The Festival of Light will light up Tampere from 24 October – Opening ceremony 25 October

The Festival of Light illuminates the city centre with magical lights spheres, street projections and exciting light art. Check out the programme and step into the light with the Tampere Festival of Light. 

Window walkabout brings art behind the screens 

The Window walkabout art event kicks off the 59th Tampere Festival of Light on Thursday 24 October. The event will take place in 60 windows in the city centre from 24 to 26 October, with works on display from 6 pm to 9 pm. There will be circus in the Winter Garden, skateboarding in a commercial building, shadow theatre in the Old City Hall and light art in the Electric Turbine Hall. Around 40 of the art and light works will stay on display until 3 November.

Opening ceremony on Friday 25 October

The opening ceremony of the Festival of Light will be held on Friday 25 October from 7-7.30 at Koskipuisto Park. Music will be provided by actor-musician Riku Nieminen and singer Suvi Teräsniska. The event will be hosted by Marika Vapaavuori. 

The evening will pay tribute to the late Tampere composer and musician Anssi Tikanmäki. Tikanmäki worked as a keyboardist, background and solo singer, arranger and producer in Juice Leskinen’s Grand Slam band. He also arranged music for many Finnish artists and bands.

The event will culminate in the Dancing Fountains performance, which will take place in Koskipuisto park from 25 October to 3 November. The performance has been delighting Tampere for five years now, as the performance premiered on Tampere Day 2019. To date, the piece has had many themes such as Eurovision Song Contest and musical theatre. 

The City of Tampere is inviting the public to vote for their favourite songs in this year’s Dancing Fountains. Voters can choose three of their favourite songs from a total of 50 songs performed during the history of Dancing Fountains. The top 20 songs with the most votes will be included in this year’s Dancing Fountains. You can vote for your favourites using the form below until 15 October.

The Light Gallery presents Mosse and Tattooed Friends

This year, The Light Gallery presents the exhibition Mosse and Tattooed Friends by Joel Slotte, the Young Artist of the Year 2021. The Light Gallery is part of the Tampere Festival of Light programme and is produced by the Tampere Art Museum.

The Light Gallery artworks will be projected onto the walls of buildings in the centre of Tampere from 24 October. The artworks will be on display every day during the dark hours from 24 October 2024 to 9 March 2025.