Though the Berlin Festival of Lights 2013 officially starts on 9 October, there are some buildings that are already lit up! Yesterday we made our way to Hackeschermarkt to see the lights and sounds show at the facade of the Konzerthaus. More photos and videos after the jump!
When we arrived the building was all lit up and looked like it was liquid (pictured above). Though it was drizzling people began to gather around the square in front of the Konzerthaus. Then the music began to play and the lights started to dance. Video from my Sony point and shoot below.
After the “show” the Konzerthaus was lit up in red. If I am not mistaken they have many different light and music set up for the Konzerthaus because the day before I saw in my friend’s Instagram feed a different lighting of the Konzerthaus.
This was but a glimpse of what is to come on 9 October. Berlin’s monuments will be lit up and entire buildings will be colourful, moving works of art. What really excites me the most are the interactive installations. I cannot wait to be a part of it. This is a great way to start the cold season. It shows a tropical island girl like me that in Berlin it is fun to go out even when it’s so kalt! (So cold!) Berlin is such an exciting city and there is always something happening every week it. Many of it is free for the public to watch and enjoy, while some activities can be joined for a small fee.
This festival has been going on since 2005. According to our friend Alex, a true Berliner, it started with simply lighting up buildings and has grown into really complicated light shows that draw in a lot of tourists.
Here is one of the official videos for the Berlin Festival of Lights. Make sure to watch till the end to see the cool stuff!
I thought it was so cool that many people were just sitting down, chilling and appreciating the visuals like a gigantic piece of art. (Which it was!) Berlin really is a city of art. From the graffiti on the walls to the many museums – we find art everywhere!
Special events to watch out for:
- OpenCity on 12 October
- Festival of Lights for Kids
- LightRun
- Jazz in the ministry gardens
- music @ festival of lights
- Sunday sales in shopping centres
- CLICK HERE for guided tours via bus, boat, ballon, carriage, segway, bikes, etc. There are even light tours for dogs! There are also special buses for people in wheelchairs to enjoy the Festival of Lights. How cool is that?
For more information on what’s happening on 9 – 20 October 2013 check out the official website: Berlin Festival of Lights.
I leave you with this crazy cool video of the Brandenburg Tor….
Related reads:
Lovely! I can’t wait.
Although last year we saw the show Bern, Switzerland features on and it sadly puts Berlin to shame. Nonetheless – wonderful preview!
Hi Ebe, I’ve never been to Switzerland nor have I ever seen a Festival of Lights so I am very excited about the upcoming one in Berlin. I cannot imagine how amazing the Festival of Lights is in Bern! I hope one day to see it! What month is the one in Bern?
The festival in Bern was in preparation for Christmas, but took place as early as November. You can see some its awesome-ness (although we didn’t really capture it) in our post: http://ianandebe.blogspot.de/2013/02/bern-switzerland-city-of-fountains.html
Enjoy the Festival of Lights! UBerlin had a great post of animated gifs from the event last year: http://www.uberlin.co.uk/festival-of-lights-in-gifs/