Next month, Riyadh will once again play host to MDLBEAST’s Soundstorm Festival, and with another historic lineup.
Launched in 2019 as part of the capital’s sprawling Riyadh Season entertainment program, Soundstorm was born from a powerful cultural moment in Saudi Arabia. MDLBEAST, the entertainment company behind the event, harnessed the surging energy of Saudi youth to create a catalyst for cultural change, aligning with the nation’s transformative Vision 2030 goals.
In just a few years, Soundstorm Festival has exploded in scale, morphing into a temporary “city in the desert” that has hosted global titans like Eminem, Linkin Park, and David Guetta. And it’s not just about importing international acts; it’s about creating an open platform where Saudi and regional talent can shine alongside global superstars, reshaping perceptions one thunderous bass drop at a time. The festival is a powerful social manifesto, demonstrating how music can be a language of freedom, unity, and expression.
Global Heavyweights Descend on Riyadh
This year’s roster sees stadium-status headliners with the most electric names in dance and hip-hop.
Over three days, headliners include the genre-blending megastar Post Malone, the electronic maestro Calvin Harris, and pop powerhouse Halsey. Making her highly-anticipated Saudi Arabian debut, the inimitable Cardi B will bring her signature high-voltage energy to the Big Beast stage. Adding to the star power are viral sensation Benson Boone, the sensational Tyla, and the infectious Latin rhythms of Pitbull.
Fans of Electronic music can look forward to sets from dance music legends Swedish House Mafia, the eclectic sounds of Kaytranada, and underground icons like Black Coffee, Nina Kraviz, and Nicole Moudaber.
The Banban Desert Venue
The stage for this cultural revolution is the vast, purpose-built festival site in the Banban Desert, just a short 35-minute drive north of central Riyadh. It’s a surreal, five-million-square-metre playground meticulously engineered to accommodate hundreds of thousands of fans without feeling overwhelmingly crowded.
- The Big Beast: This is the festival’s visual centrepiece, one of the world’s largest festival stages, home to the headline acts and jaw-dropping pyrotechnics and LED displays.
- A City of Light: Far from just a dusty field, the site is transformed into a nocturnal metropolis with multi-stage zones, interactive art installations, and “Stormloop pathways” for easy navigation.
- Elevated Experience: For those seeking next-level comfort, the VIB (Very Important Beast) ticket tiers offer exclusive lounges, elevated viewing decks, and premium hospitality, giving you a luxurious vantage point over the electrifying crowd.
Soundstorm is where the ancient Arabian sands meet a futuristic music spectacle. It’s a bold, celebratory experience that invites the world to witness Saudi Arabia’s vibrant, youthful, and globally connected culture.
Read our review of Soundstorm Festival 24 at the link below.
View the full Soundstorm 2025 lineup here, and buy tickets online here.
Photos courtesy of MDLBEAST.
