site.btaThird Edition of Lunar Festival of Light to Transform Sofia Facades and Parks, Present 4.5-km Walking Route, New Festival Area

Twenty-two light artworks will transform Sofia into an open-air gallery in the evenings from 9 to 12 May 2024 during the third edition of the LUNAR Festival of Light, said the organizers. The programme includes video and static projection mapping, light installations, immersive experiences and a laser show, which will illuminate some of Sofia’s signature buildings and parks.

More than 20 artists from around the world will present their art in the event’s 4.5-kilometre walking route. A new festival zone will be presented for this year’s edition, in South Park 2. 

Access to all artworks will be free of charge and the lights will be on between 21:00 and midnight on each of the four nights.

In order for residents and visitors to enjoy the art festival to the fullest, the Sofia Municipality will designate pedestrian zones and increased frequency of public transport lines.

The sites included in the 4.5-kilometer festival route are the facade of the Hyatt Regency Sofia Hotel; the National Gallery/Kvadrat 500 building; the palace-style facade of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (which is part of the event programme for the first time); the Knyazheska Garden; Tsar Osvoboditel boulevard; the National Gallery/The Palace; the facade of the State Archives Agency; the Largo; the Regional History Museum; the building on 4 Knyaz Alexander I Str.; Slaveykov Square where the monument to Petko and Pencho Slaveykov will come to life to remind us of the touching bond between the two poets.

At the Regional History Museum, the seven finalists in the second edition of the International Projection Mapping contest, which this year is held on the theme “Myths and Legends”, will compete creatively. Artists from 18 countries took part in the contest and the three winners will be announced on the last night of the festival.

The City Garden will be transformed for the second time as everyone is challenged to take part in a “Painting with Light” workshop (on 10 and 12 May). The presenters will paint with light in the space the participants’ creations, and the spectators will receive their unique works on their mobile phone.

The route will take the audience to the new festival location – South Park 2, where eight artworks will await all visitors. 

The organizer and main artistic team behind the project is the Bulgarian visual effects studio MP-STUDIO, in partnership with one of the most famous light festivals in the world, Festival of Lights International Productions GmbH. The event will be held with the support of the European Parliament in Bulgaria and the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria, the Sofia Municipality, the Ministry of Tourism and with the financial support of the Creation Programme of the National Culture Fund.

The full program can be found at https://lunarlights.eu/program24-en/