Eindhoven, 17 November 2024 – GLOW and its partners proudly reflect on a successful edition of the international light festival. The festival annually attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city, creating not only vibrancy but also long, enjoyable evenings at local cafés and restaurants. In doing so, GLOW delivers a significant economic boost to the Eindhoven region. Hospitality entrepreneurs report that GLOW visitors drive a revenue increase of over 25%.

In 2023, GLOW conducted research into the festival’s impact on visitors. Among respondents, 46% felt that GLOW fosters connection among people in the region, and 44% said GLOW made them feel more connected to Eindhoven. This demonstrates that beyond its economic benefits, GLOW also brings social value to the city and region.

Ronald Ramakers stated: “Light brings people together. Both in the lead-up to GLOW and during the festival itself, we unite visitors, businesses, organizations, students, and artists. Together, they innovatively translate the stories of the city and region into extraordinary light art. Crowd favorites like the children’s project Ruimtereizigers at Rabobank, Metropolis, and Rooted Together are great examples of this. It’s wonderful to see how this translates into such a social and economic impact.”

Increase in Hospitality Revenue

Robert Kilsdonk, manager of Grand Café Centraal, shared: “GLOW visitors often stay longer at our venue, especially on weekends. Ending GLOW with a drink has become a tradition. It doesn’t just attract families and groups of friends—companies also organize team-building activities and corporate outings during GLOW. This results in a significant increase in revenue.”

De Lichttoren on Emmasingel also experienced a successful participation in GLOW this year. “Last year, our location was immediately recognized as one of the event’s highlights, partly due to the impressive projection on our facade,” said owner Loes Wijsman. Although De Lichttoren wasn’t directly on the route this year, it still drew a large number of visitors thanks to its role as a GLOW host.”With a special GLOW menu, we saw a significant rise in visitors, both on weekdays and weekends.”

GLOW on Air

This year, GLOW introduced GLOW on Air in collaboration with Studio040, enabling people to follow the light art festival live from home for eight days. And it was a success. According to the data, the broadcasts reached over 40,000 listeners in Eindhoven and the surrounding area, while online stories about GLOW reached 150,000 people. Thousands also visited the studio in person for a behind-the-scenes look.

“With reports, interviews, and a unique behind-the-scenes perspective, we provided live coverage of GLOW from the Markt,” said Studio040 director Mike Weerts. “GLOW is more than just a visual spectacle; it’s an experience that unites, inspires, and moves people. We made that tangible during the broadcasts. For our station, it’s important to align with such a connecting event. Informing and sharing stories to bring people together is also our goal. This success has left us eager for more, and we’ll be discussing with GLOW how we can contribute again during next year’s 20th edition.”

Talent Award by ASML

This year, seven student projects competed for the Talent Award, the GLOW Academy competition. As is tradition, the award was presented on the final evening of GLOW, this time live from the GLOW on Air studio on Eindhoven’s Markt, with visitors as witnesses.

The light artwork Dragonfly by Fontys BeCreative won both prizes this year: the €1,000 Audience Award and the €2,000 Jury Award. Dragonfly, a mechanical dragonfly with mesmerizing wing movements, combines technology and nature, symbolizing the flow of light and innovation through Eindhoven.