A curated guide to the must-see exhibitions at the AlUla Arts Festival 2026
Highlights include the return of Desert X AlUla and AlUla Arts Festival’s most extensive design showcase to date
If art and culture are your vibe, AlUla is calling. The fifth edition of the AlUla Arts Festival is underway, turning the oasis into a lively playground of creativity. Across its alleys, palm groves and the AlJadidah Arts District, the destination is transformed into a vibrant celebration of art, creativity and human connection.
Desert X AlUla 2026 Opening Event, Courtesy of Arts AlUla and AlUla Moments
Ready to explore, discover and soak in every inspiring moment? Running until Saturday February 14, the festival invites audiences to experience a diverse programme of contemporary art, design, music, performance and cultural exchange set against the unique landscapes and heritage of northwest Saudi Arabia.
Plus, this year’s edition of the AlUla Arts Festival showcases the biggest programme yet. Check out our curated guide to the must-see exhibitions.
Desert X AlUla 2026
Mohammad AlFaraj, Desert X AlUla 2026, Courtesy of Lance Gerber
Presented in collaboration with Desert X Coachella Valley, Desert X AlUla returns for its highly anticipated fourth edition. This year’s theme, Space Without Measure, is inspired by Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran. Curated by Wejdan Reda and Zoé Whitley, with Artistic Directors Neville Wakefield and Raneem Farsi, this landmark outdoor exhibition showcases 11 new site-responsive commissions engaging directly with AlUla’s desert canyons, oases and valleys.
The participating artists are: Sara Abdu, Mohammad AlFaraj, Mohammed AlSaleem, Tarek Atoui, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Bahraini-Danish, Agnes Denes, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Basmah Felemban, Vibha Galhotra, and Héctor Zamora.
Their works range from large-scale sculpture to immersive sound and light installations, each using AlUla’s landscapes to explore ideas of place, memory, nature and coexistence. Meanwhile, the artwork by Mohammed Al Saleem displayed at Desert X AlUla 2026 is on loan from the Riyadh Art collection, The Royal Commission for Riyadh City.
Timings: Until Feb 28, 10.30am to 6pm
Cost: Starts at SAR50. Book your tickets here.
Material Witness: Celebrating Design From Within
Design Space AlUla 2026– Material Witness_ Celebrating Design From Within, Courtesy of Arts AlUla and AlUla Moments
The festival’s most extensive design programme to date takes place at Design Space AlUla. The Material Witness: Celebrating Design From Within exhibition features prototypes from the AlUla Artist Residency – Design Edition 2025, winning projects from the AlUla Design Award 2025, and selected outcomes from the inaugural AlUla Designathon.
Curated by Dominique Petit-Frère with Assistant Curator Majda Aldulaijan, the showcase highlights innovation, material exploration, and craft traditions, featuring works by Altin Studio, Aseel Alamoudi, Ori Orisun Merhav, Paul Moustapha Ledron, and Studio ThusThat, alongside projects by local and international designers.
Other exhibitions opening during the festival include: Sara Abdu’s Intimate Architecture of Belonging at ATHR Gallery (January to February); Reflections, an exhibition presented by the British Council in KSA (until February 14), showcasing installations which were awarded grants for cultural initiatives in AlUla.
Madrasat Addeera Store, AlUla Arts Festival 2026, Courtesy of Arts AlUla and AlUla Moments
There are also ongoing programmes at AlUla’s first school for arts and design, Madrasat Addeera, which connect audiences with AlUla’s living craft traditions through workshops and installations. In parallel, a complementary exhibition, art-directed by Curator Raghad Rumaysh, is presented at the Madrasat Addeera stores. The exhibition explores traditional arts, design methodologies, and the sources of inspiration behind the collections on display.
Location: Design Space AlUla, AlJadidah Arts District, AlUla 43523
Dates: Until Feb 28
Not Deserted: AlUla’s Archives in Movement
Not Deserted, AlUla’s Archives in Movement, Courtesy of Villa Hegra
Set within AlUla’s first Saudi–French cultural foundation, Villa Hegra presents Not Deserted: AlUla’s Archives in Movement, a photography exhibition tracing the evolving narratives of the desert through image and film. Early 20th-century photographs by Tony André are shown in dialogue with cinematic works by Saudi filmmaker and Villa Hegra resident Saad Tahaitah, developed during a dedicated film residency.
Together, these works form a living archive that reframes AlUla as a place defined by movement and transformation, where wind and water continually redraw the landscape and reshape memory. Evoking the desert’s role as both transmitter of knowledge and site of imagination, the exhibition invites reflection on the interplay between history, environment and the cultural identity of AlUla.
Location: Villa Hegra, AlJadidah Arts District, AlUla 43561
Timings: Until Feb 14, 2pm to 10pm
Cost: Free entry
Arduna
The Holy Wadi, Ayman Zedani, Arduna, 2025
Running from Sunday February 1 to Wednesday April 15, Arduna, meaning ‘Our land’, will present more than 80 artworks from Saudi, MENA and international artists, co-curated by the contemporary art museum in AlUla and Centre Pompidou, with the support of AFALULA.
Organised into six thematic chapters, the exhibition will explore humanity’s evolving relationship with nature and land, addressing climate change, displacement and the Anthropocene. Highlights include works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Mitchell, David Hockney, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Manal AlDowayan, Etel Adnan, and Tavares Strachan, alongside new commissions by Saudi and international artists.
Dates: Feb 1 to Apr 15
Cost: SAR50. Book your tickets here.
Experience the festival beyond the exhibitions
The AlUla Arts Festival isn’t just about observing – it’s about experiencing. Alongside the art exhibitions, immersive performances light up the festival calendar.
Vertigo, AlUla Arts Festival 2026, Courtesy of Villa Hegra
Live music sessions, in partnership with AlUla Music Hub, showcase artists such as ABØD and Ibrahim Najada, while spontaneous Saturday jam sessions keep the festival lively.
Across festival weekends, public art performances, talks, and live demonstrations offer visitors a front-row seat to the artists’ creative process.
Visitors can participate in workshops at Desert X AlUla and Madrasat Addeera, exploring everything from stone carving and natural dyeing to palm weaving.
Cinema AlJadidah hosts open-air screenings of art-themed documentaries, shorts, and feature films, ideal for a laid-back festival evening.
For those who love exploring, specialised tours and art hikes led by trained guides connect Desert X AlUla with exhibitions in Arduna and the AlJadidah Arts District.
Music enthusiasts won’t be left out, with evenings like Sharqiyyat Night and Fusion Night: Between Orient and Occident at AlUla Music Hub offering the perfect soundtrack to the festival experience.
Visit: ExperienceAlula.com
Images: Supplied
