Playboi Carti, Destroy Lonely, Don Toliver, Shaggy and Tul8Te will perform in Jeddah this January.
Saudi Arabia is turning up the volume. The Kingdom has welcomed international artists from around the world. Now, artists for Balad Beast 2026 have been announced, and include hip-hop heavyweights Playboi Carti, Destroy Lonely, Don Toliver, Shaggy and Tul8Te.
Balad Beast 2026 runs from 29 to 30 January 2026 and brings together more than 70 artists. Old and new unite, as the event takes place across four stages, including courtyards, Souq Square and Roshn Square in a UNESCO World Heritage site. Hip-hop fans will be delighted to hear that there is a stage dedicated to the genre. Plus, it includes cool food stalls, art, and live music installations.
Who’s performing?
More than 70 artists will perform on four stages across two days, including Baloo, Brina Knauss, Cosmicat, Dish Dash, Frankyrizardo, Klash, Lany, Loco Dice, Naïka, Nesta, Nto, Slowmoe, Somdlbeastn, Tini Gessler, Vinyl Mode and Zeina, in addition to several hot headliners.
Playboi Carti
Carti’s shows are pure momentum, with punk-leaning trap, blown-out bass, and a vocal style built on ad-libs and texture over traditional bars. In a festival setting like Balad Beast, that chaos turns communal fast, with mosh-ready drops and hooks that feel engineered for call-and-response. Expect hits such as “Magnolia”, “Sky”, and “Shoota.”
Destroy Lonely
Destroy Lonely brings that late-night, fashion-demon energy, a blurred line between rap and melody where the vocals feel processed into the beat itself. It’s dark, sticky, and hypnotic, built for crowds that like their trap futuristic rather than glossy. His top tracks include “NOSTYLIST”, “If Looks Could Kill”, and “In The Air,” which will likely light up the night at BaladBeast 2026.
Don Toliver
Don Toliver sits in the sweet spot between rap and melody, delivering elastic flows and Auto-Tuned croon that can glide over trap drums or lean into stadium-sized choruses. His set should bring the singalong energy Balad Beast thrives on, with glossy hooks on songs such as “Lemonade,” “No Idea”, and “Too Many Nights.”
Tul8te
Tul8te’s uniqueness lies in the mystery as much as in the music: the masked persona, the anonymity, and the way he slips between pop, electronic textures, and hip-hop accents without losing the emotional pull. In a festival built around atmosphere, his tracks “El Hob Gany”, “Shedeeny”, “Qesm El Shakawy”, “Wahashteeny” and “Oyoun feel tailor-made for a big moment on home-region soil.
Shaggy
Shaggy is a global party-starter with a voice you clock in two seconds, and a catalogue stacked with era-defining hooks that still detonate the second they drop. At Balad Beast, he’ll perform a feel-good nostalgic set anchored around the anthems “Angel”, “Boombastic,” and “It Wasn’t Me.”
Alesso
If you have danced to festival house over the last decade, you have likely danced to Alesso. The Stockholm-born DJ and producer, real name Alessandro Lindblad, has built his reputation on uplift and precision, balancing pop-level hooks with arena-ready synths. His breakout era delivered staples like “Calling (Lose My Mind)” with Sebastian Ingrosso and Ryan Tedder, and the shimmering “Heroes (We Could Be)” featuring Tove Lo, a crossover favourite that pushed him onto mainstream charts. Add “Under Control” with Calvin Harris and Hurts, plus fan favourites like “Years,” and you have a set list stacked with hits.
Solomun
Solomun is patient, groove-led, and masterful at stretching tension over long blends rather than chasing constant drops. In Al-Balad’s atmospheric setting, his slow-burning house and techno selections will feel cinematic, pulling the crowd deeper as the night gets later with the hits “Black Rose”, “The Centre Will Not Hold”, and “Customer Is King.”
PAWSA
PAWSA brings modern tech-house punch with a cheeky, streetwise swing to BaladBeast 2026. Expect chunky basslines, crisp percussion, and hooks to chant along to. He’s tailor-made for peak-time festival floors, with tracks such as “Dirty Cash (Money Talks)” and “Pick Up The Phone.”
Ben Böhmer
Ben Böhmer’s sound offers progressive builds, floating synth lines, and a sense of forward motion that feels euphoric without getting brash. At Balad Beast, he’s the antidote to harder edges, perfect for a late set featuring the hits “Breathing”, “Beyond Beliefs”, and “The Space In Between.”
How to get tickets
General Admission tickets are priced at SAR 299 for a single night and grant access to either Thursday or Friday’s exciting lineup of performances. For those looking to experience both nights of entertainment, a two-night General Admission pass is available for SAR 479.
For an elevated experience, VIB (Very Important Beats) tickets are available at SAR 1,109 per night, offering premium perks and access to exclusive areas. To enjoy the full two-night extravaganza in style, the VIB pass is priced at SAR 1,879. Tickets are now available at nofomo.com.
Previous editions of Balad Beast have featured 21 Savage, DJ Snake, Gunna, Major Lazer Soundsystem, Metro Boomin, and Wu-Tang Clan.
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GO: Visit https://nofomo.com for more information.