Saudi Arabia Launches ‘Culture and Green Future’ Initiative

Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan shakes hands with the Secretary-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO)
Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan shakes hands with the Secretary-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO)
TT

Saudi Arabia Launches ‘Culture and Green Future’ Initiative

Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan shakes hands with the Secretary-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO)
Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan shakes hands with the Secretary-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO)

Saudi Arabia has launched the "Culture & Green Future" initiative, which aims to enhance the role of culture and raise awareness of the centrality of culture in comprehensive and sustainable development and address its various challenges.

The initiative was launched by Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture and Chairman of the National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, in cooperation with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), on the sidelines of the activities of the 23rd session of the Conference of Arab Culture Ministers.

The conference was hosted on Wednesday by the Culture Ministry in cooperation with ALECSO in Riyadh, in the presence of ministers and officials from 20 Arab countries as well as the Arab League, and representatives of international and regional organizations.

"The issue of culture and the green future comes in line with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Hence the Kingdom supports collective efforts to enhance knowledge, skills, and practices related to making the cultural sector more sustainable and environmentally friendly,” the Culture Minister said in a speech at the conference.

The role of culture in shaping a green future and implementing the commitments of Arab countries to harness culture for sustainable development will be focused through the launch of the "Culture and Sustainability Report in the Arab World", which will include five themes, including culture and sustainable development, knowledge transfer and exchange of expertise to create the green future, climate change, and local cultural policies, and “sustainable and creative cities and cultural solutions to ensure sustainability.”

The Culture Ministry also signed two separate agreements with ALECSO and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO).



World’s Largest Light Art Festival in Riyadh Sees Over 3 Million Spectators

Under the theme Light Years Apart, audiences experienced the festival across three iconic hubs: King Abdulaziz Historical Center, Wadi Hanifah, and JAX District. SPA
Under the theme Light Years Apart, audiences experienced the festival across three iconic hubs: King Abdulaziz Historical Center, Wadi Hanifah, and JAX District. SPA
TT

World’s Largest Light Art Festival in Riyadh Sees Over 3 Million Spectators

Under the theme Light Years Apart, audiences experienced the festival across three iconic hubs: King Abdulaziz Historical Center, Wadi Hanifah, and JAX District. SPA
Under the theme Light Years Apart, audiences experienced the festival across three iconic hubs: King Abdulaziz Historical Center, Wadi Hanifah, and JAX District. SPA

Noor Riyadh, the world’s largest light art festival and a flagship program of Riyadh Art, concluded its successful fourth edition, welcoming over 3 million spectators and bringing together over 60 artworks by more than 60 artists from 18 countries, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Under the theme Light Years Apart, audiences experienced the festival across three iconic hubs: King Abdulaziz Historical Center, Wadi Hanifah, and JAX District.

The festival also featured a striking city-scale light installation at Al Faisaliah Tower, transforming Riyadh into a luminous celebration of art and innovation. This year’s festival brought together 18 Saudi and 43 international artists with site-specific and newly commissioned artworks.

Exceptional installations included Chris Levine’s Higher Power, a city-scale laser projection atop Al Faisaliah Tower; Maryam Tariq’s Shifting Perspectives, which explored perceptual ambiguity at Digital City; and Aether by United Visual Artists, a dazzling drone show at King Abdulaziz Historical Center. Another standout work, Rashed AlShashai’s The Fifth Pyramid, symbolized Riyadh’s cultural transformation.

Architect Khalid Al-Hazani, the executive director of Riyadh Art, bid farewell to the festival, saying: “Noor Riyadh 2024 celebrated humanity’s connection to the stars, sparking inspiration and dialogue through the universal language of art. We look forward to continuing Riyadh’s journey of cultural transformation.”
As for Noor Riyadh festival director Nouf Almoneef, he said: “Once again, this year’s festival united local and international artists for a truly world-class festival.”

“I extend my deepest gratitude to the incredible team -- our staff, volunteers, and partners for their exceptional efforts and collaboration, as well as to the millions of spectators whose engagement made this festival unforgettable,” SPA quoted him as saying.

As part of the community engagement program, which attracted over 52,000 participants, Noor Riyadh organized a variety of activities designed to inspire and connect with the community. These included engaging talks, insightful discussions, interactive workshops, creative experiences, family-friendly activities, and guided tours that enriched the festival experience for visitors.

The seamless execution of these activities was made possible by a dedicated team comprising curators, artists, art explainers, tour guides, and installation crews, ensuring every participant enjoyed a memorable experience.