Light Art Festival Drew an Estimated 23,000 People to the Centre of Trenčín
Over two days, 23,000 visitors, including more than 1,700 people from 27 countries around the world. That is the estimated figure from the second edition of the Light Art Festival (LAF) in Trenčín. The event confirmed that even a smaller city can attract thousands of people. Through contemporary art, while significantly boosting tourism, local services, and the regional economy.
Data on the movement of people in the city during the event was obtained by the LAF team from mobile network operators. In addition to visitors from Slovakia, operators recorded guests from 27 countries worldwide. More than half of the international visitors – 950 people – came from the Czech Republic. Beyond neighbouring countries and various European states, Trenčín also welcomed visitors from the USA, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Nepal, South Korea, and Hong Kong.
In collaboration with DATA 26, the team also focused on gathering data about the festival’s economic benefit to the city. DATA 26 researchers, who monitor and document how culture is transforming Trenčín, conducted on-site interviews with visitors during the festival. Among other things, they focused on where people travelled from, how long they planned to stay in the city, which parts of the festival they attended, and how much they would be willing to pay for such an event. DATA 26 is also continuing to collect feedback through an online questionnaire. This remains open to everyone who attended the festival.
“Culture brings essential economic benefits to the city and region. It creates job opportunities, supports local businesses, fills cafés and restaurants, and increases the number of overnight stays. At the same time, people develop a positive relationship with the city and recommend it to others,” says Kristína Mlynárová, marketing manager of the Light Art Festival.
Photo: Adrián Kubáň
Contemporary art showed Trenčín in a different light
The festival opened with the audiovisual show FVLCRVM. This show filled the square in front of the Garrison Club (ODA) and transformed its monumental facade into a pulsating stage. This was followed by FLUX, a piece by the French Collectif Scale, whose dancing light rods drew the attention of passersby.
Large crowds came to see the Analemma installation by world-renowned Japanese artist Yasuhiro Chida. He spent seven days weaving his net beneath Trenčín Castle, using 14 kilometres of polyester thread. The light transmitted through the threads created an otherworldly atmosphere.
Families with children were entertained by interactive works in M. R. Štefánik Park – Spooklings by Matej Mazák and Artikulón by Ondřej Puchta. Local creators Lukáš Matejka, Štefan Oliš, and Pavol Soukal also embraced playfulness and interactivity. Allowing visitors to light up wordplay on the castle walls by shouting into a microphone. “This creates a parallel with situations in which even a seemingly small gesture or ‘cry into the darkness’ can spark a powerful response and change what happens around us,” says Štefan Oliš.
A living city through collaboration
Despite its greater distance from the centre, the meditative installation Growth by the Norwegian collective blekkspurt1 drew visitors to the industrial space beneath the FOR MAAT gallery. It explored the collaboration between Norway and Slovakia. It symbolised by the growth of typical spring flowers and sounds supporting their communication. The collaboration continues. Factory Light Festival is once again inviting Slovak artist Veronika Šmírová to Norway. Her work Interference could be experienced by visitors at KKC Hviezda. The partnership with the Czech Signal Festival also proved its worth – Rezonátor (by Jan Hladil) and Dinner with Hyperobject (by Tadej Drojlc) were among the festival’s most powerful moments.
Through connections with local partners, the Light Art Festival created a vibrant urban experience in which light appeared in many forms. From luminography workshops at the M. A. Bazovský Gallery, shadow theatre and UV painting at the Trenčín 2026 Curiosity Studios, a night tour of the M. Rešetka Public Library, and a community run with KADE TADE Running Club, to working with light in textiles at the LUMó Hub. Cafés and restaurants also offered themed “light” specials. The festival could not have taken place without its volunteers – 25 people assisted the organising team each day, with 40 involved in total, including 26 senior volunteers from Denmark.
Photo: Martina Mlcuchova
Will there be a Light Art Festival next year?
The festival was part of the programme book. Book, with which Trenčín secured the title of European Capital of Culture (ECoC). From the very beginning, and has so far been funded from that budget. However, the ambition from the outset was for it to outlast the two-year event.
“The European Capital of Culture is an ideal launchpad for a festival like this. People have the opportunity to discover light art for free and experience it directly in the city streets. At the same time, the organising team tests the production of the event under real conditions and gains experience to build on in the future. The European Capital of Culture has fulfilled that role,” explains festival director Patrik Kubizna from the Trenčín civic association TRAKT.
A change in funding is anticipated going forward. “From the beginning, we knew that full public support is not sustainable in the long term. That is why we are considering a combination of ticket sales, private sector partnerships, and grant funding,” Kubizna adds. However, the current situation in cultural funding, the paralysis of the Arts Support Fund and the consolidation of public finances, complicates these options and will also affect the festival’s future development.
“The fact that in Trenčín we are experiencing culture in its full diversity throughout 2026 is not something to be taken for granted. The cultural community across Slovakia is currently facing serious existential challenges. That is also why one of our long-term goals is to involve local institutions in the festival and actively promote them. These places, however, need support throughout the entire year. We invite the public to visit galleries, museums, libraries, cultural centres, and theatres on a regular basis – they deserve it for their work and contribution,” Kubizna concludes.