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Essen Light Festival

Essen, Germany

Next event: 02.10.2025 - 12.10.2025

https://www.visitessen.de/essentourismus_veranstaltungen/essen_light_festival/essen_light_festival.en.html

Established in 2016 the Essen Light Festival might still be young, but it has been constantly growing larger and more splendid every year. For ten days each October the entire city centre of Essen turns into a giant exhibition of international light art: from the main station through the busy shopping streets to the university quarter - dozens of carefully curated light installations from all over the world illuminate the city and create a magical and vibrant atmosphere.

Sculptures, installations and spectacular 3D-video mappings projected onto historical buildings, some of them interactive, have attracted and thrilled hundreds of thousands of visitors each autumn, turning the Essen light Festival into one of the biggest and most important light art festivals in Germany.

The festival like it’s city: The Essen Light Festival reflects change, excitement, creativity and sustainability! With its transformation from the centre of the coal and steel industry to the third greenest city in Germany and the Green Capital of Europe, Essen stands for sustainability and change like hardly any other major city. Together with REMONDIS, the Essen Light Festival proudly awards and presents the annual the REMONDIS Light Award to the best sustainable light works.