The inaugural Lights in Jerusalem festival was held in 2009. The event is supported by the Municipality of Jerusalem, the Ministry of Tourism of Israel, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, the Jerusalem Development Authority, and the Prime Minister’s Office. The main organizer of the festival is the semi-public Ariel Company. The festival is free but there are paid tours and events.
The Jerusalem Festival of Light showcases works by Israeli and international artists who use light to create sculptures, installations, performances and other artwork you won’t see anywhere else. During the festival, famous sights of the Old City are transformed into a background for breathtaking light shows. They include the Jaffa Gate, the Damascus Gate, the Hurva Synagogue, the Tower of David, and other buildings in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City.
At every edition of Lights in Jerusalem, there are several routes through the Old City and its surroundings. Each route is marked by a color and features a unique set of sculptures and installations so that every attendee can choose the route best suited to his or her taste and mood. The routes don’t overlap, but are close enough to each other as the Old City isn’t very big (its area is less than a square kilometer). So it is possible to walk all the routes and see everything that the festival has to offer.
The Jerusalem Festival of Light is one of the most famous events of its kind along with light festivals in Lyon, Lisbon, Durham, Frankfurt, Eindhoven, Milan, Berlin and Chartres. But the festival in Jerusalem has a special charm because of the unique amalgamation of contemporary art and ancient architecture of the Old City. Every year it attracts over 250,000 visitors from all over Israel and abroad, having successfully introduced a new trend in Jerusalem nightlife.
Photo: lights-in-jerusalem.com
