Boulevard World and Boulevard City: Getting There and Back in Riyadh Season 2026

Every Riyadh Season has a centre of gravity, and for most visitors it is the Boulevard. When the General Entertainment Authority announced on 26 September that the seventh edition of Riyadh Season opens on 21 October 2026, Boulevard World was named as a returning attraction and Boulevard City as a zone with new content, alongside Wonder Garden, The Groves, the Farmers' Market and the Ana Arabia exhibition at VIA Riyadh. For families, for visiting friends and for companies hosting guests in the city, an evening at the Boulevard is usually the first thing on the list.

It is also the evening that goes wrong most often, and almost never because of the Boulevard itself. It goes wrong at the kerb: a long walk from a car park, a ride hailing app that cannot find a driver as thousands of people leave at once, or a family with tired children waiting by the road at midnight. This guide explains the two zones, when they are busiest and how to plan the journey so the night ends as well as it started.

Two Neighbours on Prince Turki Al Awwal Road

Visitors often use the two names interchangeably, but they are separate complexes next to each other in the Hittin district of north Riyadh. The table sets out what each one is.

	Boulevard City	Boulevard World
Opened	October 2019, in the first Riyadh Season	November 2022
What it is	An entertainment district of theatres, arenas, restaurants and cafes, known locally as the Boulevard	A park of country zones built around a large man made lagoon, with rides and street food
Best for	A show, a concert, dinner, a shorter evening	A long family evening on foot
Riyadh Season 2026	Named with new content	Named as returning

Boulevard City

Boulevard City opened in October 2019 as part of the very first Riyadh Season and has grown since into a large district of venues. It includes the Mohammed Abdo Arena along with theatres, gaming and cafes, and it is where many of the season's ticketed shows take place. Because an evening here is often built around a performance with a fixed start and end time, the transport question is a precise one: arrive before the doors, leave when the show lets out.

Boulevard World

Boulevard World opened next door in November 2022 and is built around a lagoon recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest artificial lake in the world. Around it sit zones themed on countries from across the world, each with its own architecture, food and performances. It is a place people walk for hours, which means the evening has no fixed end. Families tend to stay until the children are done, and that moment is impossible to predict when you book a ride in advance.

What Is New for Riyadh Season 2026

The official announcement names Boulevard City as carrying new content this season. Ahead of opening, three new country zones have been reported for Boulevard World: the Netherlands, Portugal and Bab Al Yemen. Opening hours and ticket details for 2026 are published by the season itself, so check the official Riyadh Season channels before you go rather than relying on last year's times.

The season opens in a very busy week. The Six Kings Slam plays its three evenings on 21, 22 and 24 October, the racing season at King Abdulaziz Racecourse opens on 16 October, and FII and the Global Health Exhibition follow from 26 to 29 October. We covered that fortnight in our Riyadh Season and Six Kings Slam guide. The practical point is that Riyadh's premium fleet is heavily booked from the middle of October, so families planning the Boulevard in the opening weeks should book their car when they book their tickets.

When the Crowds Arrive

The Boulevard is an evening destination. Most visitors arrive after sunset once the heat has gone, and the busiest nights are the weekend nights of Thursday, Friday and Saturday, together with public holidays and the opening week of the season. Three moments matter for transport.

The early evening arrival

Traffic builds on the approach roads through the early evening as the city heads north for the night. Arriving a little earlier than you think you need to is almost always rewarded, particularly on a show night at Boulevard City when everyone is aiming for the same door time.

The show release

When a large performance ends, thousands of people leave the same venue in the same few minutes. This is the single worst moment to start looking for a ride. Ride hailing prices rise, waiting times lengthen and pickup points become crowded.

The late night exit

At Boulevard World there is no single release time, but there is a late wave as the zones wind down. Families with young children and older relatives are the ones who feel this most, because the walk back to a car park or a pickup point comes at the end of hours on their feet.

Getting There: The Options Compared

There are four realistic ways to reach the Boulevard, and each suits a different visitor. We compared them across the whole city in our guide to getting around Riyadh by metro, taxi or chauffeur. Here is how they work for this destination.

Metro and bus

There is no metro station at the Boulevard's door. For major events, Riyadh's public transport operator has promoted a Riyadh Bus connection from the KAFD metro station to Boulevard City, which is a good choice for a solo visitor or a couple travelling light. Check the operator's current routes and last departure times before relying on it for the journey home.

Driving yourself

Driving gives you control on the way in, but you then have to park, and on a busy night the walk from a car park to the zones and back can be long. The driver also spends the evening knowing they have to find the car and navigate out again at the end.

Ride hailing

Fine for arrivals on a quiet weeknight. At the end of a show or on a weekend night it becomes unpredictable: surge pricing, cancelled rides and a long wait at a crowded pickup point, often with a group that will not fit into one car.

A chauffeur held for the evening

The car drops you as close to your entrance as the season's traffic plan allows, then waits. When you are ready to leave you send one message, and the car comes to the pickup point you agreed with your chauffeur. Nobody walks to a car park, nobody refreshes an app, and the group stays in one vehicle. For a family evening or a hosted evening this is the option that removes the hardest part of the night.

The Pickup Is the Hard Part

Almost every problem at the Boulevard happens on the way out. The organisers set drop off and pickup arrangements for each season, and they can change between the opening week and the rest of the season, so a good chauffeur checks the current arrangement before the evening rather than assuming last year's routine. On the night, agree two things before you walk in: the exact point where you will meet the car, and a message you will send about fifteen minutes before you want to leave. That quarter of an hour lets the car move into position so it is there when you arrive, rather than joining a queue after you do.

If your group splits up, which happens often when teenagers want the rides and grandparents want the cafes, a larger vehicle held for the evening can make two pickups at two times without anybody booking anything new.

Planning a Family Evening

For a family of up to five, a GMC Yukon or a Mercedes V Class gives room for everyone plus a pushchair and the shopping. For a bigger family or two families together, the eleven seat Hyundai Staria keeps everybody in one car. Child seats can be arranged in advance, so ask when you book.

Families with older parents should plan the evening around the walking. Boulevard World in particular is large, and the most useful thing a chauffeur can do is shorten the walk at both ends: a drop off close to the entrance and a pickup timed so nobody stands and waits.

Hosting Guests and Clients at the Boulevard

Companies in Riyadh often take visiting clients to the Boulevard, especially when their guests are in town for a conference and have one free evening. The guest has usually had a long day, the host wants the evening to feel effortless, and the worst outcome is a senior visitor standing on a pavement at midnight while someone searches for a ride. A sedan or an SUV held for the evening from the hotel to dinner to the show and back solves that completely. For companies bringing several guests through the season, a corporate account keeps every booking on one arrangement, and our event transportation team plans larger groups.

Choosing the Vehicle

The table shows our published Riyadh full day rates from the pricing page. A full day is twelve hours with the chauffeur, fuel and waiting included, which comfortably covers an afternoon, an evening at the Boulevard and the drive home. VAT applies. The full range is on our fleet page.

Vehicle	Seats	Riyadh full day, 12 hours	Extra hour
SUV, Toyota Fortuner or similar	6	SAR 1,150	SAR 105
Luxury sedan, Lexus ES or similar	3	SAR 1,495	SAR 140
SUV, GMC Yukon or similar	6	SAR 1,725	SAR 175
Hyundai Staria	11	SAR 1,840	SAR 175
Toyota Coaster	21	SAR 2,070	SAR 185
Mercedes V Class	5	SAR 3,450	SAR 345
BMW 7 Series	3	SAR 4,025	SAR 345
Mercedes S Class	3	SAR 4,370	SAR 405

On a V Class, book the day rather than separate transfers: two movements and the day has already paid for itself. A full day booking also lets you add an afternoon of shopping, a family lunch or an airport run to the same car before the evening begins.

Combining the Boulevard with the Rest of the Season

Few visitors come to Riyadh Season for one evening. A family visiting from elsewhere in the Gulf might spend one night at Boulevard World, another at a show in Boulevard City, a day at the racecourse and a morning in Diriyah. Holding the same car and chauffeur across the stay means the routine, the child seats and the preferred pickup points only need to be explained once. Guests landing at King Khalid International can start the stay with a meet and greet airport transfer and keep the same arrangement for the rest of the trip.

Booking for Riyadh Season

We operate around the clock in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. The opening weeks of the season and the weekend nights book first, and larger vehicles go earliest. Send us your dates, the number of people and what you plan to see on +966 56 644 0190 or at info@roarkchauffeur.com and we will come back with a plan and a quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Riyadh Season 2026 open?

The General Entertainment Authority announced that the seventh edition of Riyadh Season opens on Wednesday 21 October 2026 and runs for ten weeks. Boulevard World and Boulevard City are among the zones named in the announcement.

Where are Boulevard World and Boulevard City?

Both are in the Hittin district of north Riyadh, off Prince Turki Al Awwal Road, and they sit next to each other. Boulevard City opened in 2019 and Boulevard World opened alongside it in 2022.

What is the difference between Boulevard World and Boulevard City?

Boulevard City is an entertainment district of theatres, arenas and restaurants where many ticketed shows take place. Boulevard World is a park of country themed zones built around a large lagoon, which visitors explore on foot over a long evening.

Is there a metro station at Boulevard World?

No. There is no metro station at the entrance. For major events, Riyadh's public transport operator has promoted a bus connection from the KAFD metro station to Boulevard City, so check its current routes and last departures before you travel.

What is the best way to get home from Boulevard World late at night?

A car that is already waiting. Ride hailing becomes unpredictable when crowds leave together, and car parks can mean a long walk at the end of the night. A chauffeur held for the evening collects you at an agreed point when you send a message.

How much does a chauffeur for an evening at the Boulevard cost?

Published Riyadh full days, twelve hours with chauffeur, fuel and waiting included, start at SAR 1,150 for a Toyota Fortuner and SAR 1,495 for a Lexus ES, with a GMC Yukon at SAR 1,725 and an eleven seat Hyundai Staria at SAR 1,840. VAT applies.