Berlin’s Festival of Lights Draws About 3 Million in 10 Nights: Works and Contest Results from the 22nd Edition

The 22nd edition of the Festival of Lights, a light festival in Berlin, the German capital, was held from October 9 to 18, 2026. The theme was “Colours of Love.” At about 40 locations across the city, projection mapping on buildings and light installations were shown every night from 19:00 to 23:00. On October 19, the day after the festival closed, the organizers announced that about 3 million people had visited over the 10 nights. Based on the organizers’ press materials (September 10, October 1 and October 19) and information on the official website, this article covers the closing figures, the results of the contest at the Brandenburg Gate, the theme and venues, the main works, the paid events and how the festival is run.

The Festival of Lights began in 2005 and is held in Berlin every autumn. The organizers explain that, thanks to partner companies and sponsors, the outdoor displays have been free every year since 2005. The venues combine 3D video mapping on building walls with illuminations of buildings and facades and installations. Events in Japan that project images onto cultural properties and other sites, and how the technique works, are introduced in our explainer on projection mapping.

Closing announcement: About 3 million in 10 nights

According to the organizers’ closing announcement (in German) issued on October 19, about 3 million people enjoyed the festival together peacefully over the 10 nights. The announcement does not explain how attendance was counted. Birgit Zander, the organizer and festival director, said she had seen millions of shining faces in Berlin over the 10 days, and that there had been no incidents whatsoever.

The “Key Facts” page on the official website gives 2025 attendance as 3 million and describes the festival as drawing about 3 million people over 10 nights every year. The 2026 figure is on the same level as the previous year’s scale given by the organizers.

The announcement also touches on the response at individual venues. The audience favorite was once again the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor). At the Berlin TV Tower (Berliner Fernsehturm), footage of a bee taking a selfie on top of the tower was especially popular with younger visitors. The Victory Column (Siegessäule) also drew large crowds with its three-dimensional projections.

At Gendarmenmarkt, more than 5,000 visitors created their own small avatars. At the Pergamonmuseum, the past 10 years of renovation work were shown as time-lapse light art. The organizers say the production team is already starting work on the 23rd edition.

Brandenburg Gate: Spain’s Sinoca wins the audience vote

The Brandenburg Gate was the stage for the Festival of Lights Contest, a 3D video mapping competition. According to the October 1 program announcement, the participants were artists and teams from Spain, China and Hungary. The newsletter names the three entrants as sínoca from Spain, studio zoltan varga from Hungary and skgplus from China. Visitors could vote for the works on the official website during the festival, from October 9 to 18.

According to the closing announcement, the audience chose as the winner a work by the Spanish light art team Sinoca depicting a poetic journey through the world of love. The title of the work is not given in the announcement. The announcement does not mention a jury and says the winner was chosen by audience vote. How projection mapping competitions in Japan and abroad work is covered in our article on projection mapping contests and awards.

Theme and venues: “Colours of Love” at about 40 locations

The 2026 theme was “Colours of Love.” In the October 1 program announcement, the organizers said they wanted the theme to send a shining signal for social cohesion and mutual respect. Zander said love is not a fleeting moment but a wonderful way of life.

There were about 40 venues across the city. The program page of the official website classifies the Brandenburg Gate, the TV Tower, the Victory Column and the Konzerthaus as “3D Video Mapping Show,” Berlin Cathedral as “Projection Mapping” and Potsdamer Platz as “Floor Projection,” and also lists installations, building illuminations and light displays. According to the newsletter, about 80 artists, designers and creators from 11 countries took part.

Dates: October 9–18, 2026
Hours: 19:00–23:00
Venue: About 40 locations across Berlin (Germany)
Admission: Outdoor displays free (events inside Berlin Cathedral, Light-Seeing tours and others charged)
Attendance: About 3 million (organizer’s figure)
Organizer: Zander & Partner Event-Marketing GmbH (organizer and festival director: Birgit Zander)
Official website: https://festival-of-lights.de/en/

Main works: The TV Tower, the Cathedral and the Pergamonmuseum

Berlin TV Tower

The TV Tower, which the organizers call the tallest building in Germany, became a large stage for the theme of love. Six studios from Germany and abroad wrapped the tower in “Colours of Love” imagery. The studios named in the newsletter are Magic Innovations, Lumine Projections, RawScope Vision, Mary Gouldsbrough, relative.berlin and The Fox, The Folks.

Berlin Cathedral and Humboldt University

Large light paintings on the theme were projected onto the huge facade of Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom). On the facade of Humboldt University (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), a show was projected on the theme “Art and science, research and teaching are free.” The program announcement added that the Zagreb Tourist Board and WWF would present “We are all connected,” a video work from the Zagreb Festival of Lights.

Hotel de Rome and the Konzerthaus

Several video works by artists and teams from the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Germany were projected onto the facade of the Hotel de Rome. On the facade of the Konzerthaus, the festival showed “Guestlings,” an interactive show in which visitors join by uploading avatars they have created, and the 3D video mapping show “Listen to my love.”

Pergamonmuseum and Oberbaum Bridge

At the Pergamonmuseum on Museum Island (Museumsinsel), a projection of about three minutes was shown on the future temporary entrance. Tracing the museum’s decade-long renovation through photographs by Alexander Schippel, it was planned to coincide with the reopening on June 4, 2027. The Oberbaum Bridge (Oberbaumbrücke) was to send “love greetings over the Spree” (Liebesgrüße über der Spree).

Potsdamer Platz and the Olympiastadion

Around Potsdamer Platz, the projection “AURORA VITA” was shown on the Kollhoff Tower, and the butterflies of Pitaya’s installation “Papillons” floated above Alte Potsdamer Straße. “House of Cards” was an installation made of 126 oversized playing cards. At the Olympiastadion Berlin, two light shows with music created for the stadium by Finnish lighting designer Mikki Kunttu were presented as part of guided tours.

In the Nikolaiviertel, the installation “Angels of Love” and the video presentation “Babylon Berlin,” among others, were shown.

Paid events: About 14,000 inside the Cathedral

While the outdoor displays are free, the festival also includes paid events. Inside Berlin Cathedral, “Beyond the Light,” consisting of eight 30-minute 3D video shows in the altar space, ran from October 9 to 11, and “Festival of Lights in Concert” held a total of 10 concerts over five nights from October 13 to 17. Tickets for both were sold online. The concerts featured Alle Farben, Westbam, Klangkarussell, Anja Schneider, Chris Bekker and Ukai Ndame.

According to the closing announcement, about 14,000 people experienced the combination of three-dimensional light art and sound inside the Cathedral over a total of eight nights. Citing the positive response, Zander announced that both Cathedral events would be held again in 2027.

“ClubNights,” new in 2026, was held over a total of 10 nights at three clubs and drew more than 3,000 visitors.

“Light-Seeing tours,” sold mainly through festival partner visitBerlin, also toured the venues on foot, by boat and by bus. According to the official website, a 1.5-hour walking tour cost €20 per person and a 2.5-hour bus tour €36–39 per person. Potsdamer Platz offered free walking tours.

Organization: Zander’s company and corporate sponsors

The 2026 press materials name Berlin-based Zander & Partner Event-Marketing GmbH as the organizer and Zander as organizer and festival director. The organization page on the official website gives the festival’s organizer as Festival of Lights International Productions GmbH and its producers as Zander and her company, Zander & Partner. According to the site’s legal notice, Zander is also the representative of FOL Festival of Lights International Productions GmbH.

Corporate partners and sponsors fund the free outdoor displays. In 2026, McDonald’s Deutschland was the main sponsor, and partners included Klarna, Life360, Ferrero Rocher, NVIDIA, Kearney and Sephora.

Editor’s perspective

The Festival of Lights combines free outdoor displays with paid events around them. The outdoor displays at about 40 locations are kept free with the support of corporate partners and sponsors, while the shows and concerts inside the Cathedral and the Light-Seeing tours charge admission. In the closing announcement, the organizers gave separate attendance figures for the Cathedral events (about 14,000) and the club events (more than 3,000) and announced that the two Cathedral events would continue in 2027. This suggests that they treat the paid events built into the free festival as an ongoing business.

Some buildings and organizations also use the festival as a platform for their messages. A show on the theme of academic freedom was projected onto the facade of Humboldt University, and the Zagreb Tourist Board and WWF brought their own video work. On the temporary entrance of the Pergamonmuseum, a projection tracing the renovation was shown in connection with the 2027 reopening. Alongside works by creators, such as the six studios at the TV Tower, messages from tourism boards, international organizations and cultural institutions are placed within the same festival. Projection events in cities in Japan are introduced in our roundup of projection mapping and light events in Tokyo.

The attendance figure of about 3 million is the same as the 2025 figure given on the official website. However, the organizers have not explained how it was counted. The announcement does not reveal how people were counted at an open-access outdoor event with venues scattered across the city. Published attendance figures for light events in Japan are compiled in our roundup of attendance and economic impact of light events. When comparing figures, it is necessary to check whether the counting method has been published. GLOW in the Netherlands likewise did not give an exact attendance figure in its 2025 wrap-up.

Frequently asked questions

When was the 2026 festival held, and how many people attended?

The 22nd edition was held from October 9 to 18, 2026, lighting up about 40 locations every night from 19:00 to 23:00. On October 19, the day after it closed, the organizers announced that about 3 million people had visited. They did not explain how this was counted.

Does it cost money to see?

The organizers explain that the outdoor displays have been free every year since the festival began in 2005. “Beyond the Light” and “Festival of Lights in Concert” inside Berlin Cathedral, the Light-Seeing tours and some other events were paid.

Will it be held in 2027?

In the closing announcement, the organizers said the production team is starting work on the 23rd edition and that the two Cathedral events will be held again in 2027. As of October 25, the 2027 dates had not been announced.

*Information as of October 25, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: The Brandenburg Gate illuminated at the 2024 Festival of Lights (from the gallery on the Festival of Lights official website)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on the Festival of Lights organizers’ press materials (September 10, October 1 and October 19, 2026) and information on the official website (as of October 25, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team