Photo Credit: MDLBEAST / Instagram
Saudi Arabia’s Soundstorm festival will not be taking place this year, the organizer MDLBEAST announced, but promises it will return in 2027.
Saudi Arabia’s Soundstorm festival, which was due to take place in Riyadh in December, has been canceled this year. Organizer MDLBEAST made the announcement on Instagram last week but didn’t specify a reason for the cancelation. However, they promised the festival would return in 2027.
“With regret, this year’s Soundstorm will not take place as planned. Soundstorm has always been about big sound, big experiences, bringing the artists, the stages, the people, and the moments that make the festival what it is,” their statement reads. “We will turn all our excitement and energy to the 2027 edition and come back better and stronger.”
Soundstorm was due to return to the Banban Grounds in Riyadh on December 3 and 4, though this year’s lineup had not yet been announced. Tickets were already on sale, and ticketholders also received an email about the cancelation.
While no reason was provided for the cancelation, the news follows other entertainment-related cancelations or postponements in Saudi Arabia. These include the Grammy-like Joy Awards, an Abu Dhabi festival featuring Shakira, and Christina Aguilera’s UAE concert.
Saudi Arabia was already struggling to maintain its entertainment goals amid rampant budget cuts, but the war with Iran only exacerbated the issue. Major construction projects in Riyadh have also been delayed, including two bespoke skyscapers, and the government has withdrawn funding from ventures like the NEOM Stadium and LIV Golf.
“The war and its wider ripple effects are inevitably prompting Gulf states to reassess spending priorities,” said Mazen Hayek, a Dubai-based media consultant, when the Joy Awards were canceled. “Some of these events were also conceived as instruments of international visibility, soft power, and influence. In the current environment, however, governments may be weighing those objectives against other national priorities.”
Events that focus on driving investment into the region, such as the Future Investment Initiative at the end of the month, will continue as planned. Unfortunately, entertainment events such as festivals and concerts have been placed on the backburner.
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