Musical Experience, ‘Shorfat Aljadidah,’ made its second return on 21, 22, 28, and 29 December. ‘Poet Nights’ celebrated Arabian poetic talent on 28 and 29 December.

How to get tickets for Winter at Tantora?

The tickets for Winter at Tantora 2024 haven’t been opened yet. Please note that we’ll update this article once we receive pertinent information. However, to get an idea of what to expect, let’s look at the previous edition of Winter at Tantora. There was a range of tickets that were tailored to different activities last year, including:

Eco-gardening experience

Visitors learnt about eco-gardening in Al Ula in an interactive session amid the gorgeous Al Ula Oasis. Among others, the experience featured a plant nursery, a garden, a composting station, and other attractions.

Al Ula oasis farming experience

In this interactive session in the heart of the Al Ula Oasis, guests learnt about Al Ula’s sustainable farming practices. The activity provided insights into how farmers make the most out of the verdant oasis’s richness and stunning biodiversity.

Oasis heritage trail

Visitors took a stroll under the shades of towering date palms and experienced the cool breeze of an oasis winter. This lovely, designated trail connected the heart of the oasis to the Alshaqary Trail, one of the Al Jadidah Trails, and highlighted the heritage of the Al Ula Oasis.

Hot air balloon (15-minute tethered flight)

Visitors enjoyed the thrill of hot air ballooning while remaining tethered to the ground. Depending on the weather, each flight lasted about 10-15 minutes.