Lucerne illuminates as city of lights again

Lucerne becomes a city of lights again Keystone-SDA

The Swiss city of Lucerne will once again be artistically illuminated by light installations until January 25.

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The Lilu Light Festival Lucerne, which opened on Thursday evening, is taking place for the seventh time.

Around the lake basin and in the old town, a total of 24 light installations can be seen free of charge every day from 6pm to 10pm. As part of the light festival, numerous landmark buildings in the city will be illuminated, including the Schweizerhof and Palace hotels, the Lion Monument, St Peter’s Chapel and the archway at the railway station.

On the Inseli, the light festival launches a new format for young artists in the form of Lilulino. Among other things, a six-minute installation will be on display that aims to draw attention to the “often overlooked” environmental impact of artificial intelligence.

Van Gogh’s sunflowers

At the Hotel Schweizerhof, Vincent van Gogh’s famous glowing sunflowers will be on display in a light installation, transforming “colours and shapes into a living painting full of light and hope”. At the Kleintheater, the audience will become “cat sleuths”.

At the invitation of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, French composer and harpsichordist Jean Rondeau will perform in the concert hall of the KKL Luzern. With his instrument, he creates soundscapes “that weave themselves into an intense, emotional experience”.

Rondeau can be experienced twice in Lucerne – in a free concert for young people and in a joint performance with the renowned pianist Martha Argerich.

The programme also lists six live concerts. Performers include pop artist Zoë Më, indie pop duo Flora Cash and festival band Lichtklang Collective.

Lilu has been running since 2018 and is supported by the Lilu Association, which was founded by Lucerne hotels and Lucerne Tourism with the aim of offering an additional attraction in winter. In 2025, the festival was visited by around 150,000 guests.

Adapted from German by AI/mga

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