Saudi Arabia holds a new global record for the tallest and fastest rollercoaster, unveiled with the opening of Six Flags Qiddiya City on New Year’s Eve.
The US$1 billion theme park is the first operational component of Qiddiya City, a vast entertainment and leisure development on the edge of the Tuwaiq Mountains, about 40 kilometres from Riyadh. The wider Qiddiya project spans hundreds of square kilometres and forms part of Saudi Arabia’s push to diversify its economy through investment in experiential tourism and domestic entertainment.
The initial phase alone is expected to inject SR 2.5 billion (around €600 million) into the Saudi economy and generate around 7,000 jobs. By 2030, as additional phases of the project are completed, the projected GDP contribution rises sharply to SR 44 billion (approximately €10.6 billion), with an estimated 85,000 jobs being created.
The Six Flags park offers high-intensity rides and immersive worlds. It is organised into six themed lands, each with its own narrative, blending cutting-edge technology and culturally tailored design. The park’s headline attraction is Falcon’s Flight, which Six Flags says is the world’s longest, tallest, and fastest rollercoaster, reaching speeds of up to 250 km/h.
Qiddiya City is part of a broader, long-term national development strategy under Saudi Vision 2030. Once complete, the city will feature a Formula 1 circuit, a stadium ready for the World Cup, and the headquarters and training facilities of Saudi Pro League clubs Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal. There will also be a national tennis centre, an equestrian zone connected to the Saudi Cup, and a golf academy, complete with an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Nick Faldo, but also a performing arts centre.
Further openings are already in the pipeline, including Aquarabia, a Saudi-designed water park with women-only days, and the world’s first Dragon Ball-themed amusement park. The site will also feature dedicated eSports arenas, positioning Qiddiya to capitalise on the rapidly expanding global gaming market and its mega-events drawing huge crowds globally.
وقّعت #شركة_القدية_للاستثمار ومجموعة @stc اتفاقية شراكة استراتيجية مدتها خمس سنوات، لتُصبح بموجبها stc الشريك الرسمي المتميز للسرعة لـ #مدينة_القدية، وتحصل على حقوق تسمية عدد من وجهاتها الترفيهية.
— Qiddiya | القدية (@qiddiya) January 8, 2026
ستتولى stc تقديم تجربة رقمية مُتكاملة للزوّار من خلال خدمات الاتصالات عالية السرعة… pic.twitter.com/RNDnihGlir
Owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Qiddiya is one of five flagship “giga-projects” spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) as part of the kingdom’s effort to reduce its dependence on oil. Initially scheduled to open in 2022, the project was launched in 2018 by King Salman, but has faced delays amid broader setbacks affecting several PIF-backed developments, including the futuristic Neom project.
While Saudi authorities point to Qiddiya’s opening as evidence that ambitious projects can be delivered, doubts persist over the scale and economic viability of others. “An amusement park is one thing. A futuristic city is another,” Kristin Smith Diwan of the Arab Gulf States Institute told The Financial Times, adding that Six Flags’ debut is unlikely “to allay global scepticism towards Neom.”
Project officials, however, are more optimistic and argue that Qiddiya is built on a more pragmatic model. Abdullah al-Dawood, managing director of Qiddiya Investment Company, told Arab News that “Qiddiya’s economic model is based on visitor spending,” describing it as a way to retain domestic tourism expenditure that would otherwise flow abroad.
“We are not just building a city; we are creating a national landmark that will inspire and uplift for generations to come, fostering opportunities and experiences unparalleled anywhere in the world.”
On the ground, the launch has not been entirely glitch-free. Six Flags Qiddiya City announced a one-day closure on 11 January, saying additional time was required to “add the finishing touches and fine-tune the thrills.” During opening days, wait times were reported at around 15 to 20 minutes for most attractions, with Falcon’s Flight the notable exception, where queues exceeded an hour.
Single-day tickets are priced at SR 325 (€78) for visitors aged 12 and over, with family passes starting from SR 1,200 (€290). Entry is free for children under three, with discounts available for people with disabilities and accompanying carers, as well as nannies.
