Norrköping Light Festival

What do the city of Norrköping, two hours from Stockholm in the east of Sweden, and our hometown of Amsterdam have in common? Canals!

Drawing on our experience from the Amsterdam Light Festival, we partnered with the city of Norrköping todeliver a complete, turnkey light festival. Situated on the mouth of the Motala river, Norrköping is home to the 190 kilometer-long Göta Canal, one of the largest construction projects in Swedish history. With 58 locks, 21 marinas, and scenic mirror reflections, this canal was a major tourist draw that had the potential to serve as a stage for something truly spectacular.

The creative collaboration that started it all

The similarity between the two maritime cities wasn’t lost on Upplev Norrköping, the city’s marketing and tourism board. Inspired by the Amsterdam Light Festival in 2015, they approached the organizers with the desire to mount a local version that Norrköping could call their very own.

Amsterdam Light Festival organizers wondered: How could we help? Was it possible to re-exhibit the artworks from Amsterdam in Norrköping? This turned out to be the request that started it all. Rising to a creative challenge, Light Art Collection was born—and so was the Norrköping Light Art Festival.

We designed a walking route that took visitors through the city, highlighting its iconic waterways. Starting with eight light artworks from our collection, our initial collaboration grew into a four-year partnership that spanned four years, from 2015 to 2019.