Events in the year 2024 in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

Incumbents

Events

January

* January 1 –

formally joins the

BRICS BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising ten countriesBrazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The idea of a BRICS-like group can be traced back to Russian foreign ...

group. * January 9 – Women's rights activist and influencer Manahel al-Otaibi is convicted of terrorism charges for tweeting about ending the system of male guardianship in the country and sentenced to 11 years in prison. * January 24 – Saudi Arabia, where alcohol has been banned since 1952, opens its first alcohol store in the diplomatic quarter of

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

March

* March 8 –

Anthony Joshua Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer. He held the unified champion, unified world heavyweight championship twice between 2016 and 2021. At regional level, he held the British Boxing Board of C ...

holds a boxing match against

Francis Ngannou Francis Zavier Ngannou (born 5 September 1986) is a Cameroonian and French professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer who currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), where he is the in ...

in Riyadh.

May

* May 24 –

2024 Cannes Film Festival The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2024. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig served as jury president for the main competition. American filmmaker Sean Baker (filmmaker), Sean Baker won the Palme d'Or, the ...

: ''

Norah Nora, NORA, or Norah may refer to: * Nora (name), a feminine given name People with the surname * Arlind Nora (born 1980), Albanian footballer * Pierre Nora (1931–2025), French historian * Simon Nora (1921–2006), French politician Place ...

'' becomes the first film from Saudi Arabia to screen as part of the official calendar at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

June

* 14–19 June –

2024 Hajj disaster Between 14 and 19 June 2024, at least 1,301 people on the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca died due to extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding . Extreme heat caused heat stroke and dehydration, leading to the deaths. The hottest recorded temperature r ...

: At least 1,301 pilgrims die from heat-related causes during the

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

according to figures released by various countries. This is the worst in the history of the Hajj.

July

* 12 July – The

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

announce that

will host the inaugural Olympics Esports Games in 2025. * 18 July –

Saudia Saudia (), formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines (), is the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia based in Jeddah. The airline's main hubs are the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the ...

group and

Lilium GmbH Lilium Aerospace GmbH is a German aerospace company which is the developer of the Lilium Jet, an electrically powered personal air vehicle capable of VTOL flight. History Lilium was founded in 2015 by four engineers and PhD students at the ...

signed a binding sales agreement for 50 electric

Lilium Jet The Lilium Jet is a prototype German electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) electrically powered airplane designed by Lilium GmbH. A seven-seat production version is planned. History Initial design studies included forward-folding wi ...

s, with options for the purchase of 50 more. * July 26–August 11 – Saudi Arabia at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

August

* 9 August – The

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...

partially lifts a three-year-old ban on US weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

December

* 1 December – The first three lines of the

Riyadh Metro The Riyadh Metro (, ) is a rapid transit, rapid transit system serving Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Part of the King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport, it is the longest driverless metro in the world. The system consists of s ...

begin operations. * 11 December – Saudi Arabia wins the hosting rights for the

2034 FIFA World Cup The 2034 FIFA World Cup will be the 25th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international Association football, football tournament contested by the List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the member associations of ...

. * 23 December – Saudi Arabia reopens its embassy in Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban takeover in 2021.

References

{{Year in Asia, 2024 2024 in Saudi Arabia 2020s in Saudi Arabia Years of the 21st century in Saudi Arabia