The Noor Riyadh 2025 festival brings 59 artists from 24 countries and more than 60 artworks to Riyadh, including over 35 new commissions, from November 20 to December 6, 2025
From November 20 to December 6, 2025, the capital of Saudi Arabia transforms into a vast open-air stage. Noor Riyadh 2025 lights up streets, buildings and historic sites with monumental installations, luminous performances and new commissions by international and Saudi artists.
Presented by Riyadh Art, under the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC), the festival confirms Riyadh’s role as a global hub for contemporary art and design.
Noor Riyadh 2025: figures and global vision
Noor Riyadh 2025 brings together 59 artists of 24 nationalities, showcasing 60 works, with over 35 new commissions created specifically for the event. The project, which grows year after year, strengthens dialogue between different cultures through the universal language of light.
The theme chosen for this edition is “In the Blink of an Eye”, a reference to the rapid and profound transformation reshaping Riyadh’s urban identity. Art accompanies this evolution, making it visible, emotional and tangible.
The curatorial direction features Mami Kataoka, Sara Almutlaq and Li Zhenhua, a leading figure in the international art scene.
The six locations of Noor Riyadh 2025
The artworks of Noor Riyadh 2025 come to life across six iconic sites in the city, where history and contemporary architecture meet:
- Riyadh Art Space in the JAX District, a former industrial area now the creative heart of the event
- KAFD Metro Station, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects
- stc Metro Station, designed by Gerber Architekten
- Al Faisaliah Tower, by Foster + Partners
- The Qasr Al Hokm District, located in the historic center
- King Abdulaziz Historical Center, a symbol of Saudi heritage
Light interacts with the modern lines of the metro and with the city’s historic architecture, creating an immersive and dynamic journey.
Key works of Noor Riyadh 2025
László Zsolt Bordos – Astrum
On the Al Faisaliah Tower, laser beams point toward the sky, turning the skyline into a cosmic compass. The city looks to the stars.
Vali Chincișan – The Vision Grid
The KAFD Station becomes a canvas of color and sound. Its façade vibrates, transforming into a moving grid.
Christophe Berthonneau & László Zsolt Bordos – Synthesis
Drones, architecture and mapping merge in a performance where the building appears to float.
fuse – Luna Somnium*
Lunar data, abstract imagery and orbital rhythms generate an immersive, hypnotic experience.
James Clar – When the Sky Meets the Earth
Frozen lightning in neon and metal structures narrates energy and technology.
Fatma Abdulhadi – Keep Your Eyes on the Light
A suspended garden invites introspection and inner silence.
Ahmad Angawi – Algorithms of Light: The Falcon
Najdi tradition and luminous geometries blend into a powerful and symbolic gesture.
Alex Schweder – Clockwise Invitations
An inflatable environment that changes shape with people’s presence. Light follows human movement.
Noor Riyadh 2025 and its cultural impact
Since 2021, Noor Riyadh has welcomed more than 9.6 million visitors and presented over 550 works by 500 artists. The festival contributes to the growth of the creative economy and strengthens Riyadh’s role in the international cultural landscape. Workshops, public activities and talks accompany the installations, creating connections among communities, creatives and professionals.
Noor Riyadh 2025 is therefore not just an event. It builds a vision. It transforms the city. It lights up the future.
