The Middle East isn’t a place that comes to mind when I’m planning any travel adventure — much less one to attend a music festival. So it was with great curiosity when I got an invite to experience Soundstorm Festival 24 in Riyadh. This was part of a press trip and I attended as a guest of MDLBEAST, the organiser for this music festival.

How do I even begin…Soundstorm Festival is quite the spectacle. The sheer size of venue and attendance is daunting to this one journalist who’s not a fan of crowds; but I really wanted to see for myself how such a large-scale event is pulled off, and to offer a fair review for fellow Singaporean music lovers, and those living in our region. 

While parts of the Middle East are unfortunately in turmoil, Saudi Arabia enjoys a level of peace and prosperity; and at the heart of the country, is Riyadh — the capital and main financial hub of Saudi Arabia.

Above: view of riyadh from the hilton garden inn hotel.

The city is situated on a desert plateau in the centre of the country, and the vast amount of space allows for the construction of mega venues — like the one Soundstorm sits on. And it’s necessary, because this Behemoth of an event saw 450,000 people over three nights — and it’s not surprising considering the all-star lineup that included Eminem, Linkin Park, Calvin Harris and David Guetta.

Above: 450,000 people packed the festival over three days.

Stepping onto the grounds of Soundstorm — in fact, just approaching it from a distance — I can almost taste an upheaval in the air; a wind of change (if the Scorpions were to sing about it), and for a typical Singaporean like me, it’s a cultural education. I went from visiting Souq Al-Zal (translated as carpet market), a traditional marketplace, to Soundstorm, the world’s most advanced and innovative music festival. Across four days, I saw two sides of Riyadh — both intriguing, and to be honest, quite perplexing as they come from the same city just an hour away from each other. 

THE ANTICIPATION

I love that the organisers planned the festival to be held in December when the weather in Riyadh is coolest (11-20°C). The colder weather means layering of clothes, which works out well with the modest dress code in the country. For women, shoulders and knees should be covered, and preferably the elbows too. I spent my week in loose cargos and blazers, with an added hoodie beneath the jacket for cold nights. Most of the local females wore long coats and they had the right idea, because it got pretty chilly past midnight. 

Above: scenes from the crowd.

The team I travelled with was a good mix of international music journalists and public relations personnel from the agency based in Amsterdam. The anticipation over lunch on the first day is palpable. Everyone’s excited and we’re naming all the acts we’re looking forward to seeing that night. We know the production is going to be spectacular (the Big Beast stage broke the Guinness World Record for the Largest Continuous Outdoor LED Screen), and from what we’ve seen from previous years, MDLBEAST is not all talk — they know what they’re doing. A few of us are on edge waiting to hear back about which acts — if any — we get to interview. But there’s definitely going to be a press conference with Akon. Also, there’s some talk of footballers going up on stage (FIFA just announced that The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup!).

Above: soundstorm festival 24 celebrating the country’s hosting of the 2034 world cup.

THE ATMOSPHERE

Above: part of the massive grounds of soundstorm festival 24.

I knew that the festival grounds would be huge, but seeing and walking it in person is something else. It’s like a mini city in the desert; it is so vast, that there’s always somewhere to walk comfortably and sit down. Along the pathways and benches, I noticed quite a few concert goers with their shoes off and resting their feet. And by the end of the night, every journalist I spoke to had sore legs. Getting from one venue to another takes anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes to walk, plus you’ll want to walk fast so as not to miss your favourite acts. 

Above: scenes from the crowd.

Locals generally keep to themselves, and with alcohol being illegal in the country, there’s hardly any boisterous behaviour around. A common sight throughout the festival were groups of friends laughing and singing aloud to the performance on stage; it was wholesome fun, despite the few instances of security dragging select men out of the crowd (I suspect they started some sort of mosh pit and were being a nuisance to those around them).

THE PERFORMANCES

Above: emily armstrong fronting vocals for linkin park.

The first big international act to hit the main stage was Linkin Park. It was surreal to see the band in concert together after the death of their original lead vocalist, Chester Bennington who committed suicide in 2017. Mike Shinoda’s new co-lead vocalist, Emily Armstrong was incredible to say the least; she filled that physical and metaphorical hole in the band, and it resulted in a performance that was worthy of such a large production.

Above: A$AP Rocky performing at soundstorm festival 24.

Above: eminem performing at soundstorm festival 24.

Then there was Eminem, who performed 45 minutes longer than his given set time, but nobody complained. This soon-to-be grandfather hardly looks or acts any older than 30 (he recently turned 52); his energy on stage was unstoppable, and it was clear that his act drew the largest crowd for any stage throughout the festival. 

Above: Martin Garrix performing at soundstorm festival 24.

Other notable acts that impressed include Muse, The Roots, and Black Coffee. And particularly impressive were the giant screens, drone shows and pyrotechnics that accompanied each set.

Above: muse performing at soundstorm festival 24.

Above: the roots performing at soundstorm festival 24.

And just when you think the highlight of the show is over, a massive burst of confetti shoots out and rains down on the crowd. It’s just one surprise after another. 

COMING UP

Given that this is the festival’s fifth year in production, it is expected that the event would be smooth sailing. And what I witnessed was an incredible display of technology and showmanship, one that’s not achievable without the support and wealth of a nation that’s willing to support it. And support the festival they did — the residents came out in full force to drink (non-alcoholic Heineken beer) and dance the night away under the stars and drones, and in the cold winter’s air.

Above: fireworks at soundstorm festival 24.

Would I visit Riyadh and Soundstorm Festival again? I certainly would because there’s so much more to see, and especially if the acts are ones on my bucket list (I saw advertisements that Guns N’ Roses will be performing in Riyadh in May next year).

Discover MDLBEAST music events at MDLBEAST.COM, and get early bird tickets for Soundstorm 25 on their website here. Soundstorm 25 happens from 11 to 13 December 2025. Watch this space. 

Photos courtesy mdlbeast.