Don’t hesitate to go outdoors this winter: Amsterdam’s canals are about to become a gallery of glowing sculptures, unexpected encounters and art you can help bring to life.
From 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027, Amsterdam Light Festival celebrates its fifteenth edition with twenty light artworks along an entirely new route. It offers an inviting reason to spend an evening in the capital – and a fresh perspective on its historic streets.
This anniversary edition has no predetermined theme. Instead, Dutch and international artists were asked a simple question: what would you like to tell visitors? Their answers explore everything from human connection to the strange contradictions of our digital lives.
One installation takes togetherness quite literally. In Light as Air by Chankalun, visitors holding hands on opposite sides cause the artwork to glow more brightly. Bring a friend – or see where a shared moment with someone new might lead. Ivan Kalinichev’s Fragmented Transmission explores connection and alienation in the digital age, translating interrupted communication into a deliberately fragmented visual landscape. Meanwhile, The Leap by Atelier Haute Cuisine reaches skywards, capturing the anticipation and courage involved in taking a leap.
Returning favourites include UxU Studio’s Inversion Waterfall and Streetart Frankey’s Darth Fisher. Cultural collaborations add another dimension: H’ART Museum presents an artwork inspired by its forthcoming Matisse exhibition, while a project developed with Lowlands festival explores nightlife and club culture.
Choose your own evening
Experience the route on foot, by bicycle or from the water. Walking allows you to linger; a canal cruise offers a different view of the artworks and their surroundings.
Extra context is provided in the festival app for €7.99; it includes artwork descriptions and an audio tour. There is also a children’s walk and a Foodwalk featuring takeaway stops. Special Amsterdam Light Nights will enrich selected evenings with additional programming and live elements.
The festival itself is free to access, with paid options such as the app and boat trips available separately. Wrap up warmly, invite someone along and give yourself time to explore. Whether you have lived here for years or are discovering your first Dutch winter, this is an evening worth putting in the diary.
Visit amsterdamlightfestival.com for more information.