Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has announced the construction of a second major water theme park for Qiddiya City to the south west of Riyadh.
The Aquarabia park will feature 22 rides and family-friendly, water-based experiences. It is backed by the Qiddiya City Investment Company (QIC), which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The PIF said that the new water park would be the largest in the region and would complement the $1 billion Six Flags Qiddiya City, the city’s flagship theme park and the first Six Flags park to be designed and built outside of North America. Saudi Arabia’s Almabani General Contractors and France’s Bouygues signed a deal to build that water theme park, which covers an area of 320,000 sq m, in 2021.
Recycled water will be used in Aquarabia’s irrigation and cooling, while the PIF promised that water waste would be “reduced by up to 90%”.
Both parks are under construction and set for completion in 2025, with an opening date still to be communicated. Qiddiya City is set to feature several entertainment, sports and cultural attractions, including a gaming and e-sports district, the multi-sports Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, a motorsport track, and the recently announced Dragon Ball theme park.
Entertainment, leisure and sports are one of PIF’s 13 strategic sectors for investment, in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the oil-rich Kingdom’s economy.
