The 18th Berlin Festival of Lights started on Friday evening with ‘restricted and economical’ attributions. Starting with the motto of “vision of future”, the Berlin Festival of Lights will display 70 artworks of light illustrations prepared by internationally renowned artists at 35 different locations in the capital this year between October 7th and October 16th. Landmarks such as the historic Brandenburg Gate, the television tower, Potsdamer Platz Square, Charlottenburg Palace and Humbolt University are illuminated with 3D images.
On the first day of the festival, tens of thousands of Berliners flocked to the areas where the light shows will be held. Bus tours were organized between different objects where the light plays take place. Street performers, who turned the crowded streets into an opportunity, and peddlers selling lighted toys also stood out as elements that colored the festival.
The Festival of Lights started this year under the energy conservation debate. Due to the cutoff of natural gas from Russia, there is hardly a politician left in Germany who does not say that there will be an energy bottleneck in the winter months. Many public institutions and private sectors in the country have started to save energy since the summer season. Symbolically, unnecessary lighting has been removed, even in the presidential palace. However, the organization of the festival comprised the use of the latest LED lighting technology that offers 75% energy conservation. Also, the festival is using fully renewable electricity and will end an hour before the usual ending time.