This December, Saudi Arabia’s Soundstorm music festival returns with a glittering lineup. Yet the event is already under fire. Benson Boone, Post Malone, and Halsey will headline alongside Calvin Harris, The Kid Laroi, Tyla, Kaytranada, Idris Elba, Ava Max, Major Lazer, Metro Boomin, and DJ Snake. While the festival promotes itself as “the region’s boldest 3-day music festival,” critics argue its government sponsorship makes it a tool for cultural whitewashing.
Comedy festival precedent
The backlash follows September’s first Riyadh Comedy Festival. That event featured Kevin Hart, Dave Chappelle, Tom Segura, Louis C.K., Bill Burr, Pete Davidson, and Whitney Cummings. Consequently, human rights advocates condemned the shows, saying Saudi Arabia used entertainment to distract from its record of imprisoning activists and silencing journalists. Human Rights Watch has urged artists not to participate. The group points to the government’s repression of free speech and the execution of journalist Turki al-Jasser earlier this year.
However, some performers defend their choices. Aziz Ansari explained his decision on Jimmy Kimmel Live!: “There’s people over there that don’t agree with the stuff the government’s doing. To ascribe the worst behavior of the government onto those people is not fair … To me, a comedy festival felt like something that’s pushing things to be more open and to push a dialogue. You have to make a choice of whether to isolate or engage.” His comments highlight the divide between those who see participation as complicity and those who view it as engagement.
Dates and ethical debate
Meanwhile, Soundstorm will run December 11–13 in Banban, Riyadh. Organizers expect hundreds of thousands of fans. Yet the debate raises a larger question: should global entertainers lend their star power to events backed by governments accused of human rights violations? Moreover, the controversy places artists at the center of a complex intersection of culture, commerce, and conscience.
As the festival approaches, the spotlight will fall on more than the music. Therefore, the ethical choices of the artists will also take center stage. Whether seen as cultural exchange or cultural cover-up, Soundstorm 2025 is shaping up to be one of the year’s most contentious music events. Ultimately, the audience and the industry will judge whether engagement fosters dialogue—or simply masks abuse.
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