The largest global festival of light and art - Noor Riyadh, returns to illuminate the Saudi capital from November 30

The biggest light and art festival in the world, Noor Riyadh, is coming back to light up the Saudi capital on November 30 after two wildly successful previous editions. An project under Riyadh Art, it will feature more than 120 pieces of art from 100 international artists, representing a variety of disciplines and backgrounds including architecture, graphic design, performance art, and medicine.

Events are scheduled in two parts. The "The Bright Side of the Desert Moon" festival portion will take place at several hubs across the city until December 16, while the "Refracted Identities, Shared Futures" exhibition will continue until March 2. 

Ayman Yossri Daydban, Aziz Jamal, Erwin Wurm, Jose Davila, and Younes Rahmoun are among the artists whose new site-specific commissions are included in the collection.

There are five primary hubs for Noor Riyadh. Wadi Hanifa, Salam Park, Wadi Namar, and JAX District will be the additional locations, with the King Abdullah Financial District serving as the hub.

Neville Wakefield and Maya Al-Athel curated the accompanying show, which will be situated in the JAX District. This collection of artworks conceptualises different personifications of light as a constant throughout the numerous travels of the artists, including Abdulmohsen Albinali, Artur Weber, Bashaer Hawsawi, Cecilia Bengolea, Federico Acciardi, Leo Villareal, Shaikha Al-Mazrou, and others.

As usual, the festival's programming attempts to enhance the local community by showcasing both foreign and domestic artists. In addition to family activities and school partnerships, there will be over a thousand guided tours, 40 presentations, and 100 workshops.

The light festival is now an annual event on Riyadh's cultural schedule. Noor Riyadh achieved a number of firsts in 2022, including bringing in 2.8 million visitors and breaking six Guinness World Records, one of which was for the world's largest light art festival. By transforming the city into a "gallery without walls," which is made possible by its 1,000 public artworks across the city, two yearly events, and ten community programmes, Riyadh Art hopes to promote cultural transformation and community participation in the area.