The 9th edition of Spotlight – International Light Art Festival concluded successfully, gathering hundreds of thousands of visitors over the three festival days.
Calea Victoriei and the surrounding areas were transformed into a true stage of light, imagination, and collective participation, once again confirming the creative energy that defines this event.

“Spotlight has become one of the most beloved events of the Capital — a festival that brings together technology, art, and community. I want to thank the people of Bucharest who came in large numbers and who, through their interest and enthusiasm, give us the confidence and motivation to continue supporting cultural projects for the city. My thanks also go to the ARCUB team and all partners who make this event possible,” said Stelian Bujduveanu, interim General Mayor of Bucharest.

“From its very first edition until today, Spotlight has been a project through which we’ve shown that art can change the city and the relationship its inhabitants have with it. The ninth edition brought extraordinary energy to Calea Victoriei — a space that, for three days, became a stage for collective joy and imagination. Through projects like Spotlight, ARCUB strengthens its role as an institution that inspires, connects, and transforms the city through culture, bringing art closer to people and making Bucharest a vibrant, open, and creative space,” said Mihaela Păun, Director of ARCUB.

Under the theme “Symbiosis”, curator Adrian Damian envisioned an edition where art, technology, and community merged into a single organism, turning public space into an ecosystem of collaboration and visual experimentation.

Festival visitors discovered 21 light artworks, including 16 installations and 5 video mappings that redefined the city’s architectural landmarks — from Corinthia Grand Hotel du Boulevard and InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest, to Odeon Theatre, the Central University Library, and the National Museum of Art of Romania, as well as partner venues such as SkyTower – Raiffeisen Bank headquarters, Promenada Mall, and Mega Mall.

Calea Victoriei came alive with spectacular works such as Whale (Aerosculpture, France) – a glowing whale suspended above Revolution Square, Keyframes (Groupe Laps, France) – animated silhouettes dancing across the façade of MNAR, Fluxit (Vedel & De Wolf, Netherlands) – a forest of light at the Romanian Athenaeum, Energy Pulse (RIZI Studio, Romania) – a tree transformed into a living organism of light, and Spider (Groupe Laps, France) – giant spiders “weaving” their webs around the statue of King Carol I.

Other highlights included Odonata (Number 8, France) – luminous giant dragonflies, Hulahoop (Collectif Scale, France) – hypnotic geometric dances, and video mappings by Mindscape, Les Ateliers Nomad, H3, Noiselopp, and Vali Chincișan projected onto some of Calea Victoriei’s most emblematic buildings, completing a visually stunning route through the heart of the city.

A major new feature of this year’s edition was the Spotlight Talks program, organized for the first time at ARCUB – Hanul Gabroveni.
Over two days, more than 12 international speakers — artists, curators, and producers from some of the world’s leading light festivals — participated in conferences and roundtables dedicated to creativity and innovation in light art. Spotlight Talks became an essential dialogue platform for the artistic community and for everyone interested in the transformation of cities through art.

Through its scale, impressive audience participation, and curatorial vision that highlights the city itself, Spotlight 2025 reaffirms ARCUB’s role as a pioneer and catalyst for cultural projects that continue to transform Bucharest through art.