Celebrate with delectable flavours at Ducasse in AlUla, Banyan Tree AlUla, The Chedi Hegra, Cloud7 Residence and beyond
• Dynamic heritage experiences engage visitors in 200,000 years of history and 7,000 years of continuous civilisation
AlUla, Saudi Arabia – December 2025: This New Year’s Eve, AlUla sets the stage for unforgettable gatherings at top hotels and restaurants in the luxury destination. From culinary-led celebrations and vibrant live performances to the remarkable wonder of the expansive desert night, each curated experience is designed to rejuvenate the spirit and welcome new beginnings in style.
Set amid the oasis city’s ancient allure, discerning guests can choose from a range of offers that best suit their mood. Each moment is underpinned by AlUla’s signature hospitality and serene ambience, inviting them to welcome 2026 with intention and renewal.
Visitors can welcome the New Year in the heart of Ashar Valley with a spectacular gala dinner at Banyan Tree AlUla’s Saffron. A global feast will mark the occasion in style, complemented by the enchanting desert atmosphere under a starlit sky. The vibrant evening offers a live soundtrack courtesy of a DJ, saxophonist, violinist and percussionist for a celebration to remember.
For a timeless NYE experience, The Chedi Hegra’s Prima Classe Restaurant presents a New Year’s Eve celebration with a set gala menu, curated entertainment and a magical countdown to midnight. Guests are welcomed with complimentary non-alcoholic champagne near the Hegra train station – one of standout features of this one-of-a-kind luxury boutique hotel – and a live DJ sets the tone throughout the evening.
At Our Habitas AlUla, guests are invited to ring in the new year with Midnight in the Desert at Tama. This soulful evening begins at 4pm with henna artists and face painting to delight guests of all ages. From 8pm, the celebration truly comes alive with a blend of live DJ sets, traditional oud, and violin performances. Capture the moment at the 360-photo booth before gathering for a Midnight Countdown & Ceremony to welcome 2026.
At Cloud7 Residence AlUla, the signature Oasis of Lights offers an unforgettable New Year’s Eve under the desert sky. Guests will step into a luminous soiree as the hotel transforms into a radiant oasis to welcome 2026. The evening begins with a reception featuring canapes and specialty mocktails from 7.30-8.30pm at Charcood Terrace, followed by an elegant gala dinner from 8.30-11.30 pm. Celebrations continue with a DJ party until 1.30am, complete with a midnight countdown and a two-minute fireworks display to mark the arrival of the new year.
Returning to enchant the destination once again is Ducasse in AlUla, which brings back the luxurious oasis-to-table pop-up in collaboration with world-renowned chef Alain Ducasse. Set beneath the lush canopy of AlUla’s oasis near the ancient heritage site of Jabal Ikmah, the restaurant offers a warm, elegant setting for an unforgettable gastronomic journey that fuses French culinary artistry with the rich, distinctive flavours of AlUla.
For those who prefer to welcome 2026 with a glittering evening of music, singers Assala Nasri and Adam will take the stage at the open-air Thanaya AlUla venue for a gala New Year’s Eve concert that pairs world-class entertainment with AlUla’s natural beauty. Assala Nasri, the ‘Queen of Arab Music’, will captivate with her unmatched vocals and timeless catalogue, including Ya Magnoon, Tasawar and Mabaash Ana, while rising Lebanese star Adam performs favourites such as Kifak Enta, Haza Ana and Bhebak Ana.
Immersive Heritage Experiences:
AlUla’s festive season also brims with unique heritage experiences that immerse curious visitors in more than 200,000 years of human history and civilisations dating back more than 7,000 years. At Jabal Ikmah, AlUla’s ‘open library’, Secrets of the Scribe: Ikmah After Dark leads guests through the gorge to decipher ancient inscriptions, try hands-on sculpture and gather for storytelling with oasis-inspired refreshments.
The award-winning Hegra After Dark experience returns with incense-scented trails, horse-drawn carriage rides, live performances and a theatrical marketplace celebrating the culture of the ancient Nabataeans.
In a foray into AlUla Old Town, the Incense Road Experience guides visitors through historic mud-brick lanes where performance, technology and interactive clues reveal the living memories of local communities. Awaken the Tales: Escape House challenges teams with puzzles rooted in oral traditions, offering a playful way to delve into AlUla’s storytelling heritage.
The breathtaking landscapes of AlUla are easily accessible throughout the festive period, with direct flights from major hubs. SAUDIA flies daily from Riyadh and Jeddah; flynas offers five weekly flights from Riyadh and two weekly from Dammam; flydubai has four weekly flights from Dubai; Qatar Airways has three weekly flights from Doha; and Royal Jordanian runs two weekly flights from Amman through 26 February 2026.
About AlUla:
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and is comprised of over 140 well-preserved tombs, many with elaborate facades cut out of the sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement.
Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after the Roman’s conquered the Nabataeans in 106 CE.
In addition to Hegra, AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages, which has been recently listed on the UNESCO’s memory of the World Register. Also AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes developed from at least the 12th century, which has been selected as one of the World’s Best Tourism Villages in 2022 by the UNWTO.
