Saudi Arabia appoints contractor for $1.4 billion performing-arts centre

Located on the edge of the Tuwaiq Mountains, the centre will deliver dramatic architecture and sweeping views across Qiddiya City. The facility will comprise three theatres with a combined capacity of over 3,000 seats, including a unique 500-seat suspended theatre and a cantilevered amphitheatre overlooking the lower plateau.

Designed by Tom Wiscombe Architecture (USA), with support from Dubai’s Brewer Smith Brewer Gulf, the centre is positioned as Qiddiya’s first cultural asset and intended to become an iconic landmark for the region.

Programme & positioning Once completed, the centre is expected to host more than 200 indoor and outdoor performances annually, spanning theatre, music, digital art, cultural showcases and international productions. The centre will thus play a pivotal role in the broader vision of Qiddiya City: not only as an entertainment destination but as a thriving creative-economy hub. Within this district are also major components such as the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, a motorsports track, the upcoming Six Flags theme park, the Aquarabia water-park complex and a dedicated e-sports arena.

Strategic relevance The project aligns strongly with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objective of diversifying its economy by expanding the leisure, tourism and cultural sectors. Domestic leisure trips have doubled from 16.7 million in 2018 to 33.8 million in 2023, and international recreational arrivals have grown sixfold in the same period. Major developments such as Qiddiya are part of a broader portfolio of mega-projects—including NEOM, the Red Sea Project, Amaala and Diriyah Gate—designed to reshape the Kingdom’s sectors from tourism and culture to sports and media.

Implications for real-estate and cultural investment For property and real-estate stakeholders, this comes as a signal that cultural infrastructure is increasingly becoming a component of destination-grade master-plans. A performing-arts centre of this scale helps anchor value in surrounding real-estate, drive footfall, and uplift whole districts. With Nesma & Partners onboard, and internationally recognised architects at the helm, the project demonstrates the Kingdom’s commitment to world-class quality and design ambition.

The centre is set to serve both an emerging local audience and the global cultural tourism market, positioning Qiddiya not just as a theme-park location but as a sophisticated creative and performance ecosystem. For investors, developers and architects active in the GCC region, this marks a strong reference point and an elevation of cultural-led development as a value driver.