Desert X AlUla
Desert X AlUla takes place Next edition expected early 2028 (biennial; the 2026 edition ran Jan 16 - Feb 28, 2026) in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. The dress code is Casual outdoor wear, sturdy walking shoes for desert terrain, warm layer for cold evenings. Typical cost ranges from 200 to 900 EUR per person.
A free open-air exhibition in which international artists install monumental site-specific works among AlUla's sandstone canyons, staged biennially with California's Desert X as the anchor of the AlUla Arts Festival. The fourth edition, themed Space Without Measure, ran January to February 2026, and the pairing of contemporary sculpture with a landscape of Nabataean tombs is unlike anywhere else in the art world.
- When
- Next edition expected early 2028 (biennial; the 2026 edition ran Jan 16 - Feb 28, 2026)
- Where
- AlUla, Saudi Arabia
- Dress code
- Casual outdoor wear, sturdy walking shoes for desert terrain, warm layer for cold evenings
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 200 to 900 EUR per person.
- Weather
- 20 - 25C mild sunny days, nights approaching freezing; dry
- When to book
- When an edition runs, book AlUla hotels 2 - 3 months out - the Arts Festival period fills the oasis
- Getting there
- ULH (AlUla), ~35 min to the heritage sites and art trail
- Where to stay
- Banyan Tree AlUla, Our Habitas AlUla, Cloud7 Residence AlUla
- Official site
- https://desertx.org/dx/dx-26-alula
How to attend
The exhibition is free with open access along the art trail; plan through experiencealula.com. AlUla is reached by direct flights from Riyadh and Jeddah. The 2026 edition has closed and the next is expected in early 2028 on the biennial cycle - the wider AlUla Moments season fills the winters between.
The 2026 edition closed in February and the next AlUla edition is not expected until around 2028; the art trail is free to walk anyway, so no ticket is ever sold.
Insider tip
Pair the free art trail with a ticketed guided tour of Hegra's Nabataean tombs - the two experiences share the same sandstone landscape and one full day covers both.
Get inside Desert X AlUla
Booking matters here: when an edition runs, book AlUla hotels 2 - 3 months out - the Arts Festival period fills the oasis. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.