Qiddiya awards multibillion-riyal performing arts centre

8 October 2025

 

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Saudi Arabia’s gigaproject developer Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) has awarded an estimated SR5.2bn ($1.4bn) construction contract to build the performing arts centre at Qiddiya Entertainment City.

The contract was awarded to the local firm Nesma & Partners.

The centre will have over 3,000 seats across three theatres. It will also include a cantilevered amphitheatre overlooking Qiddiya City’s lower plateau, with a 500-seat centre suspended from above.

In May, MEED exclusively reported that contractors had submitted bids for the contract to build the performing arts centre at Qiddiya Entertainment City.

MEED understands that the firms submitted the stage two bids on 22 May.

QIC issued the tender in September last year.

In June 2024, MEED reported that QIC had appointed US-headquartered Tom Wiscombe Architecture as the project’s design architect and Dubai-based Brewer Smith Brewer Gulf as the design consultant.

The Qiddiya City performing arts centre is one of several major projects within the greater Qiddiya development. Other projects include an e-games arena, the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, a motorsports track, the Dragon Ball and Six Flags theme parks, and Aquarabia.

The project is a key part of Riyadh’s strategy to boost leisure tourism in the kingdom. According to GlobalData, leisure tourism in Saudi Arabia has experienced significant growth in recent years.

Domestic leisure tourism trips increased to 33.76 million in 2023, up from 16.74 million in 2018. International tourist arrivals for recreational purposes increased by 600% from 2018 to 2023.


MEED’s October 2025 special report on Saudi Arabia includes:

> COMMENT: Riyadh strives for sustainable growth
> GOVERNMENT: Riyadh confronts rising regional chaos
> ECONOMY: Riyadh looks to adjust investment approach
> BANKING: New funding sources solve Saudi liquidity challenge
> OIL & GAS: Aramco turns attention to strategic projects
> GAS: Saudi Arabia and Kuwait accelerate Dorra gas field development
> POWER: Saudi Arabia accelerates power transformation
> WATER: Transmission projects drive Saudi water sector growth
> CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction pivots from gigaprojects to events
> TRANSPORT: Infrastructure takes centre stage in Saudi strategy

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Yasir Iqbal
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