Noor Riyadh is a citywide festival of light, art, and technological wizardry that is currently illuminating Saudi Arabia’s capital. It has returned for its second year and is three times bigger and has more international participants than its first event.
The festival opened on Thursday and is open daily at sunset through November 19. The public areas in Riyadh are hosting an exhibition of more than 190 works of art. They consist of enormous and engaging installations, ephemeral sculptures, laser shows, and drone displays that illuminate the city’s night sky.
King Abdullah Park, Salam Park, the Diplomatic Quarter, the Jax District, and the King Abdullah Financial District are the five hubs where the celebration is spread out. We Dream of New Horizons is the subject of Noor Riyadh this year, reflecting on the potential of Saudi Arabia’s emerging artistic community in the aftermath of the changes that have been sweeping the country for the past several years.
During a press conference held in advance of the opening, Nouf AlMoneef, the project manager of Noor Riyadh, remarked, “Noor Riyadh is a brilliant example of how art and culture can be a force for connection and expression.”
With 130 artists participating at Noor Riyadh, Saudi artists—both established and up-and-coming—are prominently included in the festival.
With his interactive work Walking Lights, social media sensation Warchieff—whose real name is Mohammed AlHamdan—will make a foray into the world of art by animating pedestrian activity along Olaya Street.
Additionally, there are a significant number of foreign attendees during the festival. The night before the opening, some artists’ works were displayed at King Abdullah Park for a press preview.
The festival will also be accompanied by an installation called From Spark to Spirit, which will continue at Jax 03 through February 4. It explores topics like the technologies of light, the architectonics of light, and the consciousness of light. It is organized by British art critic Neville Wakefield and Saudi interior architect Gaida AlMogren.