When days get shorter, weather gets colder and the end of the year is in sight, Amsterdam prepares itself for the Amsterdam Light Festival, to light up the city during the dark winter days. Even though I lived in this city for ten years (don’t forget to read my blog about discovering Amsterdam as a local) I never paid a visit to the Amsterdam Light Festival before. This week I did, and I loved it!
The Water Colors route
You have two options: explore the Amsterdam Light Festival by boat or by foot. Since Amsterdam is a city of gorgeous canals, the first option, the Water Colors route, is very appealing. During the 75 minutes you spend on the boat you will have a local guide tell you about the artists and the stories behind the pieces of art. And not only will the beautiful creations of these artists amaze you, floating through the canals is always a wonderful experience itself.
The Illuminade route
If you’re not too keen on boats but you are curious to see the works of art the Amsterdam Light Festival has to offer you, you can also choose to walk the Illuminade route. This route navigates you along 20 different art pieces where a lot of “oooh’s” and “aaah’s” will be uttered.
Beautiful pieces of art
We decided to do both: first we hopped on a boat to experience the works of art from a canal point of view, and then we
strolled by the artistic productions of the Illuminade route. On both tours we found many enlightening pieces of art, but a few popped out:
–Run Beyond: portraying a man jumping across the Herengracht (photo)
–My Light is Your Light: representing the current refugee-crisis, showing the uncertainty of how those who have left their home must feel, but also showing strength, power, and hope for a better future
–Winged Migration: an interactive video projected on a tree, as if colorful birds are flying across it’s branches (photo)
If you happen to be in Amsterdam around the end of the year, definitely pay a visit to the Amsterdam Light Festival. Not only will it be a light in the dark during the winter months, it will also light up your heart.
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