AlUla Moments has announced the return of the AlUla Skies Festival, running from November 6–15, 2026 with 10 days of experiences celebrating nature, adventure and astronomy against AlUla’s dramatic desert landscapes.
The festival will feature sunrise hot-air balloon flights,
balloon glow shows, stargazing, moonlight cinema, wellness sessions and guided
hikes.
The programme is timed to coincide with moonless skies from
7–12 November, including the New Moon on 9 November, providing favourable
conditions for observing celestial objects.
The festival will also coincide with the Leonid Meteor
Shower on 15 November, when visitors could see up to 20 meteors per hour.
A key attraction will be AlUla Skyrise, offering daily
sunrise hot-air balloon flights from approximately 6am to 7am, including Saudi
coffee and dates before take-off and refreshments afterwards.
Hot Air Balloon Glow Shows will take place at Hegra on 6 and
7 November and Elephant Rock on 13 and 14 November, combining illuminated
balloons with music, lighting, projections, fire performers and aerial artists.
Other highlights include tethered balloon rides at
AlManshiyah, VOX Moonlight Cinema at Our Habitas AlUla, and Stargazing at AlUla
Fort, featuring five telescopes and guided observations by an astronomer and
Rawi.
The festival will also introduce Sunset Stillness wellness
sessions at Our Habitas AlUla, alongside stargazing hikes with Husaak.
The event highlights AlUla’s status as the region’s first
Dark Sky Park destination, with four areas designated as International Dark Sky
Parks: AlUla Manara, Gharameel Nature Reserve, Sharaan National Park and Wadi
Nakhlah Nature Reserve.
AlUla Skies Festival forms part of the year-round AlUla Moments calendar, supporting the destination’s growing focus on experiential, nature-based and sustainable tourism. -TTN