Lucky Tea Weekly Briefing, October 18 to 24: FII10 postponed to 2027, Riyadh Season zones open in stages
This week's feature covers Riyadh Season 2026, which opens on October 21 with the Six Kings Slam now set for December 27 to 30. The biggest news item is Luckin's nationwide launch of pearl milk tea at 9.9 to 12.9 yuan, followed by Mubadala's Luckin stake and a boba health explainer.
This week's feature
Riyadh Season 2026 opens October 21 for about 10 weeks, and the Six Kings Slam moves to December 27 to 30
Riyadh Season 2026 opens on Wednesday, October 21, and will run for about 10 weeks, according to the announcement by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority. It is the seventh edition and carries the slogan "Big Time".
What is confirmed:
- Zones and venues: Boulevard World, Boulevard City, Wonder Garden, The Groves, Farmers' Market, and the Ana Arabia exhibition at VIA Riyadh.
- Boulevard World returns as a main attraction and adds three new country pavilions, for the Netherlands, Portugal and Yemen. Boulevard City will introduce new content.
- Sport includes boxing and wrestling events, UFC bouts, and the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament.
- The Six Kings Slam has moved from October 21 to 24 to December 27 to 30. Organisers announced the change on October 14, citing logistical and organisational requirements.
- Other programming: concerts by Saudi, Arab and international artists, theatre, stand-up comedy, and children's and family entertainment.
What is not yet announced: the reports we reviewed give no ticket prices, individual venue opening dates, opening hours, or dates for the boxing, wrestling and UFC events.
What it means for Riyadh: the answer to "when does Riyadh Season 2026 start" is October 21, but the tennis fixture that was first announced for opening week now falls in the last week of December. With the programme spread over about 10 weeks there is no single peak weekend, though opening week is likely to draw heavy interest. The announcements do not say that every zone opens on October 21, so treat venue opening dates as unconfirmed.
Practical tips:
- Confirm tickets, zone entry and any timed access on the official Riyadh Season channels before travelling.
- Expect busier roads on event nights. No official traffic plan has been published in the sources reviewed, so allow extra time and consider ride-hailing.
- Wonder Garden, Boulevard City and the family programming suggest options for children, though session times are not yet published.
If you want a cold drink or a seat between venues, Lucky Tea · Al Hamra and Lucky Tea · Ar Rabi are open daily from 10:00 to 02:00, which suits a late finish after a show.
Sources: Gulf News, September 27 · TradeArabia, September 28 · TradeArabia, October 15
Abu Dhabi's Mubadala agrees to invest about $1 billion in Luckin Coffee
Mubadala Investment Company, the Abu Dhabi investor, agreed to make a minority investment of about $1 billion in Luckin Coffee, alongside Centurium Capital. The stake size was not disclosed and the deal is subject to customary closing conditions. Luckin had more than 36,000 stores worldwide as of June 30, according to the reports. The deal was announced on September 10 and resurfaced in this week's radar through follow-up coverage.
What it means here: it shows Gulf capital backing a Chinese beverage chain at scale, but the reports mention no Gulf expansion plan, so there is no visible effect on Riyadh competition for now.
Source: Gulf News, September 10, 2026
Luckin launches pearl milk tea at 9.9 to 12.9 yuan across its 36,000 stores
On October 12, Luckin rolled out three pearl milk tea products nationwide in China: classic, an extra-large classic, and a brown sugar pearl Thai milk tea, priced from 9.9 to 12.9 yuan. Sina Finance reports the pearls are frozen and reheated rather than cooked fresh in store, so a coffee shop can make the drink with coffee-style procedures. Kudi Coffee, with more than 15,000 stores, launched brown sugar bubble milk drinks in March, though the report says they are sold out in many Beijing outlets.
What it means here: Gulf readers should care because Mubadala is now an investor in this chain; a coffee operation that sells pearl milk tea at roughly the price of a coffee shows how low the entry barrier to bubble tea can fall, which matters for how Riyadh tea shops price and differentiate.
Source: Sina Finance, October 13, 2026
Arabic health explainer: boba tea has possible benefits and risks worth noting
Al Arabiya published an Arabic explainer on boba tea on October 13 under the title "Boba tea: possible benefits and risks worth noting". It points to polyphenol antioxidants in tea and calcium when made with milk, and names added sugar as the main concern, along with caffeine. Its advice is to choose smaller sizes and lower sweetness levels.
What it means here: Arabic-language health coverage is now treating boba as a mainstream drink, so sweetness and size options on a menu are a reasonable response to the questions customers may bring.
Source: Al Arabiya, October 13, 2026
