Frankfurt Luminale
Coronavirus update: Due to restrictions limiting the size of events in Germany, it is possible this event will be cancelled or postponed. Please check with the official organiser (via link at the end).
Mesmerising light installations, colourful projections on iconic buildings and thoughtful reflections on city life all form part of the Luminale, a public festival of light art that has been held in Frankfurt and Offenbach at two-yearly intervals since 2002.
Image credit: Luminale 2018 / Oliver Blum
About the Frankfurt Luminale
Originally established by Messe Frankfurt to accompany its Light and Building trade fair, this year the event has been extended over an extra weekend and promises to be one of the largest cultural events held in the Rhine-Main region, with more than 250.000 visitors expected.
The concept of the Luminale is to provide popular and engaging artistic content while also contributing to progress in sustainable urban design. As such, the organisers intend that the city of Frankfurt and its Offenbach suburb should not only be the stage for the light displays but also its subject.
Image credit: Luminale 2018 / Oliver Blum
The Luminale programme includes exhibits of light art, lectures and talks from renowned experts, contributions from universities and other educational institutions, projects developed by local artists and the community and a Better City section dedicated to projects that will be permanently kept in the city.
Image credit: Luminale 2018 / Oliver Blum
The Spanish Cultural Centre, Instituto Cervantes, serves as the festival centre and will be the location for some of the talks.
Luminale Light Walk
While many visitors will enjoy a visit to the galleries and catch some of the lectures, without doubt the highlight of the Luminale is the Light Walk. It combines a walking tour of the city with a public gallery of light art.
Image credit: Luminale 2018 / Oliver Blum
The locations along the way tell the history of the city and look to its future. Its monuments and landmarks will be the venues and themes of intriguing and spectacular light art projects.
Visiting the Frankfurt Luminale
Of course, the highlights of the festival are best seen in the dark, so time your visit accordingly. Most exhibits, even those in the galleries, will be illuminated between 7.30 pm and 10.30 pm, whatever the weather. For more information, including details on how to get there via public transportation, visit the Luminale website.
Thumb image credit: Luminale 2018 / Ralph Larmann