A festival of colors
Berlin shines in a new light: For 10 days, the "Festival of Lights" immerses the German capital in a sea of color. A tour round the city tells the capital's story on a whole new spectrum.
All the city's a stage
The Berlin "Festival of Lights" is one of the world's best-known light art events. Streets, squares, landmarks and historical sites are awash with color as they take on their makeovers to become entirely new attractions.
A real highlight
This year is the 10th time Berlin has become the city of light art. Artists from the German capital, as well as the rest of the world, have created numerous creative installations. The festival has proved to be a real hit with tourists, pulling in around 2 million visitors last year and over 600,000 extra hotel bookings.
Not just for tourists
But the eye-catching light installations aren't only for tourists' enjoyment. As important buildings and landmarks appear in a whole new light, Berliners can also rediscover their city from a new perspective. The venerable Humboldt University has never shone so bright.
The open Berlin Wall
Twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the construction that once divided the city now now appears in hot pink in front of the main train station. Unlike the "real" wall, however, this one is easy to get around.
History in pastel colors
A film projection on the facade of the theater in Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt depicts the building's moving history of almost 200 years. The neo-classical building is one of the masterpieces of architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel and was opened in 1821 as the Royal Playhouse. Despite being destroyed in the Second World War, it was rebuilt and opened again in 1984.
Bringing the lights alive
This living artwork is called "Die Wächter der Zeit" or "The Guardians of Time." The mystical figures tour the capital and emerge in a different place every night. Here they're stood in front of the illuminated Berlin Cathedral. During the event, many promoters attract light worshippers with offers for everything from jazz concerts to laser shows.
Things that go bump in the light
The "Festival of Lights" also pulls shadowy figures into the limelight. In Potsdamer Platz, fictional creatures from Babelsberg Filmpark come out to scare spectators in a horror show that's sure to send a shiver down your spine.
Drawn to the light
According to statistics, the light festival is particularly popular among women. Female guests accounted for almost two thirds of last year's visitors. Half of the festival's fans are middle-aged, at 30 to 49, and the spectacle appears to be a little less-well received among the younger generation, who are perhaps more drawn to the lights of Berlin's party districts.
Who profits the most?
Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit is the festival's patron, but given that he recently announced his resignation, the event is far from a means of self promotion. Berlin's tourism industry, however, uses the spectacle as a marketing tool - 1.8 billion media contacts and mentions were counted in 2013.
Something for everyone
Running until October 19, the different ways of experiencing Berlin's colorful spectacle are endless. Take a boat tour or a lit bicycle taxi, travel in style by limo or snuggle up in a horse drawn carriage, there's something every budget. Perhaps you'll float up and away in a helium balloon or come back down to earth and see the festival on foot. Just be sure to go in the dark!