Beautiful PHOTOS: Light festival enchants Hungarian city with magical creations

The 2024 Zsolnay Light Festival dressed up Pécs’s squares and buildings in magical light creations from 4 to 7 July. As the first and still the only light festival in the country, it attracted more than 100,000 visitors from both domestic and international locations, reinforcing the city’s position on the cultural tourism map of Hungary.

The 2024 Zsolnay Light Festival

Photo: Zsolnay Light Festival

The central attraction of the Zsolnay Light Festival was the Zsolnay Light Art Video Mapping Competition (Zsolnay Light Art Video Mapping Verseny). In this event, five world-renowned light artists showcased their 3D mappings based on the theme of the Rubik’s Cube.

The façade of the Cathedral came to life with musical animations floating in a flood of colourful lights, providing a stunning visual experience. Based on audience votes, the winner was German artist Jonas Denzel with his piece titled “Chromatic Fusion.” The production can be seen below:

Path of Light

On the Path of Light, visitors could wander enchanted by the most modern light technical marvels and artistic installations, admiring a total of 20 light creations. The Path of Light Extra (Fény Útja Extra) offered a glimpse into 10 more special locations.

At several sites, interactive attractions allowed visitors to become active participants in the experience: at the Mosque, they could send their own light energy up to the golden light planet of the dome, while at the Cella Septichora Visitor Center (Cella Septichora Látogatóközpont), they could create light on a holographic canvas with their hand movements. The Light Carpet remained a crowd favourite, now covering two streets so atmospherically that festival-goers often took photos lying in the middle of the path.

New locations at 2024’s Light Festival

Photo: Zsolnay Light Festival

This year, the Path of Light extended beyond the downtown area and successfully debuted new locations including the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter and its surroundings. The event featured international and domestic light artists, creating a true cultural kaleidoscope in the heart of Pécs. A Japanese artist dreamed up a laser show at the Kodály Centre, while visitors could encounter works by a Spanish artist in the Zsolnay Quarter and a French artist downtown, transporting them into the world of sci-fi films.

: Photo: Zsolnay Light Festival

: Photo: Zsolnay Light Festival

: Photo: Zsolnay Light Festival

The festival did not only offer light experiences. During the day, visitors were entertained with street theatre and new circus productions, light crafting workshops, and in the evenings, concerts and DJ sets.

Photo: Zsolnay Light Festival

The city was filled to capacity over the weekend, with no available accommodation. Visitors came from all over the country, and even from Morocco, Japan, and Colombia.