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.
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. 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.
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