Not just Noor Riyadh boasts of a citywide annual festival of light and art, but now the festival has bagged itself an international honour after Guinness World Records for two of the artworks.

The annual festival of light and art that nurtures creativity, in its first year has bagged Guinness World Records for two of the artworks that were commissioned for the event.

Artist Karolina Halatek’s ‘Beacon,’ 2021 has been named the world’s Largest LED structure, comprising an incredible 272,160 LEDs. The artwork awestruck the crowds at the King Abdulaziz Historical Center for the duration of Noor Riyadh’s citywide installations, which illuminated Riyadh from March 18 to April 3, 2021.

While Beacon bagged the largest LED structure, Koert Vermeulen’s ‘Star in Motion’, 2021 has been recognised as the world’s Brightest suspended ornament with 1.2 million lumens hanging at a height of 256 meters atop Riyadh’s iconic Kingdom Tower. The installation has been one of the most iconic artworks for Noor Riyadh’s debut edition.

The Noor Riyadh festival drew over 300,000 visitors to its citywide installation program that celebrated ‘Light Upon Light: Light Art since the 1960s’. The prestigious record achievements have added a feather to its cap ever since. The exhibition was curated by Susan Davidson, former Senior Curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, with Raneem Zaki Farsi, Curator, Art Advisor and an expert in Saudi Arabia’s contemporary art scene.

The one of a kind event saw artists of all genres—from light art pioneers like Dan Flavin, Yayoi Kusama and James Turrell, to newly commissioned Saudi artists like Abdullah Al Othman, Maha Malluh, and Ahmed Mater, the exhibition has been a landmark event for the kingdom.

Commencing on March 18, Noor Riyadh united more than 60 artists from over 20 countries with the theme ‘Under One Sky,’ along with residents of Riyadh, domestic tourists and international visitors.

The festival also offered visitors the opportunity to take part in a variety of interesting tours, musical, and cinematic performances, workshops, and family activities.