Noor Riyadh, the Largest Light Art Festival in the World, will return for ‎its third edition in Riyadh, with the festival running from November 30 to December 16, 2023, and the exhibition ‎from November 30, 2023 to March 2, 2024.‎

The citywide festival will illuminate Riyadh with large-scale light art installations, building projections, ‎performances, and more. Artworks will be displayed in public spaces across five hubs.‎

Curated by Jérôme Sans (Lead Curator), Pedro Alonzo, Alaa Tarabzouni, and Fahad Bin Naif (Curators), the ‎festival’s theme is “The Bright Side of the Desert Moon” and will feature over 120 artworks by around 100 artists ‎‎(more than 35 from Saudi Arabia) from more than 35 nationalities. Sans is the co-founder of Paris’ Palais de ‎Tokyo, possessing an established career as curator of major biennials around the world and artistic director of ‎prestigious institutions in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. On the other hand, Boston-based Alonzo is currently ‎adjunct curator at Dallas Contemporary in Texas, and specializes in shows that go beyond museum walls. Riyadh-‎based Tarabzouni and Bin Naif are both artists and curators, with individual practices that utilize their architectural ‎backgrounds to bring unique perspectives on urbanism and the built environment.‎

The festival’s exhibition “Refracting Identities, Shared Futures” will be held at the JAX District. Neville Wakefield, ‎formerly of MoMA PS1, Frieze Projects, and Desert X, returns to lead the curation of the show alongside Maya Al ‎Athel, Curator, who served as artistic director of the festival in 2022.‎

Noor Riyadh 2023 will also feature over 500 community engagement programs for all visitors and families alike ‎throughout the duration of the festival and the exhibition. ‎

His Highness Prince Badr bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Culture, Board Member of the Royal Commission for ‎Riyadh City, and Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Riyadh Art Program, said “Under the guidance of His ‎Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, our dedication to culture and the arts has opened doors for ‎creative expression. The participation of renowned global light artists in Noor Riyadh echoes our united vision. As ‎we approach our third edition, we look forward to continuing Riyadh Art’s mission to turn the city into a dazzling ‎gallery without walls and to ensure that art is for everyone.”‎

Developed with the aim of nurturing local talent and amplifying Saudi Arabia’s cultural economy, Noor Riyadh is ‎part of Riyadh Art, one of the largest public art initiatives in the world. Riyadh Art aims to transform the Saudi capital ‎into a “gallery without walls”, with more than 1,000 public art installations, to be spread out across the city through ‎‎10 programs and two annual events. ‎

Across its editions, Noor Riyadh has created unique moments of joy across the city and provided millions of visitors ‎the opportunity to appreciate world-class light artworks, and rediscover the city of Riyadh in a new light. In 2022, ‎Noor Riyadh celebrated multiple achievements, including welcoming 2.8 million visitors to the festival and winning ‎six Guinness World Records, one of which being the largest celebration of light art in the world.‎