Soundstorm 2025 Redefines the Festival Experience in Riyadh With a Fully Reimagined Music City

Soundstorm 2025 marks a defining moment for live entertainment in the Middle East, transforming Riyadh into the epicenter of global music culture for three unforgettable days. Held from December 11 to 13, the latest edition of the flagship MDLBEAST festival welcomed hundreds of thousands of music lovers to a completely redesigned festival grounds, introducing a bold new vision that blurred the line between festival and city.

This year, Soundstorm was no longer just a music event. It became a fully immersive temporary city, designed to guide audiences through a carefully curated journey of sound, culture, and experience. With over 250 international and regional artists performing across 14 distinct stages, the festival showcased an unprecedented diversity of genres, atmospheres, and creative expressions.

A Star-Studded Lineup Across Three Electrifying Days

The iconic Big Beast stage once again served as the beating heart of Soundstorm, unveiling a new architectural design and boundary-pushing production. The opening night set the tone with high-energy performances from Benson Boone, Post Malone, and Swedish House Mafia, instantly igniting the crowd and setting expectations sky-high.

Day two saw the momentum intensify, with Pitbull, DJ Snake, Anyma, and Balqees delivering powerful sets that blended global appeal with regional influence. The final night reached its peak as Cardi B made her highly anticipated debut in Saudi Arabia, closing the festival with a performance that left a lasting impression and cemented Soundstorm 2025 as a landmark cultural moment.

Four Districts, One Immersive City

What truly set Soundstorm 2025 apart was the complete reinvention of its layout. The festival grounds were divided into four main districts, each offering a unique musical identity and atmosphere.

At the center stood Downtown, also known as the Eye of the Storm, acting as the main navigation hub. To the north, Park emerged as a favorite destination for fans of R&B and hip-hop, featuring standout performances by artists such as Tyla, The Kid LAROI, Zeyne, and TUL8TE.

The southern zone offered a more atmospheric and introspective experience. Stages like Neon, a glowing 360-degree structure, and Roog provided immersive environments dedicated to ambient and slow-building electronic sounds, inviting festivalgoers to lose themselves in mood and texture.

In the west, Soundstorm’s club and techno district came alive. Tunnel became one of the most talked-about stages of the weekend, drawing massive crowds for electrifying sets by Calvin Harris, Fisher, Afrojack, and Armin van Buuren. Nearby, Plexi and Port kept the energy high with performances from Black Coffee, BLOND:ISH, Adriatique, Franky Rizardo, and Honeyluv.

To the east, the festival’s biggest crowds gathered around Big Beast and the newly introduced 6AG Stage, which focused on celebrating regional and local talent. Artists such as Ayed, Tahani Asultan, Disco Misr, and Ibrahim Alhakami brought strong regional representation to the forefront of the global lineup.

A New Benchmark for Music Festivals in the Middle East

Soundstorm 2025 stands as a powerful statement about the future of live entertainment in Saudi Arabia and the wider region. By combining world-class production, global superstars, and meaningful support for regional talent, the festival continues to redefine what a large-scale music event can be.

More than a festival, Soundstorm has evolved into a cultural platform that reflects the rapid transformation of the region’s creative landscape. With its city-like design, immersive storytelling, and bold artistic direction, Soundstorm 2025 sets a new benchmark for international music festivals and confirms Riyadh’s growing status as a global destination for live entertainment.

As the festival looks ahead to future editions, one thing is clear: Soundstorm is not just shaping moments, it is shaping the future of music in the region.