Although we usually focus on music festivals, there is one festival in Berlin which has nothing to do with music but is still on top of our list of recommendations: The Festival of Light. During this 10-days event in October the city of Berlin literally lightens up with illuminations and shows. Millions of people from all over the world come to experience the largest open air gallery in the world.
10 Days of Light-Art Festival
But what exactly is this Festival of Lights? It’s an annual light art festival in which over 100 locations all over Berlin will be illuminated in a special and creative way. Historical places, attractions, landmarks, large buildings and famous squares will be illuminated by national and international artists. The images in this article are probably the best way to explain how impressive this can look. The Festival of Lights turns the whole city of Berlin into one free exhibition and spectacular event.
The 21st Edition
This year the Festival of Lights will be organised for the 21st time in Berlin. The first illumination festival was organised in 2005 and since that year the amount of visitors have been increasing steadily. Last years, more than two million visitors came to Berlin and over half a million extra hotel bookings were registered. The Festival of Light in Berlin can definitely be called one of the most successful illumination events in the world.
Daily illuminations all over town
This year, visitors can enjoy the Festival of Lights from the 8th till the 15th of October 2025. The illuminations normally start around 7 PM and end at 11 PM. You can see more than 100 different illuminations: From Potsdamer Platz to the Berliner Dom and from the Brandenburger Tor to Alexanderplatz, Berlin will be the main superstar in its own show. A full list of all the illuminations of the Festival of Lights can be found on the official website.
Start of the festival: Lights-On
The first few times I visited the Festival of Lights, about 10 years ago, the grand opening was organised on Potsdamer Platz. But since a while now, the organisation decided in favour of a collective lights-on moment, where illuminations all over town light up at the same time. This will be an impressive moment on the 8th of October at 19.00. Although it is not the main spot for the grand opening anymore, the Potsdamer Platz is still a great spot to be during lights-on because there are several impressive buildings at one location. Generally it’s a very central location which can easily be combined with other activities like Legoland, Liquidrom or the Casino.
Lightseeing Tours
If you are looking for an organised experience, you can decide to use one of the many tours of The Festival of Lights. You can enjoy the illuminations by boat, bus, air-balloon, foot and even on a segway. Obviously, the tours differ in price, destinations and starting point so it is probably best if you take a look at the section on the website of the festival of lights.
Paradise for photographers
The Festival of Lights is the perfect stage for anybody who likes to use a camera. You will see a lot of professional photographers but as you can see in this article, even a hobby-photographer can take a few quite solid photos during this event. All attractions in Berlin, which are already impressive during the rest of the year, will blow your mind during the Festival of Lights. Make sure you find yourself a nice spot before it gets busy and a tripod or steady spot is also useful to make better photos in the dark.
Tips for Festival of Lights 2025
Personally I really love the Festival of Lights and because the events takes about 10 days, it is not hard to find some time to visit the event at least a few times. During the last couple of years I have gathered some tips which might be useful if you are planning to visit the Festival of Lights 2025:
- The most busy time of the evening is between 19.00 and 21.30 (especially during the week). If you do not mind to stay up a bit later you can visit the most popular illuminations after 22.00.
- The main touristic attractions like Brandenburger Tor and the Berliner Dom can be quite crowded. Therefore it might make sense to visit a less famous place, like the Märkisches Viertel or the Humboldt University. These locations are also very impressive and less busy.
- The festival of lights is totally free. It is also allowed to bring your own drinks and food. This enables you to have a nice picknick with your partner with an illumination in the background. Landmarks like the Berliner Dom and the Reichstag offer plenty of space.
- Besides the official website, you can also have a look on Facebook if you want to get the latest information about the Festival of Lights 2025.
- You can easily combine the Festival of Lights with the nightlife in Berlin and go party in one of the many techno clubs after you have enjoyed the illuminations until 11PM. Even during the week there is plenty to do after that time.
