The best things to do in Riyadh this weekend begin early, slow down during the hottest part of the day, and start again once the sun begins to disappear.
That timing suits this weekend particularly well. Saturday starts with a very wet community run at ROSHN Front, while Friday night brings two completely different concerts to Vocally. There are also new exhibitions at Misk Art Institute, creative activities for children, and two fairly convincing reasons to drive out to Qiddiya City.
From live music and contemporary art to water rides and indoor karting, these are the best things to do in Riyadh from Friday, July 24, to Sunday, July 26.
Choose Your Friday Night Concert at Vocally
Vocally is hosting two concerts at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University on Friday, giving music fans a choice between an Iraqi night with Rahma Riad and a later performance by Saudi singer Talal Salamah.
Rahma Riad takes the earlier slot, with doors opening at 6pm before the concert begins at 7pm. Alongside her own music, the programme will include songs from the Iraqi tradition, making it a good choice for anyone who prefers contemporary Arabic pop with a few familiar favourites mixed in.
Talal Salamah follows later in the evening. Doors open at 10pm, with the performance beginning at 10.30pm and bringing a very different style of Arabic music to the same venue.
The concerts are ticketed separately, so the real decision is what kind of Friday night you feel like having. Rahma Riad offers the livelier start, while Talal Salamah suits anyone who prefers a later evening built around Saudi music.
Get Soaked at Summer Splash
Saturday begins early at ROSHN Front, where Summer Splash returns with water blasters, splash zones and very little chance of reaching the finish line while staying dry.
The event starts at 5am, before Riyadh’s daytime heat has properly settled in. Participants can choose between a 5km race for ages 12 and above or a 2km fun run and walk open to all ages.
This is not a serious race morning filled with people checking split times and chasing personal records. The water activities are part of the route, and the shorter distance makes it easy for families, first-time runners and groups of friends to join without feeling as though they should have been training for weeks.
Every participant receives a race pack containing a T-shirt, bib, drawstring bag, water blaster and sunglasses. Finishers also receive a medal and digital certificate after completing the course. Race packs must be collected before the event, with collection available at Barn’s Coffee in Park Avenue on Thursday and Friday.
Explore Misk Art Institute’s Summer Exhibitions
Prince Faisal bin Fahd Arts Hall currently has two exhibitions running at the same time, giving visitors plenty to see without needing to move between different galleries.
The annual Summer 2026 exhibition brings together more than 45 works by 31 Saudi and Saudi-based artists. Painting, sculpture, digital art, and immersive installations all feature, with the artists exploring subjects ranging from environmental change and scientific research to poetry, memory, and oral history.
Solo Series 2026 is showing in the same building and focuses on two established Saudi artists. Fouad Mougharbel’s work returns repeatedly to Madinah, its architecture, and the atmosphere surrounding the Prophet’s Mosque. Saad Almasari takes a different direction, using geometry, repetition, and the structure of Islamic art across painting, sculpture, and ceramics.
Both exhibitions are free. The hall is open from 4pm to 10pm from Saturday to Thursday, so Saturday or Sunday evening will be the time to visit this weekend. It is a good choice for anyone who wants to do something indoors without spending another afternoon in a shopping centre.
Spend Sunday at Maker’s Dome
Families looking for a flexible Sunday plan can head to Maker’s Dome at FoodSphere. Instead of following one workshop from beginning to end, children can move between different making stations and hands-on activities. They can try several projects, return to the ones they enjoy and spend longer on whatever catches their attention.
The programme changes throughout the summer, so the materials and activities may differ between visits. That also makes it useful for families who have already been once and want an indoor activity that does not feel exactly the same every time.
Maker’s Dome runs from Sunday to Wednesday between 4pm and midnight, making Sunday, July 26, the only day it falls within this particular weekend.
There is no need to organise the entire day around it. Families can arrive later in the afternoon, let the children create for a while and then stay in the area for dinner.
Cool Down at Aquarabia
A July weekend is a perfectly reasonable excuse to spend several hours being sent down enormous slides and dropped into pools. Aquarabia at Qiddiya City has 22 rides and water experiences spread across eight themed areas. There are large thrill slides, wave pools, family attractions and aquatic sports, along with calmer sections for visitors who have no interest in repeatedly falling from a great height.
Summer opening hours run from 4pm to midnight, allowing visitors to arrive once the strongest afternoon heat begins to ease. Standard admission starts from SAR275.
Friday operates under Aquarabia’s ladies’ day policy, with entry reserved for women and boys aged eight and under. Mixed groups can visit on Saturday or Sunday instead.
Qiddiya City is around 45 kilometres from central Riyadh, so Aquarabia works best as the main plan for the day. Trying to squeeze it between brunch, an exhibition and dinner somewhere across the city will probably turn the afternoon into a long conversation about traffic.
Stay Out Late at Six Flags Qiddiya City
Next door to Aquarabia, Six Flags Qiddiya City offers a very different reason to make the drive. The park has 28 rides and attractions spread across six themed areas, including ten thrill rides and 18 family-friendly options. Five of the rides are record-breaking, with Falcons Flight designed as the world’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster.
Not everything requires that level of commitment. There are gentler family rides, live entertainment, restaurants and plenty of areas where the pace is considerably calmer.
Six Flags opens from 4pm until midnight from Friday to Sunday, making an evening visit far more comfortable than walking between rides during the middle of the afternoon.
Arriving close to opening gives you enough time to explore properly, take breaks between rides and decide which queue deserves the final hour of the night.
As with Aquarabia, allow time for the journey. Qiddiya is far enough from central Riyadh that this should be treated as a full evening out, not somewhere to stop briefly after dinner.
Race Through a Video Game at BattleKart
BattleKart takes indoor karting and turns the track into something much closer to a video game. The karts are real, but the racetracks, obstacles and power-ups are projected onto the floor. Drivers can collect bonuses, fire virtual rockets at their opponents, leave oil behind them and compete in several different modes instead of simply racing towards the finish line.
A standard session lasts around 15 minutes and costs SAR120, with reduced prices available for additional consecutive games. Drivers must be at least 1.45 metres tall, so this is better suited to adults, teenagers and taller children.
The Ishbiliyah branch stays open particularly late over the weekend. Friday hours run from 2pm to 6am, Saturday from 2pm to 1am and Sunday from 4pm to 1am. Saturday between 2pm and 6pm is reserved for women, with the venue opening to everyone afterwards.
It is a good choice for groups who want something competitive, particularly when nobody can agree on another restaurant or wants to spend the evening walking around a mall.
How to Plan the Weekend
Friday belongs to live music at Vocally, while Saturday starts very early with Summer Splash. Sunday brings Maker’s Dome for families, and Misk Art Institute works well on either Saturday or Sunday evening.
Aquarabia and Six Flags both need more time, so choose one and allow the Qiddiya visit to become the main event. BattleKart is the easiest option to fit around everything else, particularly if the group decides it still has energy late at night.
July changes the timing of almost every plan in Riyadh. Early mornings and evenings are the most comfortable, while anything involving a long drive is far more enjoyable when there is no need to rush from one side of the city to the other.
Follow The Riyadh Atlas for the latest weekend guides, events, family activities, restaurants, and hidden gems happening across Riyadh every week.
