The festival takes place under the theme “PLAYGROUND” and brings 19 immersive installations and video mapping shows to Calea Victoriei, transforming Bucharest into a digital playground
Bucharest City Hall, through ARCUB, is organizing the tenth edition of Spotlight – International Light Art Festival from October 9–11, 2026. The first and largest light festival in the capital, Spotlight attracts more than 300,000 participants every year. This year’s edition takes place under the theme “PLAYGROUND” and brings 19 immersive installations and video mapping shows to Bucharest, transforming the city center into a digital playground.
This year’s festival route has been extended compared with last year, covering a longer section of Calea Victoriei, between the Radisson Blu Hotel Bucharest and the intersection with Splaiul Independenței, as well as ARCUB – Hanul Gabroveni and partner venues Mega Mall and Promenada Mall.
The scale of the anniversary edition is also reflected in the numbers behind the spectacle: more than 7,000 square meters of exhibition space along Calea Victoriei, 16 artists from 7 countries around the world, more than 300 tonnes of equipment, 11 projection structures and towers, 20 laser video projectors and more than 200 light sources will support the three festival nights.
The 2026 Theme: “PLAYGROUND”
This year’s theme, PLAYGROUND, transforms Calea Victoriei into a space for exploration through video mapping and visual installations. The concept focuses on the interaction between audiences, the city’s architecture and new technologies, through works that alter the perception of urban space and invite visitors to discover it in a different way. PLAYGROUND thus creates a space for visual experimentation and exploration, where familiar buildings and urban spaces take on new forms and perspectives through light.
The curator of Spotlight 2026 is Dorel Naste, an award-winning creative director and founder of Mindscape Studio, with extensive experience in organizing large-scale events and projection mapping projects. A graduate of the National University of Arts in Bucharest (UNARTE), Dorel Naste combines a strong background in traditional motion design with hands-on experience in interactive design and visual programming tools.
The anniversary edition of Spotlight features 19 interactive light art installations and video mapping projections on iconic buildings along the festival route, created by artists and studios from Switzerland, France, Australia, Italy, Austria, the United Kingdom and Romania:
- 6 video mapping shows: the façades of the Odeon Theatre, the Palace of Telephones, the Novotel Hotel, the National Military Circle, Corinthia Grand Hotel du Boulevard Bucharest and the National Museum of Art of Romania will become giant digital projection canvases, animated with fluid forms and light effects;
- 13 immersive installations on Calea Victoriei: interactive new media works and organic light forms that respond to the movements of passers-by, blurring the boundaries between the real and virtual worlds;
- Experiences at ARCUB and partner venues: ARCUB – Hanul Gabroveni becomes a central hub of the festival, hosting one of the festival installations, as well as conferences and panels featuring international guests. The Spotlight experience will also extend to partner venues Mega Mall and Promenada Mall.
Spotlight #10 – “PLAYGROUND” | October 9–11, 2026
The Spotlight 2026 program begins on Friday, October 9, at 9:00 PM and runs until 11:00 PM. On Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11, the festival will run from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
More information about the festival program, route map and participating installations will be available at arcub.ro and spotlightfestival.ro.
Organized by: Bucharest City Hall, through ARCUB
Powered by: Raiffeisen Bank Romania
Partners: PPC Energie, NEPI Rockcastle, Mega Mall and Promenada Mall, NESCAFÉ, NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto, Radisson Blu Hotel
International Partner: International Light Festivals Organisation (ILO)
Recommended by: Kiss FM
Media Partners: Radio România Actualități, Radio România Cultural, București FM, AGERPRES, Adevărul, Historia, Happ, Daily Magazine
With the support of: Apa Nova București, the General Directorate for Public Services within Bucharest City Hall, Compania Municipală Iluminat Public București, Bucharest Public Transport Company (STB), Transport Public București-Ilfov (TPBI)
We thank our institutional partners: InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest, Corinthia Grand Hotel du Boulevard Bucharest, National Military Circle, National Office for Gambling, Odeon Theatre, Palace of Telephones, Novotel Hotel, Muzica Store, Central University Library, National Museum of Art of Romania
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More details at www.arcub.ro.
