Turki Alalshikh Announces Riyadh Season to Host the Ethnosport Festival of Traditional Sports 2026

Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), announced that Riyadh Season will host the 2026 edition of the Ethnosport Cultural Festival, scheduled for next November in the capital, Riyadh. He also announced that Riyadh Season will sponsor the 2027 edition of the festival, which will take place in May 2027 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The announcement was made during a signing ceremony held on Thursday in Istanbul, attended by Turki Alalshikh and Bilal Erdogan, President of the World Ethnosport Union. The event witnessed the signing of agreements regarding Riyadh Season’s hosting of the 2026 festival edition in Riyadh and its sponsorship of the 2027 edition in Istanbul.

Turki Alalshikh stated that hosting the Ethnosport Festival in Riyadh next November holds a major surprise for the audience. He highlighted the collaboration with Bilal Erdogan, President of the World Ethnosport Union, and noted that this partnership will continue into 2027 through Riyadh Season’s sponsorship of the Istanbul edition.

He emphasized that the announced initiatives mark the beginning of further cooperation in the coming period, expressing his satisfaction with the achievements made in a short time and praising the efforts that contributed to the success of this collaboration.

The festival is organized by the World Ethnosport Union and brings together participants from various countries to compete in and experience diverse traditional sports. It is an annual international event that attracts audiences of all ages.

Hosting the festival in Riyadh extends Riyadh Season’s track record of attracting diverse global events and experiences. Meanwhile, sponsoring the 2027 Istanbul edition strengthens Riyadh Season’s international presence and expands its brand reach to new audiences and markets worldwide.

Ethnosport encompasses a range of traditional sports with long histories and significant popular followings in several countries. Notable examples include traditional archery, falconry, wrestling, and equestrian sports, among other competitions deeply rooted in the cultures of various peoples and evolved into events and championships that attract both participants and spectators.

These sports enjoy a particularly prominent presence in Turkey, which hosts Ethnosport events with extensive international participation, making Istanbul one of the key destinations associated with the festival and its activities. Further details about the festival and its accompanying events are expected to be announced later.