Program 2021

This year’s festival motto “Creating Tomorrow” intensively illuminated our responsibility for the sustainable preservation of our home planet. The light art installations and video mappings played with this theme in an incredible variety. Inspiring visions were shown and the coming tasks were thematised, such as sustainability, e-mobility, measures for more CO2 neutrality, renewable energies and digitalisation. As always, we located the productions in prominent places in Berlin, on landmarks and historical buildings, on squares, on the facades of the participating companies and organisations, as well as in all of Berlin’s districts and many neighbourhoods.

The FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS 2021 was a call for more sustainability, more WE feeling, humanity and mindfulness as well as the preservation of cultural diversity.

All illuminations at the approximately 70 locations shone between 20:21 and 24:00 every day from 03-12 September 2021, unless otherwise stated in the programme. Below you can see the known festival locations that participated.

Overview Map

Program Points 2021

Bode-Museum

Marienkirche

Nikolaiviertel - By the walnut tree

Nikolaiviertel - Propststraße

Foreign Office

Berlin TV Tower

New Marstall

Humboldt Forum

Location of former department store Israel

With a still projection, the striking corner building on Rathausstraße, once the Israel department store, was staged with the Nikolaiviertel lettering as the “Gateway to the Nikolaiviertel”. The projection featured the most famous buildings of the quarter such as the Ephraim-Palais, the Knoblauchhaus or the Nikolaikirche. The Berlin Bear has climbed to the top and invited the visitors.

Nikolaiviertel - Court arbor

In Poststraße, the historically recreated courthouse arbor was staged for the first time with an artistic still projection. The collage motif showed well-known historical personalities from the Nikolai Quarter who are closely linked to Poststraße. The courtyard entrance next to the courthouse arbor was brightly staged in corresponding colors.

Nikolaiviertel - Dove portal

Nikolaiviertel - Court arbor

The dove of peace on the facade relief, based on a design by Pablo Picasso, was brought to life this year by means of video projection. Behind a blue sky with clouds and a television tower, the title “City of Peace” was emphasized, which was awarded to the then East Berlin by the Chairman of the World Peace Council Romesh Chandra in 1979.

Berlin Cathedral

Humboldt University

State Opera

The Bebelplatz was shining in a 180-degree staging on the theme of “Creating Tomorrow”. The State Opera was embedded in this ensemble.

St. Hedwig Cathedral

Bebelplatz shined in a 180-degree staging on the theme of “Creating Tomorrow”. St. Hedwig’s Cathedral was embedded in this ensemble.

Hotel de Rome

Faculty of Law of Humboldt University

The illuminated facade of the Faculty of Law was part of the 360° staging of Bebelplatz. On display was a colorful illustration of plants and animals such as ladybugs from the workshop of Daniel Markgraf.

Embassy of the kingdom of Belgium

Concert hall

Microsoft

Federal Press Office

European House

The European House presented a projection of the EU flag with its golden stars in a special form, expressing the sense of cohesion and the strengths of the EU.

Embassy of the U.S.

Ritz-Carlton

Potsdamer Platz - Earth

Entrance Potsdamer Platz Arcades

Sokar Uno is a German artist who lives in Berlin and realizes his projects on a national and international level. His artistic career began in 1999 with the classic graffiti, which, however, over the years of development and the study of figurative representation changed into a painterly direction. His skill is based solely on a self-taught approach. The creation for the festival was a commissioned work, fitting of course to the thematic framework.

Piano-Lake

On Piano Lake, the magical fairy tale “The Wild Swans” by Hans Christian Andersen finally came to life, electronic swans began to dance and shine brightly on the water of the night. The royal animals glided across the lake and stage a breathtaking water ballet. This light artwork was created and produced by Denis Bivour & Florian Giefer (Loomaland.com).

Ewerk

Berlin Central Station

Europe’s largest crossing station displaysed colorful stills on the theme of the “Year of Rail” in Europe, brought to life with augmented reality. Under the brand “Mein_EinkaufsBahnhof” (My_ShoppingStation), the station invites visitors to stroll, feast and store 365 days a year. It is not only a travel center, but also an attractive all-around provider for Berliners and travelers.

Memorial Church

rbb

rbb Television Center

This year’s motif came from PFA Studios and formed an aesthetic symbiosis between analog broadcasting technologies (test pattern) and contemporary digital media. Thus, Rundfunk-Berlin Brandenburg showed itself in the field of tension of the digital transformation and gave an artistic insight into the creation of its digital future, according to the current motto of the FOL “Creating tomorrow”.

Train Station Frohnau & Casino Tower

Tchoban Foundation

Oberbaum Bridge

Anhalter Bahnhof

Train Station Sonnenallee

Train Station Lichterfelde Ost

Brandenburg Gate

Embassy of Canada

Kollhoff Tower

Alte Potsdamer Straße

The installation “Chrominerals” in the tops of the trees made the beautiful avenue shine…. The light spectrum of the crystals suspended in the treetops created a wealth of colors. This dazzling work of art by the French artist studio Pitaya completed the composition of past, present and future at Potsdamer Platz.

Marlene-Dietrich-Platz

The exploration of the “Red Planet” Mars provides answered to questions that have not yet been answered, e.g. the origin of life. In the current “Year of Science”, the expeditions to the “Red Planet” were a visible sign of people’s intensive preoccupation with their own future and that of future generations.

Pfizer Building

Embassy of Italy

Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure

DRV Bund Building

Pankow Town Hall

Old Town Hall Marzahn

Lichtenberg Town Hall Square

InterCity Hotel Ostbahnhof

Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

Sony Music

Brandenburg Gate

Forum Tower

Varian-Fry-Straße

Stage Theater

Federal Ministry of Finance

Victory Column

Charlottenburg Palace

Waterkant

Train Station Pankow

Apartment block DHH

On the high-rise residential building at Helene-Weigel-Platz, visitors experienced a picture story about the emergence and urban development of the square over the last 35 years, in keeping with the collage on Marzahn-Hellersdorf City Hall.

Train Station Warschauer Straße

Emmaus Church

On the way through Kreuzberg, the Emmaus Church awaited all lighting enthusiasts in a special dress in the middle of Lausitzer Platz. In the trendy neighborhood with restaurants and parks, not far from Görlitzer Park, the futuristic mapping by the artist collective RE:SORB created a special atmosphere.

Town Hall Koepenick

Berlin’s largest, greenest and most water-rich district played with the themes of water and sport in its illumination, in keeping with its location. This was made possible by the Köpenick Cultural Office and 6 Köpenick housing cooperatives. The projection could be brought to life with augmented reality.

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Program 2021

Program 2021

Program Points 2021

Bode-Museum

Marienkirche

Nikolaiviertel - By the walnut tree

Nikolaiviertel - Propststraße

Foreign Office

Train Station Hackescher Markt

Berlin TV Tower

Nikolaiviertel - Tree of Lights

New Marstall

Humboldt Forum

Illuseum Berlin

Location of former department store Israel

Location of former department store Israel

Nikolaiviertel - Court arbor

Nikolaiviertel - Court arbor

Nikolaiviertel - Dove portal

Nikolaiviertel - Court arbor

Berlin Cathedral

Humboldt University

State Opera

State Opera

St. Hedwig Cathedral

St. Hedwig Cathedral

Hotel de Rome

Faculty of Law of Humboldt University

Faculty of Law of Humboldt University

Embassy of the kingdom of Belgium

Concert hall

Microsoft

Federal Press Office

European House

European House

Embassy of the U.S.

Ritz-Carlton

Potsdamer Platz - Earth

Entrance Potsdamer Platz Arcades

Entrance Potsdamer Platz Arcades

Piano-Lake

Piano-Lake

Ewerk

Berlin Central Station

Berlin Central Station

Memorial Church

rbb

rbb Television Center

Train Station Frohnau & Casino Tower

Tchoban Foundation

Train Station Lichtenberg

Oberbaum Bridge

Anhalter Bahnhof

Train Station Sonnenallee

Train Station Lichterfelde Ost

Brandenburg Gate

Embassy of Canada

Kollhoff Tower

Alte Potsdamer Straße

Alte Potsdamer Straße

Marlene-Dietrich-Platz

Marlene-Dietrich-Platz

Pfizer Building

Embassy of Italy

Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure

DRV Bund Building

Spandau Arcades

Pankow Town Hall

Old Town Hall Marzahn

Lichtenberg Town Hall Square

InterCity Hotel Ostbahnhof

Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

Sony Music

LIO Lichterfelde

Brandenburg Gate

P5

Forum Tower

Varian-Fry-Straße