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Berlin Festival of Lights 2026: a visitor guide

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BERLIN AFTER DARK 2026

Berlin Festival of Lights 2026: a visitor guide

2026 theme: Colours of Love

Berlin’s Festival of Lights turns landmarks and public spaces into a light art gallery. The 2026 edition is themed Colours of Love and runs from 9 to 18 October, usually 19:00–23:00 each evening. Outdoor light art is free to view.

Pinwo · 8 October 2026 · Updated · 8 min
9–18 OctoberUsually 19:00–23:00Free outdoor light art

Individual locations may have different hours; location and traffic information can also change at short notice. Official live updates

Main locations and highlights

The official programme lists 37 numbered locations plus additional highlights such as ERLEBNIS EUROPA. Central Berlin offers large landmark projections as well as installations in squares and the old town.

More locations and works

Potsdamer Platz

3D mapping at Kollhoff-Tower, House of Cards at Das Center, butterflies on Alte Potsdamer Straße and a diamond installation at The Playce. A compact area for a short evening walk.

Brandenburg Gate and Bebelplatz

Brandenburg Gate, Humboldt University and Hotel de Rome & Behren Palais have 3D mapping. The State Opera and St Hedwig’s Cathedral add architectural light art around Bebelplatz. Konzerthaus at Gendarmenmarkt also has 3D mapping.

Museum Island, TV Tower and old town

Exterior projections at the cathedral, 3D mapping at the Pergamon Museum and TV Tower, and architectural lighting at the colonnades. Nikolaiviertel offers Babylon Berlin video art, angels, a ballerina installation and illuminated trees.

Beyond the centre

Oberbaumbrücke, the Victory Column and THF Tower have 3D mapping; the Radio Tower and Olympic Stadium are also illuminated. Visit these separately or use public transport.

See the full programme

Three festival walks

A short walk at Potsdamer Platz, landmarks along Unter den Linden, or Museum Island through to the TV Tower and old town.

Select a walk to see its sequence on the map. Suggested time budgets include viewing stops, but not dinner. These are Pinwo self-guided suggestions.

Light locationsChinese restaurants
Drag to move · Use + / − to zoom
© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL

Select a light or restaurant on the map

Potsdamer Platz short walk

Keep the evening compact: the card installation at Das Center, mapping at Kollhoff-Tower, butterflies on Alte Potsdamer Straße, then The Playce.

Numbers show visit order; dashed lines connect the light locations. Follow actual streets using the walking directions below.

Walk 1 → 2Walk 2 → 3Walk 3 → 4

Chinese food along the way

Chen’s and Mao Zeit are in Manifesto; Jian Bing Town is in KERB. Eat before or after this compact walk.

AChen’s Beef Noodle House
Manifesto · Alte Potsdamer Str. 7

Beef noodle soup, oil-splashed noodles and chilli-oil wontons, inside Manifesto Market.

Manifesto: Sun–Thu 11:00–22:00; Fri–Sat 11:00–00:00

Restaurant and menu
AMao Zeit
Manifesto · Alte Potsdamer Str. 7

Maocai in spicy broth, in the same Manifesto hall as Chen’s.

Manifesto: Sun–Thu 11:00–22:00; Fri–Sat 11:00–00:00

Restaurant and menu
BJian Bing Town
KERB Berlin · Potsdamer Straße 2

Fresh Tianjin mung-bean jianbing for a lighter meal, inside KERB at Das Center.

KERB: Sun–Thu 11:30–22:30; Fri–Sat 11:30–00:00

Restaurant and menu

Where available, location details and route thumbnails show photographs from past festivals. They are a retrospective; the official programme describes the 2026 works.

Chinese food along the way
Archive photo sources and licences

Full photographs, with no content edits. The Bebelplatz panorama and Potsdamer Platz tower photograph each depict several associated buildings.

Gold numbers mark light locations; red letters mark restaurants. Hours checked 10 October; food-hall vendors use hall hours. Kitchens may close earlier. Official festival map

Optional detour: Oberbaumbrücke

Oberbaumbrücke connects Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain and hosts 3D projections. East of the three central walks, it suits a separate evening or a visit by public transport after dinner. Postbahnhof has facade lighting too, but requires an additional journey.

Find the light location
Oberbaumbrücke · Festival photograph from 2010
Festival photograph from 2010OberbaumbrückeGreat pictures · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Before you go

Evening weather

Overnight lows of about 3–10°C are forecast for 10–18 October, with showers on 11 and 16 October. Bring a warm layer, rain protection and comfortable shoes.

Forecast as of 10 October · Daily minima, not hourly lighting-period temperaturesWeather source and latest forecast · AccuWeather

Eat before the lights finish

For a long walk, eat around 18:00 first. Or see a few light works and arrive for dinner around 20:30. Most restaurants close around 21:30–22:00; kitchens may stop serving earlier. Food-hall vendors use hall hours.

One walk per evening

Allow time to watch and take photographs. Visit Oberbaumbrücke separately or use public transport. Check outward and return connections with BVG.

BVG

Free outdoors; tours booked separately

Explore the outdoor light art freely. Guided walks, bus tours and indoor cathedral performances have separate schedules and ticket arrangements.

ToursIndoor shows
About this guide and its sources

Festival dates and locations follow the official 2026 programme. Food suggestions use Pinwo’s menu records for the specific branches. Opening information was checked on 10 October 2026; confirm last orders when booking. The illustrated map uses official light-location coordinates and branch coordinates, with basemap data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).