In an announcement awaited by audiences from all over the world, Counselor Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA), revealed the launch of the “Riyadh Season 2026” on Wednesday, October 21.
The announcement came through a teaser video that showcased the features of an exceptional season that extends over 10 weeks, full of distinguished events and experiences, bringing the world together again in the heart of the Saudi capital.
The video, which was broadcast through Chancellor Turki Al-Sheikh’s account on the “X” social media platform, reviewed some of the anticipated experiences, from boxing and wrestling fights and UFC tournaments, to the “Six Kings Slam” tournament that attracts tennis fans from all over the world.
The video also included scenes of concerts and comedy theatrical performances, as well as experiences intended for children and families.
In the seventh edition of “Riyadh Season”, “Boulevard World”, one of the most popular areas, is being attended as a destination where the world’s cultures, places and experiences meet.
“Boulevard City” returns with a renewed vision, as “Wonder Garden” will include the entertainment park, which takes on a new character every time.
The video referred to “The Groves” and “Farmers Market” areas, and the “I Am Arab” exhibition, which is held in the “Via Riad” area, in addition to other events.
He concluded his message by welcoming everyone who comes to the capital, whether they come in search of the excitement of competition, the passion of discovery, or a night that leads him to what he did not expect during the “Riyadh Season” with its slogan “Big Time.”
Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred was sentenced, on Saturday, before an appeal in Creteil (southeast of Paris) to 10 years in prison on charges of rape, a sentence more severe than that issued by the court of first instance against him.
The artist, who is widely popular in Morocco and the Arab world, was previously sentenced in 2023 to 6 years in prison before the Criminal Court in Paris.
The Public Prosecution reported to Agence France-Presse that the 41-year-old singer was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with an order to put him in prison, on charges of rape coupled with an aggravating circumstance, which is that he was under the influence of alcohol. The prosecution had requested that he be imprisoned for 8 years.
Marie Borgoboro, one of Lamjarred's lawyers, who maintains his innocence, said that he will appeal the ruling before the Court of Cassation.
Lamjarred was convicted of raping Laura B. In 2016 in a hotel room, after he met her in a nightclub in Paris. She was 20 years old at the time, while he was thirty-one.
In another case, Saad Lamjarred was sentenced in May to 5 years in prison before the Criminal Court of the Var Province in Draguignan, on charges of raping a young woman in 2018 near Saint-Tropez. The ruling has been appealed.
In Kritai, the trial before appeal took place in closed sessions, after it was postponed in June 2025 for additional investigations.
David Shimey, one of the plaintiff’s lawyers, said: “The punishment against him can be interpreted in particular based on the concerns raised by the defendant’s personality, and also the extremely aggressive strategy that was adopted” towards the plaintiff.
He added: “It is clear that the systematic casting doubt on her statements, as well as the attacks on the investigators and experts, left a bad impression on the jurors. An accused person can be defended firmly, but this cannot be done by denying or disdaining what the victim was subjected to.”
Five people were also convicted in the case in April of trying to blackmail the singer. They demanded three million euros in exchange for withdrawing the complaint and the plaintiff not appearing to testify before the criminal court.
Laura B. was acquitted. of the charge, in exchange for the conviction of her mother, a lawyer, and a social media influencer, in addition to two other people, to prison sentences ranging from 6 months to two years, suspended.
The singer was previously accused in similar cases in 2015 in Morocco and 2010 in the United States. A case of rape and sexual assault was closed after a financial settlement with the victim.
Lamjarred has more than 15 million subscribers on Instagram and about 16 million on his YouTube channel.
Egyptian artist Khaled Zaki said that his honor at the “Our Children” festival was different because he cares about the arts of “people with special abilities, and carries a noble message to integrate them into society.” He confirmed in his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that the character “Shalabi Mamoun,” which he presented in the “Pride of the Delta” series last Ramadan, for which the festival honored him and his artistic career, was a different combination of a businessman who suffers from “Alzheimer’s.”
He pointed out that he had read a lot about this disease and found in the work a message to the viewer, stressing the need to benefit from the experiences of great artists, and to appreciate the artist’s artistic, literary and material history. He added that production companies are responsible for employing artists, and that the writing crisis is behind the lack of distinguished artistic works compared to their counterparts in the boom years of drama.
Khaled Zaki received the honor of the “Our Children” Festival, about which he says: “It was a different honor, because it is a festival that cares about the arts of people with special needs, works to integrate them into society, and carries a noble message. I was pleased with the participation of children and youth in the ceremony, and I was surprised that this was its tenth session.”
His performance as “Mamoun Shalabi,” a businessman suffering from “Alzheimer’s,” in the Ramadan series “Pride of the Delta,” was another reason to honor him, stressing that the role tempted him a lot, as he conveys to people an important message about the patient with “Alzheimer’s” through situations that bring him together with the artist Kamal Abu Rayya within the events of the series, but in a “light comedy” form.
Khaled Zaki is one of the first artists to talk about the lack of fair job opportunities for senior actors, and he draws a comparison that reveals the imbalance, saying: “Great actors in the world continue to work until the end of their lives, and works are written for them in particular, and they win awards like the great British actor Anthony Hopkins, so I am surprised that many of our works marginalize the role of the artist when he grows up, even though the life drama includes the child, the young man, and the old man, and each has his important role.”
With artists demanding the intervention of the Acting Professions Syndicate to address this matter, Zaki says: “The Syndicate may nominate some artists, but the production authorities are responsible for that.”
Khaled Zaki believes that every time has its own circumstances, but a good script, in his opinion, is the starting point in making drama. He stressed, “There are young writers with a degree of talent and competence who have presented distinguished works in recent years, but not as much as there was during the boom period of drama, with the presence of great writers like Osama Anwar Okasha, Wahid Hamed, Mahfouz Abdel Rahman, Muhammad Safaa Amer and others.” He continued: “There is no doubt that there is a crisis in writing in general, especially the roles of great actors that are played.” Marginalizing it.”
During nearly half a century of his artistic career, Khaled Zaki presented more than 360 works between television, cinema, and theater. Among them are: “Witness and Tears,” “So that Love Does Not Suffocate,” “The Assassination of Shams,” “Hwanim Garden City,” “His Excellency,” and in cinema, “The President’s Chef,” “The Embassy in Amara,” “A Heartbeat,” and “My Angel of Alexandria.”
He confirms that all of his works are close to his heart, because they were the result of careful choices, and that the material did not put pressure on him in his choices. What is important is the quality of the script and the distinctiveness of the role he plays, but he does not deny the importance of the material, because acting is his only source of income, pointing out that he was not interested at any time in entering into commercial projects, and that what is most important is that he makes good choices, because it is important for the artist to respect his audience, and remain in their good opinion, as they and the critics are the true mirror of the artist, just as he confirms that he cares about every word of criticism. It was written about him and he benefited from it in his artistic path.
Despite his cinematic debut through the film “School of Teenagers” with Fouad Al-Muhandis and Shweikar, television drama took over his work more than cinema, and he justifies this by saying: “I was not given to cinema as much as television, so I do not accept any work for the sake of mere cinematic presence. I have always apologized for roles, because I realized that they would not add much to my career despite my cinematic beginning, and when I presented my first starring role in the series (The Fog), I started in dramatic works.”
Zaki recalls the first time he stood on the National Theater, saying: “I was in elementary school, and I participated in a school show that was more like sketches in which I played the role of a doctor. I remember that day I was wondering to myself, ‘Is it possible when I grow up to stand as an actor on this stage?’ And as circumstances would have it, after I graduated from the institute, I was appointed to the National Theater to fulfill what seemed to me a distant dream. I continued to perform in it and achieved the rank of a capable artist.”
Zaki reveals that he became attached to acting to the beat of Umm Kulthum’s songs, as he used to memorize the words of her new songs that were published by “Al-Ahram” newspaper before each of her concerts, and he would stand up to perform them in a dramatic manner, which helped him pass the exams of the Institute of Dramatic Arts, after he gave a dramatic performance of the song “Ask Your Soul.”
His handsomeness nominated him for romantic roles, but he rebelled against them, heading towards evil roles. He says, “Maybe in the beginning, directors nominated me to play romantic roles, and I spent several years until I was able to achieve a different shift in evil roles. The first rebellion was during the evening of “Love Without Banks” in 1973, written by Osama Anwar Okasha and directed by Inaam Muhammad Ali, with which I won the first award in my life. I loved diversifying the roles, just as I loved evil roles, because it is not only features, but also intelligence, and it allows the artist a good space to perform.
