Audience favourites, fresh creations, regional expansion and a world record in the making

On Saturday 8 November, Mayor Dijsselbloem will officially open the anniversary edition of GLOW at Stadhuisplein in Eindhoven. This international light art festival celebrates its twentieth birthday this year with a unique mix of iconic works, new creations, and a circular artwork that could set a world record. Under the theme The Light, GLOW looks both back and forward: twenty years of light art that connects people, in the city and across the region.

Director Ronald Ramakers: “After ten years, I am stepping down from GLOW. Twenty years of light art feels like the perfect moment to pass the baton.” Ramakers describes this twentieth edition as a tribute to the visitors who have made GLOW what it is today. “We’re bringing back visitors’ favourites like the Sunflowers and the projection on the Lichttoren, and showcasing new works created in collaboration with schools, partners, and the community. GLOW is also expanding across the region, bringing thousands of people together with free light art experiences!”

A compact route full of highlights
The anniversary route of GLOW 2025 guides visitors along almost five kilometres of light art through the heart of Eindhoven. Alongside fan favourites, the festival presents new works born from close collaboration with schools, healthcare institutions, companies, and artists. This co-creation is central to GLOW: light art as a shared process where technology, imagination, and social themes intersect.

For example, FACES – connecting people at Paterskerk demonstrates how technology and healthcare can strengthen each other, with contributions from ASML, Onda Studio, Máxima Medical Center, and Catharina Hospital. Dream Town, developed by Hugo Vrijdag and local primary school students, visualises how children imagine their ideal city. In Anne Frankplantsoen, students from Fontys, TU/e, and SintLucas fill the space with innovative light projects, alongside the poetic Firefly Field by Studio Toer.

At Stadhuisplein, First GLOW by Maincourse & Michel Suk celebrates the anniversary with an installation that unites past and future. The Windows projection on Catharina Church returns after seven years as a visual icon, while Lempke by Jan Fabel makes the Lichttoren shine again—an ode to the light that has shaped Eindhoven.

GLOW in the Region
This year, GLOW expands significantly across the region. In Best, Oirschot, Veldhoven, Lieshout, and Helmond, visitors can explore smaller and larger GLOW routes. Bart van Bokhoven (production manager, GLOW in the Region): “Every GLOW in each town or village is unique. They bring their own identity, community, partners, and story. This creates surprising light art experiences. We invite visitors to explore beyond Eindhoven to see how light connects people, linking the cities and towns across Brainport.” Together, GLOW Eindhoven and GLOW in the Region feature 87 light artworks—the largest number of any light festival in Europe.

World record attempt: a circular chandelier as a symbol of collaboration
During GLOW 2024, thousands of visitors rode a special bike to crush PET bottles for the creation of the world’s largest circular chandelier: The Chandelier of Connection. This chandelier, an initiative by Van Pet naar Pret and Signify, symbolises the shared climate ambitions of Eindhoven and Helmond. From Sunday 9 November, the chandelier will be on display in Paterskerk, showing visitors how innovation, circularity, and fun go hand in hand.

On 7 November, the International World Records Organisation (IWRO) will determine whether the artwork is officially recognised as the world’s largest circular chandelier.

GLOW is made possible thanks to founding partners Signify and the Municipality of Eindhoven. Main partners: ASML, BIZ Eindhoven, EDGE Eindhoven, Eindhoven 247, Enexis, Levanto, Eindhoven Airport, Heuvel Eindhoven, Mini Nederland, Pronorm, Pullman, Rabobank, Het Eindhoven van de Toekomst, and supporting partners.