AlUla gazes up to the sky as the renowned Skies festival returns for 2026. Save April 17–26. Picture hot-air balloons in the morning, music in the evening and a sky clear to see the Milky Way.
Alula Skies Festival 2026 Returns With Hot-Air Balloons, Stargazing, And Night Shows
Experience AlUla claims that the festival is a glorification of everything heavenly. In the daytime, colourful balloons are drifting over dramatic canyons and old rock formations. The sky is full of music, cinema and stargazing at night over some of the clearest horizons in the region.
AlUla is the first Dark Sky Reserve to be certified in the Gulf, which is significant. It implies there’s practically no light pollution, urban glare, just clear, open sky.
AlUla Skyrise 30 Balloons 1 Joint Flight
In the case of headline experience, select AlUla Skyrise. At dawn, thirty hot-air balloons are floating over Hegra, and the desert is yellow. Below are spread of rock tombs and cliffs.
This communal escape is more intimate. You are drifting with others, but the sight is exclusive. Book in advance as it tends to get houseful in a blink. The payoff is an expansive panorama of old scenery that could hardly be found elsewhere.
Glow Shows That Lighten The Desert
The energy transforms after the sunset. The Hot Air Balloon Glow Show will install 12 tethered balloons in a synchronised light and fire show. Burners are set on fire, music beats, acrobats act and projections dance on the balloons. It is more theatrical than chaotic, a bit of light show, and a live performance. Having the two iconic AlUla sites, the natural setting adds to the effect.
AlUla Installs Tethered Balloon Rides For The First-Time
A high-altitude drift is not desired by all. This is why there is a Tethered Hot Air Balloon Experience. Visitors can ascend to approximately 50 metres in a secure balloon. The experience will particularly take place at Manshiyah Plaza, without having to travel long distances by air. It is the favourite of families, safe with first-timers, and photo-lovers get the ideal shot.
Also Read: What Is Astrotourism And Why Is AlUla Turning Its Night Sky Into A Global Attraction?
The Reason Why Alula Skies Festival 2026 Is Unique
Numerous locations offer balloon festivals, but not many of them offer sunrise flights, glow shows, moonlit cinema, concerts, and serious stargazing in a single programme. And that’s what the AlUla Skies festival is bringing to you again in 2026. So mark your calendars right away!
Cover Image Courtesy: Experience AlUla/Website
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