A festival named for a sundial
Winter at Tantora is the annual festival of the Royal Commission for AlUla. It takes its name from al-Tantora, a sundial that marks the start of each of the year's four seasons.
The first edition opened on 19 December 2018 across thirteen archaeological and cultural sites, ran for seven weeks and inaugurated Maraya as its main venue. The second, from December 2019 to March 2020, brought Enrique Iglesias, Lionel Richie, Omar Khairat and Yanni, the Caracalla Dance Theatre, a hot-air balloon festival and a desert polo tournament.
Recent seasons
The fifth edition, from 21 December 2023 to 27 January 2024, celebrated the Year of Arabic Poetry with AlUla Poetry Night and The Poets' Parade, alongside the AlUla Citrus Festival, a trail race and polo.
The sixth, from 19 December 2024 to 11 January 2025, marked the Year of the Camel with Sanaam AlUla Night and laid out a route called In the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta through the Old Town and the oasis, with traditional crafts, music and heritage-inspired performances.