Saudi Arabia Launches Joy Forum 2025 in Riyadh with SAR4 Billion in New Entertainment Investments

📷SPA

Riyadh, October 16 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The Joy Forum 2025, one of the world’s largest gatherings dedicated to the entertainment industry, opened on Thursday at Boulevard City in Riyadh, attended by General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Chairman Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

In his opening remarks, Alalshikh highlighted that the Kingdom’s rapid progress in the entertainment sector has been made possible through the support of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. He noted that the sector’s unprecedented development stems directly from Saudi Vision 2030 and the leadership’s continued backing.

Alalshikh announced that the first phase of the Qiddiya project, including Six Flags Qiddiya, one of the flagship initiatives under the national transformation plan, is scheduled to open later this year.

He also revealed the signing of investment and development agreements exceeding SAR4 billion for 2026, covering new entertainment projects and events aimed at expanding the sector’s offerings and international partnerships.

The GEA chairman underlined that although the Vision 2030 journey began less than a decade ago, it has already positioned the Kingdom as a global hub for major events and one of the world’s most attractive tourism destinations.

Alalshikh commended the strong cooperation between the GEA and the Ministry of Tourism, which contributed to Saudi Arabia ranking second in the region for tourism revenues in 2024, as well as the ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Culture to advance cultural and creative initiatives across the Kingdom.