Leipzig Festival of Lights 2025

• five light art projects by artists from western and eastern Germany engaging with the events of 1989: Neumarkt and Schillerpark
• thousands of candles inviting to a shared remembrance of the Peaceful Revolution: Schillerpark

• peace prayer and address on democracy: St Nicolas Church

• ceremonial laying of the foundation stone for the Freedom and Unity Monument: Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz

• The Leipzig Festival of Lights takes place from 7 to 10 pm in Leipzig city centre. 

• At 5 pm, the peace prayer and the address on democracy take place in St Nicolas Church.

• From 8 pm, the ceremonial programme for the laying of the foundation stone of the Freedom and Unity Monument takes place on Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz.

In 2025, the Leipzig Festival of Lights will take place in the form of a light trail along Neumarkt and in Schillerpark, covering part of Leipzig’s city centre. The light trail with five light art projects connects the St Nicolas Church Yard (prayer for peace, speech on democracy) with Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz (ceremonial laying of the foundation stone for the Monument to Freedom and Unity).

No, admission to the Leipzig Festival of Lights is free. On the 9ᵗʰ of October, everyone is warmly invited to join Zeitzeuginnen, Leipzig residents and guests in celebrating the Leipzig Festival of Lights. 

On the 9ᵗʰ of October, visitors to the Leipzig Festival of Lights can look forward to a festive stage programme from 8 p.m., featuring guests of honour such as Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer, Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer, Leipzig’s Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung, Leipzig honorary citizen Gesine Oltmanns and the Georgian-German author Nino Haratischwili. In addition, guests may enjoy the world premiere of the choral work “Unser Mut wird nah bei uns sein”, created in cooperation with Oper Leipzig.

The multi-award-winning author, theatre director and playwright Nino Haratischwili will give the speech on democracy on the 9ᵗʰ of October in St Nicolas Church.

For the Leipzig Festival of Lights 2025, there will be both a printed programme booklet and a digital tour in the Explore Leipzig app (Download Android version and Download iOS version). Here, visitors can enjoy the tour in German and English as well as in an audio version. 

You can obtain programme booklets for the Leipzig Festival of Lights 2025 at the Leipzig Tourist Information at Katharinenstraße 8. You can also download the programme booklet here free of charge as a PDF file. 

The large candles' podium '89 (the candles' podium) is located in Schillerpark this year and is waiting to be illuminated by visitors of the Leipzig Festival of Lights with tealights.

The candles are provided free of charge or in exchange for a voluntary donation as part of the candle sponsorship in reusable cups. By the way: This year, the Leipzig Festival of Lights relies 100 per cent on reusable cups. Guests are kindly asked not to take the candle cups home but to leave them at the candles' podium or at the candle stands after use.

Due to the Leipzig Festival of Lights 2025, there will be no planned traffic restrictions on the 9ᵗʰ of October 2025. Public transport will also operate according to the timetable. You can find detailed information here. In the context of the arrival and departure of guests attending the ceremonial act, short-term traffic restrictions may occur in the area of St Nicolas Church Yard as well as in the area of Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz. However, car parks in underground garages in Leipzig city centre may be closed. The following parking facilities will presumably not be available on the 9ᵗʰ of October 2025: 

• Courtyard/underground car park Messepalast
• the underground car park Messehof/Timonhaus
• the underground car park and delivery garage of the Neo shopping centre
• the Volksbank underground car park
• the car park in the courtyard of the music school

The multi-storey car parks and parking facilities in the courtyard of Gewandgässchen, Magazingasse and Kupfergasse will remain available.

Yes, public transport continues to operate despite the Leipzig Festival of Lights. The timetable changes only slightly due to the Leipzig Festival of Lights. Bus line 89 does not run through the city centre between 4 p.m. and midnight and is diverted towards the main railway station via Goerdelerring and towards Connewitzer Kreuz via Augustusplatz and Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz. Further information can be found here.

• We recommend coming to the Leipzig Festival of Lights on foot, by bicycle or by public transport.
• If you arrive by train, you can get off at Leipzig Central Station and continue on foot or take the bus or tram towards Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz or Roßplatz. From there, it is only a one-minute walk to Neumarkt and Schillerpark, where the light installations shine.
• If you are coming by suburban railway, you should get off at Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz.
• By bicycle and public transport, you can easily reach the inner city ring road, where the Leipzig Festival of Lights takes place.
• If you are travelling by car or coach, the city recommends the Park&Ride car parks at Leipziger Messe, at the Monument to the Battle of the Nations, in Lausen, in Plovdiver Straße and at Schönauer Ring, as well as the car parks at the Sportforum.

For arrival by car or bus, the City of Leipzig recommends using the Park&Ride facilities at the Leipzig Trade Fair, at the Monument to the Battle of the Nations, in Lausen, in Plovdiver Straße and at Schönauer Ring, as well as the car parks at the Sportforum, since underground garages in Leipzig’s city centre may be closed. The following parking facilities are expected to be unavailable on 9ᵗʰ of October 2025: inner courtyard/underground garage Messepalast

• the underground garage Messehof/Timonhaus
• the underground garage and supplier garage of the Neo shopping centre
• the underground garage of the Volksbank
• the car park in the inner courtyard of the music school

The multi-storey car parks and parking facilities in the inner courtyard of Gewandgässchen, Magazingasse and Kupfergasse will remain available.

Permanent exemption permits and residents’ parking permits lose their validity during the Leipzig Festival of Lights. 

All event locations of the Leipzig Festival of Lights are accessible without barriers. The descriptions of the light installations along the light path are available as audio files in the Explore Leipzig – City Tours app.