Six Flags. Formula One. Aquarabia. Saudi Arabia Bets $32 Billion On Fun
Backed by the Public Investment Fund, Qiddiya is the centerpiece of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s push to diversify the economy and reshape social life in the kingdom.
Gyrospin, one of five world-record-setting rides at Six Flags Qiddiya City
Photographer: Maya Anwar for Bloomberg Businessweek
Forty miles outside Riyadh, as views of skyscrapers fade to towering sandy cliffs, a woman emerges from Falcons Flight, the world’s longest, tallest and fastest roller coaster. After being whipped around at 155 mph over almost 3 miles of track, she adjusts her head covering to hide her hair, takes a breath and dashes back to the queue for another go.
Nearby, 26-year-old Hessa Saleh stands with her mother, watching with shock and joy as a rail car dives down the track off a cliff and plunges into a tunnel in the desert mountain. “I can’t believe we have brought something like this to our home,” the Saudi native says. She’s one of many marking a moment in history as Saudi Arabia opens its first major theme park, Six Flags Qiddiya City, on New Year’s Eve.