Hail: The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has launched the second edition of the ‘Basta Khair Saudi Arabia 2026’ initiative during Ramadan, in partnership with regional municipalities. The initiative aims to support, develop, and empower street vendors by regulating street vending activities, providing approved sales locations, enhancing the quality of practice, and improving visitor experience, in line with the ministry’s objectives to enhance the urban landscape and quality of life in cities across the Kingdom.

According to Saudi Press Agency, the initiative will commence with five locations per municipality, targeting up to 350 sales outlets for each municipality. At least two locations in every municipality will be designated under a sustainability track to ensure continued operation beyond the month of Ramadan, facilitating the transition of the initiative from a seasonal activity into an organized, scalable, and sustainable model.

The ministry emphasized that the initiative enhances the image of licensed stalls as an organized model that reflects cities’ identity and improves the overall urban scene. This is achieved by unifying visual identity elements across sites while respecting the local character of each region. The initiative also provides more sustainable economic opportunities for participants and creates a gradual pathway for transitioning from informal activities to officially regulated practices within clear regulatory frameworks, contributing to income stability, improved service quality, and greater reliability of the overall experience.

The first edition, Basta Khair Saudi Arabia 2025, saw the participation of 1,732 vendors and welcomed around 814,000 visitors. It achieved a sustainability rate of 30% following its conclusion and recorded 90% satisfaction levels among participants and visitors, reflecting its economic and social impact and supporting the ministry’s direction toward developing an organized and sustainable model to empower street vendors across the Kingdom.