The Lichtfestival in Ghent is one of the not to miss winter destinations for light-festival lovers. It is organized as a marathon, with a fixed promenade that is easy to follow and prevents from losing track. With 36 installations set in hidden corners and typical Belgian buildings. Featuring local and international artists, the Flemish city has been promoting this event since 2011, and has recently joined the wider ILO circuit (International Light festival Organization) which helps promoting the light festival phenomena worldwide.

From Sint-Pietersplein to Zonder-Naam Park (“without-name park”, ed.) the route was developed on 6.6 km, crossing both the historical center and a former industrial neighborhood. Trends in light-art include the very popular wall mappings that are always more interactive, a reinterpretation of natural elements such as fire and moonlight, architectural silhouettes, portable video art, robots with a soul and urban design.

Bram Lemaire presented Pixel Forrest, a stacking of upside-down water containers that become a urban landscape for social gathering. Dutch artist Ivo Schoofs brought a fire tornado on the Lys river, representing a rare phenomenon which only occurs during forest fires or earthquakes. tBEDRIJF collective installed a number of nesting boxes that react to human heat through light. Milosh Luczynski is a ‘video-mapping dj’ who improvised a light and sound show on the walls of the Luminus power plant. Stéphane Masson’s Urban Hijacking encapsules everyday moments in glass jars and RaumZeitPiraten bring to life random mechanical objects nestled in trees. Luke Jerram Brought hung a moon in between historical houses and Mr. Beam used interactive projection to highlight architectural elements on buildings, according to the piano notes played by visitors.