AMSTERDAM LIGHT FESTIVAL

AMSTERDAM LIGHT FESTIVAL

Every year Amsterdam holds a light festival in winter. Last year the 5th annual Amsterdam Light Festival was from December 1, 2016, to January 22, 2017. The festival brought lots of light and colour to the city in cold winter days.

The festival started in 2011 and quickly became one of the most popular festivals in Europe. In 2015 about 850,000 tourists came to see the beautiful light art in Amsterdam.

Hundreds of artists worked for the light festival. People can see their work near or in the waterways and canals. There are two different tours for people who want to see the light art. The first one is the walking tour. It takes about one and a half hours to complete the walking tour. The tour is called “Illiuminade”. That is a free tour for everyone. The other tour is called “Water Colours”. This is a boat tour. Many people prefer the boat tour because they can enjoy the light work by the canal better. The boat tour takes about 75 minutes and costs $32 each person.

There are also some very creative exhibits in the light festival. One of them is called “Lightbridge”. Artists decorate one of the bridges over the canal with millions of tiny lights. The lights react to movements. When people ride bicycles over the bridge, the lights change color. Also when people ride under the bridge in a boat they can see that the lights change colour.

People who take the boat tour can also enjoy the light graffiti. Artists decorate the walls by the canal with light graffiti. It is a fantastic view to enjoy during the light festival.

Many young people apply for jobs during the festival. Some work as tour guides, some help the artists with their work, some clean the street and some give workshops. They say that it is great to work during the festival because there are more part time jobs and also they are paid more than usual. Teenagers who work during the festival can also enjoy the tours for free.

One of the teenagers Nora says “You need to be an active person to take part. You also need to be energetic.” She says she usually works as a translator or a guide because she can speak Dutch, French and English. She says she also gets the chance to practice her languages.

If you want to visit the festival, don’t forget to book your tickets now!