Tired of the Winter Blues? The Unique Festival of Lights Zagreb Marks the Much-Anticipated Arrival of Spring

From March 17 to 21, 2027, Croatia’s capital transforms into a dazzling open-air gallery, illuminated by light installations and artworks from local and international artists

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Projected across the Croatian National Theatre, The Transformation uses vibrant colors to reimagine one of Zagreb’s most iconic landmarks.

Julien Duval

Last spring, Croatia’s capital city welcomed local residents and visitors alike with an experience that was downright illuminating. In Zagreb’s Lower Town, a nearly 100-foot-long tunnel of spiraling neon and color invited curious onlookers on a dazzling walk-through of time and space. At the Upper Town’s Park Opatovina, a bioluminescent world of plants emerged from the darkness under UV light, combining human creativity and nature in a wondrous display of neon. Meanwhile, along Strossmayerovo Promenade, strings of glowing, vintage lanterns evoked layers of Zagreb’s history. These gleaming displays were all part of the unique Festival of Lights Zagreb, an event that brings together art, design, architecture and entertainment that has transformed Croatia’s capital into a massive open-air gallery annually for a decade.

Since 2017, the Zagreb Tourism Board, in cooperation with the City of Zagreb and its partners, has organized this incredible merging of the city’s historic past with contemporary art. The event gathers local and international artists and celebrates renewal, creativity and the changing of seasons through more than two-dozen illuminated art installations. Their works transform the city’s streets, parks, squares, promenades, tunnels and buildings into canvas-like attractions, offering not only a new perspective on culture but also igniting Zagreb with a sensory burst of imaginative energy. The free-to-experience spring event attracts thousands of attendees over its multi-day run.

Here’s its story.

Tired of the Winter Blues? The Unique Festival of Lights Zagreb Marks the Much-Anticipated Arrival of Spring — Anooki, the giant illuminated figures by French artist collective INOOK, bring playful energy to King Tomislav Square. Ernest Mazarekic

The Festival’s Beginnings

The Berlin Festival of Lights was launched in 2005 with the idea of brightening gloomy autumn days through light art. Over the years, it has expanded internationally, bringing light art to cities around the world. Since its inaugural edition in 2017, the Festival of Lights Zagreb has been part of the Festival of Lights International family, joining a global network of artistic exchange and collaboration.

In 2017, this internationally acclaimed network came to Zagreb, where it debuted in March of that year to welcome the arrival of spring. With just seven locations spread throughout the city center, the free, multi-day festival attracted more than 100,000 attendees. Each year, the Festival of Lights Zagreb adds new locations for its large-scale architectural projection mapping, 3D video art, and multicolored illuminations throughout both the city’s historic Upper and Lower towns. With them, more and more famous landmarks, squares and streets morph into temporary public art galleries.

An International Art Show

In 2026 alone, the Festival of Lights Zagreb featured a record 26 light installations across 21 citywide locations. Alongside Croatian artists like Alex Brajković, Ida Blažičko, Tina Marković, whose installations ranged from monumental light sculptures and 3D projections to dynamic interactive works that push the boundaries of perception and space, the festival has welcomed international artists and creative studios from around Europe, including Spain, France, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine. These names include Charles Pétillon, a French artist whose Z.E.T. – Zagreb Enclosure Time transformed a classic blue transit car into a glowing time capsule filled with soft light and white balloons, highlighting public transport; Spanish artist Javier Riera, whose site-specific installations include 2024’s Rhythm and Measurement of Light, which turned the façade of the Art Pavilion in King Tomislav Square into a continuous flow of alternating geometric designs; and prominent international studios ILLUMINOS and INOOK, who frequently showcase their mapping projections and whimsical light art installations side by side.

Zagreb and Berlin have also exchanged cross-border artistic projects over the years. Light installations from Zagreb have appeared at the Berlin Festival of Lights, one of the world’s best-known events of its kind, while light artists from Berlin regularly contribute installations to the Festival of Lights Zagreb. One example is 2022’s Earth and Mars, two more than 13-foot-tall hyperrealistic, glowing astronomical globes symbolizing global peace and renewal. The world-renowned Berlin Festival of Lights team created these enormous orbs, placing one at Zagreb’s Petar Preradović Square in Lower Town and the other on the Upper Town’s Tkalčićeva Street—two popular areas for foot traffic.

There are artistic collaborations beyond Europe as well. Take Ophrys, a light installation by Croatian artist Alex Brajković in collaboration with sculptor Ida Blažičko. The 2026 Shanghai International Light Festival selected this extraordinary AI light and sound display, which the duo originally created for the Festival of Lights Zagreb, as one of its top 20 international projects out of 174 submissions from 16 countries. The artists used real-time gesture recognition and AI technology to bring together Zagreb’s rare mountain orchids with Shanghai’s white magnolia, showcasing a responsive visual and audio dialogue that honored the 46th anniversary of the two cities’ sister-city relationship. Not only was the installation the first successful collaboration between the Zagreb Light Festival and the Shanghai International Light Festival, but it was also a great example of how artistic exchange can connect different cultures around the globe.

Beyond Art

More than an art show, the Festival of Lights Zagreb highlights broader values throughout its multiday exhibit. In addition to promoting international exchange, peace and tolerance, the festival is rooted in both sustainability and environmental awareness. In 2026, the Festival of Lights Zagreb partnered with WWF Adria to present Blue Pulse, a “visual odyssey” that took viewers on an immersive journey into the ocean’s depth. Brought to life by German light art collectives Fol International and Re:Sorb, this 3D mapping projection at Upper Town’s Gradec Plateau used lights and animations to illustrate the severe impacts of global warming, rising sea temperatures, and plastic pollution on fragile marine life and underwater habitats. Timed to coincide with World Water Day, this grand opening showcase maximized its efforts to raise public awareness regarding ocean preservation.

The Festival of Lights Zagreb also invites participants to discover the city from a new perspective, strolling through its streets, squares and parks as they transform into spaces for light art over multiple evenings. Though the festival locations are spread throughout the city center, they’re easy to explore on foot, by bike or by public transport, promoting sustainable mobility and a more responsible relationship with urban space.

Pulsing with light and color, *Disko Atrij* turns the atrium of Klovićevi Dvori Gallery into a disco-inspired space. Ernest Mazarekić

A street illuminated with lanterns during the Festival of Lights Zagreb. Ernest Mazarekić

A light installation portraying an astronaut playing an electric guitar at the Festival of Lights Zagreb. Samir Cerić Kovačević

A whimsical clock at the Festival of Lights Zagreb. Julien Duval

*Twisted*, an interactive installation in Opatovina Park. Julien Duval

Inspired by Medvednica’s protected *Ophrys* orchids, this interactive installation by Ida Blažičko and Alex Brajković uses artificial intelligence to create a dynamic world of light and motion. Julien Duval

*Laser Blockbuster* combines laser effects and music for a cinematic light show at Tuškanac Summer Stage. Julien Duval

Illuminating the night sky, the light show from Lotrščak Tower welcomes spring and ushers in the Festival of Lights. Julien Duval

A Growing Reputation

The Festival of Lights Zagreb's international reputation only continues to grow. In fact, Forbes has ranked the festival among Europe’s most significant events, alongside major global spectacles like the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Winter Olympic Games.

Last year, the festival launched its free Festival of Lights (FOL) Zagreb mobile application. The app features an interactive map of every light installation across the city, navigation and distance tracking, and a complete listing of art installations, schedules and artist details. It is available on both Google Play and the App Store.

Come and Join Us!

The next edition of the Festival of Lights Zagreb takes place from March 17 to 21, 2027. With it, Zagreb will once again welcome spring with a unique blend of art, creativity and light. Why not come and experience this unique open-air art gallery for yourself?