Berlin Festival of Lights

Each October for the last 10 years, the Berlin Festival of Lights has taken place, transforming the cityscape into a wondrous, enchanting world full of light art and creative installations.

International artists arrive in the city to help morph the city into a glowing, glittering metropolis with the help of projections, 3D video mappings and other installations. These pieces inspire more than 2 million people, both tourists and locals, to visit each year, making the festival an important tourist event in the city.

Last year’s installations included the Urban Jungle by Browsing Beauty, where famous man-made and architectural elements of Kreuzberg were combined with light displays inspired by nature to create a living, breathing concrete jungle. The Core – Berlin’s live-mapping display was projected onto buildings, giving observers an insight into the inner-workings and layout of the buildings for another creative project. Each year, the Lumissimo concerts at the Berlin Cathedral combine audio and visual artistry for illuminating and awesome shows.

There are several brilliant ways to see the Festival of Lights, including a number of bus and ship tours, a cycle taxi, walking and running tours and plenty more – all of which are guaranteed to give you an unforgettable and personal view of one of Europe’s most spectacular light shows.

The Lightkremser bus, with its panoramic ceiling windows on the top deck, is the perfect way to see the city throughout the Festival of Lights, alternatively hop on the Lightschoolbus, an American-style school bus with renovated insides, and not only will you get a photo stop at the best spots but every visitor gets a free drink too! For a truly breathtaking view of Berlin, however, book yourself on the Lightballoon tour, which lifts you high above the city in a hot air balloon, giving you a stunning view of the cityscape, bathed in multi-coloured lights.