The Aquarabia Qiddiya City is Saudi Arabia’s first homegrown water theme park and the largest aquatic entertainment destination in the Middle East. The project has officially transitioned from development to active operations, marking a historic milestone as Saudi Arabia’s first and largest water theme park. Following a successful soft launch during the Eid Al Fitr holiday in March, the massive 250,000-square-meter park celebrated its official grand opening on April 23, 2026. The launch featured an extensive three-day festival of live performances by prominent Saudi artists, a dedicated showcase for women and children, and family-oriented interactive events. Operating daily from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM (with Fridays reserved exclusively for women and children), the park has established a standard entry fee of SAR 275 for adults and SAR 170 for children aged four to eleven. Alongside its adjacent sister park, Six Flags Qiddiya City, which opened at the end of 2025, Aquarabia forms the core dual-park anchor of Qiddiya’s first major tourism phase.

Initial visitor reports and first glimpses of the park highlight an expansive, narrative-driven environment split into eight indigenous desert-themed zones, including Camel Rock and Viper Canyon. Adrenaline seekers are already testing the limits of Aquarabia’s headline attractions, which feature four world-record-breaking rides: the “Junoon Drop” (the world’s tallest water coaster), “Speedy Jamezales” (the tallest drop body slide), “Slithereel” (the longest water slide), and “Jamal Joom” (the longest mat racer). Beyond extreme slides, the park features “Surftopia,” the Kingdom’s first inland surf pool generating waves up to two meters high, and “Aquaticar,” a world-first underwater adventure where guests steer fully submersible vehicles through a bioluminescent reef. To support a complete full-day experience, the walkable destination integrates 81 luxury private cabanas, 24 food and beverage outlets, 7 retail units, and the recently completed Aquarabia Park Hotel.

From an infrastructure and technology perspective, Aquarabia is fully integrated into Qiddiya’s newly expanded tech partnership with Google Cloud and Master Works, leveraging central BigQuery data lakes to manage crowd patterns, queue distributions, and automated guest itineraries in real time. Furthermore, developers have emphasized the park’s strict alignment with Saudi Vision 2030 sustainability mandates. Aquarabia utilizes advanced, closed-loop water systems and sustainable waste management protocols that successfully recycle water and reduce overall fluid waste by up to 90% compared to traditional water parks, ensuring that its heavy operational footprint minimizes energy consumption in the heart of the Tuwaiq mountains.

May 13, 2024

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is building the largest water park in the Middle East called Aquarabia. The water park will feature four record-breaking attractions, the world’s tallest water coaster, the tallest drop body slide, the tallest water slide, and the longest mat racer on the planet. It will also have a huge surf pool, a dedicated zone for extreme water sports, and an underwater adventure

Aquarabia as the largest water park in the Middle East, located on the outskirts of Riyadh in Qiddiya City, it guarantees fun at every nook of the massive 250,000 square meter project. It will feature no less than 22 rides and attractions, with five record-breakers, and the Kingdom’s first surf pool to enthral tourists and visitors. Aquarabia will also pack in some unforgettable animal experiences across Arabian Peak, Camel Rock, and Herding Grounds. Keeping in sync with the Saudi Arabian spirit to outdo the ordinary, the water park will offer a first of its kind underwater adventure ride featuring fully submersible cars.

Qiddiya Investment Company managing director Abdullah Aldawood says: “This announcement marks a significant milestone for Qiddiya City and for the entertainment, tourism and sports sector. As we keep expanding our entertainment offering, Aquarabia and Six Flags Qiddiya City will fulfil the diverse entertainment needs of our community, contribute to the diversification of our economy and create job opportunities in the tourism sector.”

Read also: $5B Qiddiya City Urban Design Launched as Construction Seeks to Progress

Aquarabia, the largest water park in the Middle East will enhance Qiddiya City’s theme park offerings alongside Six Flags Qiddiya City. The new Six Flags theme park will house five world-record-breaking coasters across six distinctively themed lands.

This includes the world’s tallest free-standing shot tower ride, Sirocco Tower; the world’s tallest pendulum ride, Gyropsin; the tallest inverted top hat coaster, Spitfire; the tallest tilt coaster, Iron Rattler; and the world’s tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster, Falcons Flight, which will run parallel to the Formula One track.

Both parks will situate themselves in a completely walkable area of Qiddiya City, offering tourists an array of accommodations and restaurants alongside a green oasis where they can relax between heart-pounding rides. Creative architecture and infrastructure will allow visitors to move about with ease, reducing travel time and increasing enjoyment.

Read also: Qiddiya E-sports Stadium Takes Shape as Its Ambitious Project Design is Unveiled

Aquarabia: The largest water park in the Middle East aims for 2025 completion

Construction crews are currently building both parks, with plans to complete them by 2025. The parks will be the first attractions in Qiddiya City, responding to the growing domestic demand in the Kingdom for fresh, immersive entertainment experiences and water-based activities.

Six themes areas distinguish Aquarabia as the water park, in the Middle East from Six Flags Qiddiya, which features 28 attractions, shops, dining options and entertainment venues. Although there are similarities than differences between them when it comes to having fun the more, the merrier isn’t it? Abdullah bin Nasser Aldawood, a board member and managing director at QIC stated; “This announcement signifies an achievement for Qiddiya City and the entertainment, tourism and sports industries. By expanding our range of entertainment options Aquarabia and Six Flags Qiddiya City will cater to our communitys entertainment needs. They will also help diversify our economy and generate job opportunities, within the tourism sector.”

Read also: Qiddiya Water Theme Park Project Updates, Saudi Arabia

As part of Saudi Vision 2030, Qiddiya City hopes to boost local tourism and jobs while offering leisure alternatives to its citizens. Estimates suggest Aquarabia and Six Flags Qiddiya City will create a total of 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, making a substantial contribution to the Kingdom’s economic diversification and GDP targets.

Qiddiya City, a new master-planned destination, presents a unique chance to incorporate sustainability throughout all stages of development, including design, building, and operation. As a result, Aquarabia, the largest water park in the Middle East and Six Flags Qiddiya City dedicate themselves to maintaining the highest standards of sustainable practices, implementing best practices in waste management and water consumption through cutting-edge technology and design.

Project Factsheet

Project Developer: Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC)

Primary Ride Manufacturer/Partner: WhiteWater West (engineered and delivered the majority of core attractions).

Total Geographic Footprint: 250,000 square kilometres (25 hectares).

Attraction Mix: 22 integrated rides and experiences, divided into an 80% wet / 20% dry asset split to provide a comprehensive, all-day entertainment value proposition.

Hospitality and Retail Infrastructure:

• 91 climate-controlled luxury private cabanas (Standard, Premium, Al-Khaimah, and Surftopia configurations).
• 24 diverse food and beverage outlets.
• 7 dedicated retail units and the integrated Aquarabia Park Hotel.

Operational Status: Grand opening on April 23, 2026, following a highly successful operational soft launch in March.

The 8 Indigenous Themed Zones

• Camel Rock
• Viper Canyon
• Wave Wadi
• Herding Grounds
• The Den
• Arabian Peak
• Splash Grotto
• The Surf Lagoon

Global Attractions and World Records

• Junoon Drop: World’s Tallest Family Water Coaster
• Jamal Rush: Tallest Body Slide Drop in the World
• Slithereel: Longest SlideWheel in the World
• Jamal Joom: Longest & Tallest Mat Racer
• Aquaticar: World-First Underwater Ride