LUX Helsinki brought once again light, art, and a calm urban experience to the heart of the wintery capital.
This year, in 2026, the event was organised over six days, from 6 to 11 January, instead of the former four-day format, which also gave me the opportunity to head into central Helsinki to experience the light art installations.
Watch the video to see how beautiful snowfall enhanced the light festival, transforming familiar parks, streets, and squares of Helsinki into temporary stages for light art.
Blue light, snow, and silence
In the Old Church Park, as natural snow covered the ground, an unnatural blue light highlighted the trees and the shapes of the landscape, creating an almost dreamlike atmosphere. Snowfall, cold air, and slow movement through the park made the experience very different from light art that might be encountered in other seasons.
The festival lighting of Old Church Park was designed by Kari Kola. Another artwork displayed in the park was by Steve Thompson: Custom Fibre Optics (GB) – Mycelium Network.
A broader accompanying programme than ever before
LUX Helsinki 2026 was not limited only to light artworks this year. The festival’s accompanying programme was broader than ever before and offered multiple ways to experience light art. The programme included guided tours, a morning walk combining exercise with the experience of light art, as well as light-themed workshops and activities for seniors.
These elements expanded the event’s target audience and integrated light art into everyday life also for those who do not usually move around in the evenings or along the busiest routes.
I myself made a quick visit to Gallery Pirkko-Liisa Topelius, and the standard of the works there was on the same level as during the Great Painting Event in 2017.
Winter Helsinki at its best
I filmed the video presented here yesterday in Old Church Park. It shows winter light art at its best: falling snow and snow-covered ground, darkness and light in the same moment, and cheerful people. The video conveys a calm yet immersive atmosphere in which the viewer can almost feel the frosty air at minus nine degrees Celsius.
As Christmas Eve and the days between Christmas and New Year were snowless in Helsinki this year, it was especially pleasant that the city centre’s Christmas lights were left up beyond Epiphany to accompany the snow-covered scenery. I have not yet had the heart to remove my own Christmas lights at home either, as they fit so beautifully with the white snowdrifts.
Experience LUX Helsinki 2026 in Helsinki once more this Sunday evening.
