On the 96th National Day, cities across the Kingdom — from Riyadh to Jeddah, Madinah, Al Khobar, Abha and the rest of the regions — turn into open spaces for celebration, with air and military shows, fireworks, folk arts, and family and cultural events reflecting the unity of the nation and the diversity of its local traditions

Prepared and Analyzed by | Strategic Media Department – BETH Agency
Supervision: Abdullah Al-Omairah

Saudi Arabia celebrates its 96th National Day on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, marking the anniversary of the unification of the country and the proclamation of the name Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

The celebration is not limited to an official occasion or a central ceremony.

From the capital, Riyadh, to the coastal cities, and from the north to the south, the occasion becomes a broad social celebration involving streets, families, institutions and public spaces, under this year’s official identity: “Our Pride Is in Our Nature.”

Riyadh Begins in the Sky

In the capital, the main scene is led by the grand national show in Malham on September 22 and 23, with the participation of the Royal Saudi Air Force and the Saudi Falcons, alongside formations from the Royal Guard, National Guard, Security Aviation and other forces. Civil aircraft from Riyadh Air are also taking part.

The show begins at 4:00 p.m., while gates open to the public from 2:00 p.m.

Riyadh’s celebrations do not stop with the military show.

At Sports Boulevard, events run from September 22 to 26 and include the Saudi Ardah, oud performances, orchestral shows, Najdi Samri, traditional handicraft workshops, as well as children’s and sports activities.

At 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, fireworks will light up the capital’s sky as part of synchronized displays in several cities across the Kingdom.

Jeddah Celebrates from the Sea

Jeddah began its celebrations early with air shows over the ROSHN Waterfront, featuring military aircraft and the Saudi Falcons alongside civilian planes, with large crowds gathering along the Corniche.

The celebration also extends to the sea itself, with naval displays by the Royal Saudi Naval Forces and the Border Guard along the Red Sea coast, while the waterfront hosts additional land and maritime activities.

In Makkah, streets and public facilities have been decorated with flags and green lighting, while organizers announced a program featuring 23 events and destinations running from September 22 to 30, combining cultural and entertainment experiences, museums and family venues.

Madinah.. A Celebration with Its Own Calm Character

In Madinah, attention turns to family and cultural activities before fireworks illuminate the city’s sky on Wednesday evening as part of the unified national program.

The atmosphere here naturally takes on a different character — less noisy and more closely connected to the place, families and visitors — while the national identity remains visible across streets, facilities and cultural activities.

The Eastern Region.. Celebrations Continue

In the Eastern Province, the program extends beyond September 23.

Al Khobar’s waterfront will host air shows on September 26 and 27, featuring military aircraft alongside civilian aviation participation for the first time, while fireworks will light up Al Khobar’s sky on National Day evening.

Here, the coastal setting combines with the air shows, giving celebrations in the Eastern Province a distinctive character.

In Southern Saudi Arabia

In Abha, celebrations move directly into the streets through vehicle parades and pedestrian marches along Art Street, while Al-Birk — one of the governorates of the Asir Region, located in Tihamah on the Red Sea coast — will witness a parade and a maritime display by Border Guard boats along the waterfront.

The celebrations extend across the rest of Asir’s governorates and throughout the southern regions, including Jazan and Najran, reaching Al-Baha and Taif, and continuing northward across the Kingdom.

This is one of the most beautiful features of Saudi National Day: each region enters the celebration through its own local character.

In the south, local arts and parades stand out.

Along the coast, the sea becomes part of the celebration.

In Najd, the Ardah and Samri take the lead.

And in the north, heritage and horsemanship come forward.

Fireworks Unite the Cities

At 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, synchronized fireworks displays will take place in nine cities: Riyadh, Al Khobar, Madinah, Jeddah, Hail, Arar, Al-Baha, Tabuk and Buraidah.

In Qassim, the municipality has completed its preparations for the celebration, while community events and urban preparations are taking shape across Buraidah and the region’s governorates.

Tabuk, meanwhile, began some of its programs early with cultural and heritage events that included poetry, folk arts and horse shows.

How Do Saudis Really Celebrate?

The full picture is not found only in official events.

On National Day, families head to streets, waterfronts and parks.

Flags rise over cars and homes, children wear green, cafés and shopping centers fill up, and patriotic songs return everywhere.

The forms of celebration differ, but the meaning remains one.

In Riyadh, the moment may begin with an aircraft crossing the sky.

In Jeddah, with a boat passing along the Corniche.

In Abha, with a folk dance.

In Tabuk, with horses and poetry.

And in a simple Saudi home, the celebration may begin with portraits of King Abdulaziz, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, followed by a conversation between a father and his children about how the country began and where it has reached.

13 Regions.. One Nation

The clearest feature of Saudi celebrations is that unity does not erase diversity.

Each region has its own dialect, art, dress, music and local memory, yet all enter September 23 under one name and one flag.

For that reason, National Day does not appear merely as the anniversary of an event that took place 96 years ago.

It is also a living reflection of a larger question:

How did regions with different geographies and cultures become one state without each region losing its own identity?

BETH Analysis

Perhaps this is why Saudis celebrate National Day with such intensity.

It is not only because they are recalling a historic moment, but because the occasion brings the past and the present together in a single day.

The Ardah stands alongside the modern aircraft.

Horses stand alongside civil aviation.

Traditional crafts stand alongside the new city.

And the family that remembers the beginning of unification now lives in a country undergoing rapid economic and technological transformation.

Saudi National Day is not only a celebration of what happened; it is also a celebration of what continued after it.