Athar Festival 2026 Returns to Riyadh to Explore the Future of Saudi Creativity
Athar – Saudi Festival of Creativity, the Kingdom’s largest gathering of the creative marketing industry, is set to return for its fourth edition on November 24-25, 2026, bringing together local, regional, and international industry leaders to explore the trends, opportunities, and challenges shaping the future of Saudi Arabia’s creative economy.
Hosted at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC, the two-day event will serve as a platform for marketers, advertisers, communicators, content creators, brands, policymakers, and industry innovators to exchange ideas and discuss the evolving role of creativity in driving economic growth and cultural transformation.
The festival will conclude with the Athar Awards 2026, recognizing outstanding achievements and innovation across Saudi Arabia’s creative marketing landscape.
Four Content Streams to Explore Industry Transformation
Presented by Motivate Media Group and TRACCS, Athar Festival 2026 will feature an expanded content agenda built around four dedicated streams.
Returning tracks include Future Forward and Screen & Influence, while two new streams—Strategic Creativity and Decoding Saudi—have been introduced to reflect the changing dynamics of the industry.
The programme will explore how technology, content, culture, and consumer behavior are reshaping marketing strategies and driving brand growth across the Kingdom.
Through keynote sessions, panel discussions, workshops, and industry conversations, participants will gain insights into emerging trends and best practices that are influencing the future of creative communications.
Continued Focus on Women’s Leadership
Athar Festival will also once again host the Maheerah Programme, taking place from November 23-25.
Designed to support high-performing women in the communications, marketing, and creative sectors, the programme provides specialized learning opportunities, leadership development initiatives, and networking sessions aimed at accelerating career progression and increasing female representation in leadership positions.
The initiative reflects the festival’s broader commitment to fostering diversity, inclusion, and professional growth within Saudi Arabia’s creative industries.
Industry Leaders Highlight Festival’s Growing Impact
Commenting on the upcoming edition, Ian Fairservice, Chairman of Athar Festival and Managing Partner of Motivate Media Group, emphasized the festival’s commitment to delivering meaningful value to the industry.
“Following our milestone third edition, we asked ourselves how Athar Festival could continue to create value for an increasingly engaged community. This year, that means delivering an edition that is not only far-reaching, but focused, thoughtfully curated, and grounded in the present moment. From a programme built around the industry's most timely conversations to a high-calibre line-up of speakers and a new awards framework that creates greater opportunities for recognition across today’s creative economy, every aspect of this year's edition has been shaped with that ambition in mind,” he said.
Mohamed Al Ayed, Vice Chairman of Athar Festival and CEO of TRACCS, highlighted the importance of creating platforms that support collaboration and industry development.
“Over the past three years, Athar Festival has given us the opportunity to listen and learn from Saudi Arabia’s creatives in ways few others can. We have seen first-hand how important it is to create spaces where people from all backgrounds can grow, seize opportunities, and forge their own sense of community,” he said.
Athar Awards Introduce New Recognition Framework
A major highlight of this year’s festival will be the return of the Athar Awards with a refreshed structure designed to better reflect the diversity and evolution of Saudi Arabia’s creative marketing sector.
For the first time, independent agencies and brands will benefit from dedicated entry pathways across nine campaign categories, creating broader opportunities for participation and recognition.
The awards programme will also introduce a new points-based crediting system that acknowledges the contributions of agencies, brands, and production partners involved in award-winning work.
The system will determine three prestigious industry honours:
- Creative Team of the Year
- Production House of the Year
- Brand of the Year
The updated framework aims to provide more inclusive recognition while celebrating collaborative excellence across the creative ecosystem.
Building on Strong Momentum
Athar Festival’s third edition attracted more than 3,000 industry professionals and featured over 250 regional and international speakers delivering more than 100 hours of content.
As Saudi Arabia continues to position creativity, innovation, and communication as key drivers of economic diversification under Vision 2030, the festival has emerged as one of the region’s most influential platforms for industry dialogue and collaboration.
By bringing together talent, agencies, brands, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and thought leaders, Athar Festival 2026 is expected to further strengthen Saudi Arabia’s growing creative ecosystem while inspiring the next generation of marketing and communications professionals.
With an expanded programme, new content tracks, and a reimagined awards framework, the fourth edition of Athar Festival aims to showcase the ideas, innovations, and talent shaping the future of creativity in the Kingdom.
