The Saudi desert whispered of change as the gates of 1001 Festival opened under the stars of Riyadh on April 24 and 25. Unlike the soaring spectacle of Soundstorm, this event arrived quieter, smaller, but infinitely more meaningful. There were no headlining rappers, no genre collisions. This was not about attracting everyone. It was about calling the right ones. Not an echo of the West, nor a repetition of the past. It was something new. Something purely Saudi. A declaration in rhythm and light that a new generation of ravers had arrived—and they were telling their own story.
From the first beat at 8pm until the last lingering notes at 4am, it was clear that MDLBEAST was not just organizing a festival. They were planting a seed for the future. 1001 Festival felt less like an event and more like a revelation: a glimpse into the soul of a new Saudi Arabia, alive, vibrant, and ready to be heard on its own terms.
The Saudi Raver Arrives at 1001 Festival — And They’re Here to Stay
Longtime Saudi attendees and first-timers alike shared the same feedback: 1001 Festival felt open, safe, and deeply welcoming. Saudis had been craving something like this — not a mega-sized experience like Soundstorm, but something personal. “No one here is trying to be seen,” one attendee told us. “Everyone’s just here to feel something real and have a good time,” another echoed.
The atmosphere confirmed it. From the moment the music started, the shift was immediate. No disruptive behavior. No chaos. Just an overwhelming sense of unity, connection, and peace. This wasn’t a crowd that needed managing. It was a community that managed itself.
What the crowd saw—and felt—was nothing short of breathtaking.
Attendees came from across the Kingdom — Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam — and even nearby Gulf countries. For many, it was their first time hearing electronic music live. For the veterans, it was the most respectful festival crowd they’d ever seen. The difference lived in the details. Security felt like allies. Staff offered smiles. And with a lineup focused solely on electronic DJs, the energy stayed focused and clean — one shared frequency, undisturbed.
A Cultural Shift Takes the Stage
The atmosphere was electric but grounded, wild yet respectful. The shift was immediate. A sense of belonging vibrated through every illuminated stage and smiling face. 1001 Festival wasn’t diluted by commercial mashups, rather, dedicated to the purity of sound, connection, and Saudi community.
Michael Jobson, Executive Director of Events at MDLBEAST, walked the grounds round the clock, observing closely. “At 8 o’clock, I was at the front gates. By 9, I was checking bathrooms. Watching who’s where, how they’re dressed, and how we’re crossing barriers respectfully,” he said. The impact was undeniable. The emotional atmosphere shifted. For the first time, the gender balance among ravers was nearly equal. “So many women are here feeling unthreatened, no stress,” Jobson observed. “We put a lot of effort into HER zones, the Respect Program, and taking care of women,” he concluded.
This transformation wasn’t accidental. Ramadan Alharatani, CEO of MDLBEAST, initiated the move to offer complimentary tickets to women, sending a powerful message: women belong here. Music belongs to everyone. “That move came from our CEO, Ramadan. He made the move. It’s absolutely right,” Jobson said. “We need to ensure young Saudi women are not afraid to come to our shows.”
And on these desert nights, they weren’t. They came in groups, first-timers and veterans alike, free to dance without fear, claiming the night as their own.
Stories Written in Beats and Dreams
At the heart of 1001 Festival was an extraordinary creative vision driven by Ahmad “Baloo” AlAmmary, Chief Creative Officer at MDLBEAST. While Soundstorm had grown into a global hybrid behemoth, 1001 Festival took a different path—one rooted deeply in Saudi storytelling. Jobson praised Baloo’s leadership: “Baloo had a very defined idea of where he wanted to go. We combined his vision with a pragmatic team. And turned it into what you see today.”
“It’s a marriage of fantasy, magic, storytelling, and steampunk,” Baloo explained. “It’s our culture. Our folklore. Our fairy tales. We get to reinterpret it as we please.” Rather than recreating history with heavy hands, Baloo and his team painted a fantastical vision of Saudi Arabia—a world where tradition danced with innovation, and old stories found new life through music and imagination. “We laughed a lot while developing it,” he added. “You can see it in our designs, like the one that says: Get a magic lamp with three wishes—and a fourth wish on us,” referring to one of the many artworks spread across the grounds that modernized the cultural narrative of Saudi Arabia.
What the crowd saw—and felt—was nothing short of breathtaking.
Stages That Breathed Life into Fantasy at 1001 Festival
The familiar Underground stages, once a maze of cargo containers, was nearly unrecognizable. It had become a living storybook. Baloo’s world was not just seen. It was lived.
Qasr stood as the crown jewel, a colossal palace stage adorned with towering mosaics and a massive open book at its base. Lasers cut through soaring domes with precision, while fireworks cascaded like dreams unraveling in the sky. Qafilah moved like a nomadic spirit across the desert, sail-like structures shimmering under the stars, carrying ravers on an imaginary sea of sound.
Bustan blossomed with Avatar-inspired lushness, LED trees and vine-wrapped pillars creating an ethereal jungle where the music grew wild. At the center, a monumental elder tree pulsed with light, connecting dancers to the earth and to each other. Sahaab lifted spirits skyward, a massive magic carpet LED structure suspended midair, carrying ravers on flights of fantasy with every beat drop. At the heart of the Bizarre Bazaar, music flowed through a traditional souq, where discovery, dance, and Arabian storytelling intertwined with modern touches.
Saudi Artists As Storytellers and the Power of Sonic Journeys
This vision wasn’t just architecture and light—it extended into the performances themselves. Local artist Zone+, a rising star signed to the globally acclaimed All Day I Dream label, felt that spirit deeply. “There’s a story, and you’re part of it,” Zone+ said. “The stages have character. It helps you when you’re playing because you want to take people places. You feel like you’re in that fairytale.”
For his set, Zone+ crafted a cosmic journey, using sounds and frequencies instead of words. “I wanted people to wander the universe through my music,” he shared. Preferring intimacy over spectacle, he felt a natural kinship with 1001’s ethos. “Big stages are great for the name. But intimate settings let you really tell stories,” he said. “It’s not about top hits. It’s about connection.”
When asked where he dreams of playing, he answered simply: “A rooftop in Brooklyn. A hidden place in Berlin. No phones. Just music lovers and the performer. That’s the dream.” In many ways, he had already lived that dream at 1001.
The Power of Boutique: Small in Size, Monumental in Meaning
1001’s size—far smaller than Soundstorm—was not a compromise. It was its secret. “Sometimes you just don’t have to change things. You get it right in the first instance,” Jobson said when asked about scaling up. Baloo agreed: “Even with 25,000 people, it’s still a little big for me. We want to sharpen it, refine it. Come back better every year.” When asked whether 1001 might scale up or travel, Jobson didn’t dismiss the possibility. “Possibly Jeddah. We’ve done beautiful things there like Balad Beast.
At 1001, intimacy wasn’t a limitation. It was liberation. No crowd crushes. No aggressive energy. Just space to breathe, dance, and belong. A deliberate blueprint for a new kind of festival experience where depth mattered more than spectacle. The result? A gathering that felt more like a community than a crowd. A night where fantasy, culture, and music coexisted seamlessly without losing their soul.
1001 Festival: The New Saudi Arabia is Here—and It Dances to Its Own Beat
Perhaps the most powerful thing about 1001 Festival was that it didn’t try to mimic the West. It didn’t need to. It embraced its own identity with pride and creativity. Arabian myths, desert landscapes, local artistry—all celebrated not as relics, but as vibrant, living inspiration.
“Instead of going into the EDM world or the rock world and creating a full format like Soundstorm, here we are paying homage to our history and culture,” Jobson said. The Saudi raver is no longer a follower. They are a creator, a storyteller, a leader. At 1001 Festival, Saudi proved that the best festivals aren’t just about music. They’re about claiming your space, your voice, your dream.
As the final lasers painted the night and the last beats echoed into the desert wind, one truth stood undeniable: 1001 Festival is not just a triumph for MDLBEAST. It is a beacon for a new generation. A revelation that from Riyadh, a new Saudi Arabia rises—one beat, one story, one dream at a time.
