Spotlight Festival 2026 takes place in Bucharest from 9 to 11 October and offers free admission.
The International Light Art Festival features 19 light installations and video mapping works on Calea Victoriei and at additional venues across the city. Opening hours are 21:00–23:00 on Friday and 19:00–23:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Now in its tenth edition, the festival explores the theme PLAYGROUND.
Spotlight Festival 2026 Programme
- Friday, 9 October: 21:00–23:00.
- Saturday, 10 October: 19:00–23:00.
- Sunday, 11 October: 19:00–23:00.
All times are local to Bucharest. Admission is free. Saturday and Sunday offer a longer visiting window, with four hours to explore the festival each evening.
SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL 2026
The main Spotlight Festival route follows Calea Victoriei, between Radisson Blu Hotel, Bucharest, and the intersection with Splaiul Independenței. The 2026 route extends beyond the previous edition, covering a longer stretch of the avenue.
The central route brings together architectural projections and light installations around landmarks including the National Military Circle, Odeon Theatre, Novotel Hotel, Palace of Telephones and Revolution Square.
Hanul Gabroveni, Mega Mall and Promenada Mall also host festival artworks. Mega Mall and Promenada Mall are separate destinations from the Calea Victoriei walking route.
What to Expect at Spotlight Festival 2026
The tenth edition draws inspiration from PLAYGROUND, exploring how light, movement, and technology can change the way people experience the city. Buildings become projection surfaces, while interactive installations invite visitors to participate in the artworks.
At CEC Palace, Light Conductor by Rizi Design Studio combines architecture, light and sound in an interactive installation that places the visitor at the centre of the experience.
At Hanul Gabroveni, Ophelia by Davy and Kristin McGuire recreates Shakespeare’s character as a holographic figure in water. Inspired by John Everett Millais’s painting, the work connects literature and visual art with contemporary technology.
Spotlight Talks 2026
Spotlight Talks takes place on 10–11 October at Hanul Gabroveni, under the theme Light, Art & the City.
Artists and representatives of international light festivals discuss public art, urban spaces, local communities and new technologies. The official festival website has not yet published the detailed session timetable.
What Is Spotlight Festival?
Spotlight Festival is Bucharest’s International Light Art Festival, launched in 2015. It brings light installations and architectural projections into public spaces, turning a walk through the city into an encounter with contemporary art.
Spotlight Festival 2026 Installations and Locations
The official 2026 selection includes these 19 works:
- Hyperlux: Radisson Blu Hotel.
- ReFract: InterContinental Athénée Palace.
- Kontakt: George Enescu Square.
- Light Rider: Carol I Statue.
- Embrace: Revolution Square, Memorial of Rebirth.
- Alcove LTD: Revolution Square, Iuliu Maniu Monument.
- Discoball: Muzica Store.
- Anooki: Novotel Hotel and Palace of Telephones.
- Inside-Out Playground: Odeon Theatre.
- Make Your World: National Military Circle.
- Arhitectura în joacă: Corinthia Grand Hotel du Boulevard.
- Genesis: Calea Victoriei / Eforie Street.
- Light Conductor: CEC Palace.
- Night Walks: National Gambling Office.
- Pipe_light: Calea Victoriei / Ion C. Filitti Street.
- UNATC animated short films: wall on Franceză Street, at Calea Victoriei.
- Ophelia: Hanul Gabroveni.
- Torus: Promenada Mall.
- Sun sets: Mega Mall.
