NOOR RIYADH 2025 - In the Blink of an Eye

What

The world’s largest light art festival
illuminating the capital with immersive
artworks

Where

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

When

From 20th of November to
6th of December 2025

In the Blink of an Eye

the theme

Noor Riyadh returned for its fifth edition from November 20 to December 6, 2025, organized by Filmmaster. The world’s largest light art festival transformed the Saudi capital with groundbreaking installations by leading local and international artists. The 2025 curatorial theme, “In the Blink of an Eye,” is inspired by Riyadh’s rapid transformation. It reflected the city’s evolving identity, juxtaposing its historic core with its visionary infrastructure, including the newly launched metro system. The latter was also animated by installations that reflected the rhythm and speed of urban life.

The artworks

a bridge between past and present

This edition features 60 works, including over 35 site-specific pieces, by 59 artists from 24 countries, created by artists who have used technology to stimulate reflection on the relationship between humanity, innovation, and urban change. The artworks are distributed across six symbolic areas of the city — Al-Hukm Palace District, King Abdulaziz Historical Center, stc Metro Station, KAFD Metro Station, Al Faisaliah Tower, and JAX District — interacted with the ancient architecture, creating a bridge between the city's rich cultural heritage and its dynamic present.

The team

and their visions

The team of international curators brought together complementary visions, sensibilities, and skills: Mami Kataoka, Director of the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo; Li Zhenhua, curator and cultural producer with extensive experience in media art; and Saudi curator Sara Almutlaq, an expert on the Saudi art scene. Together, they created an exhibition that interprets the theme “In the Blink of an Eye” as a journey through time and space, in which light becomes a narrative tool and a mirror of change. We translated the curatorial vision into a physical and immersive experience that is accessible and emotionally powerful.

A very special edition

the statistics

This year’s numbers reflect the scale of the experience:
6,633,078 total spectators explored the festival’s installations and spaces;
828 guided tours, including 201 VIP tours with 1,332 visitors and 627 general tours with 1,958 visitors;
2,249 ongoing activities involving 21,926 participants;
5 talks that brought together 450 attendees;
105 workshops attended by 2,116 participants;
22,236 total surveys collected.
Every day, behind the scenes, between 658 and 681 staff members worked onsite to make all of this possible.