Leipzig Festival of Lights 2026

“Our RESPONSibility ...”

Sermon: Dr Joachim Jeska

This year, the parish of St Nicholas has invited Superintendent Dr Joachim Jeska from Osnabrück to deliver the sermon during the Prayer for Peace. As a City of Peace, Osnabrück has a long tradition. On 25 October 1648, the Peace of Westphalia was proclaimed from the steps of the Town Hall, marking the end of the Thirty Years’ War. This event has been regularly commemorated since 1953. In his sermon, Joachim Jeska builds a bridge between Osnabrück and Leipzig and reaffirms the two cities’ shared responsibility for peace. The Prayer for Peace is accompanied by a cantata entitled “Blessed are ...” by André Engelbrecht. The performers are the Bach Choir at St Nicholas Church and the Ensemble St. Nikolai, conducted by St Nicholas cantor Markus Kaufmann.

The German-American political scientist Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook will deliver the Speech on Democracy at St Nicholas’ Church on the 9ᵗʰ of October 2026. Born in Wiesbaden in 1976, the expert on US politics and international relations is considered one of today’s most prominent transatlantic voices, both as a sought-after commentator in renowned media outlets and as an author. Drawing on developments in the United States, she examines how liberal democracies are attacked from within and shows how the same patterns can also be observed in Europe.

Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook is Senior Advisor for the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Sustainable Social Market Economy programme and previously served as Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations and as a CNN correspondent.

The 2026 Festival of Lights takes the form of a trail of light through Leipzig city centre. Between St Nicholas’ Church and Matthäikirchhof, light installations, performances and images from 1989 connect history with the present. International artists, local project partners and school pupils from Leipzig come together to create a European perspective. The candle platform in the shape of the number 89 at St Thomas’ Church, on the corner of Klostergasse, offers a quiet moment of remembrance as well as an opportunity for dialogue. This creates a shared space for remembrance and reflection.

The trail of light can be followed in either direction; there is no set order. Visitors may choose any starting point. Orange street lights will help guide visitors on the evening of the Festival of Lights.

This year, the traditional candle platform in the shape of the number 89 will be located at St Thomas’ Church, on the corner of Klostergasse. Candle 89 offers a quiet moment of remembrance and solidarity, as well as an opportunity for dialogue.

On a small stage next to the candle platform, presenter Nils Straatmann will engage in conversation with contemporary witnesses. Topics will include the much-debated question of “stay or leave?” in the autumn of 1989, people’s hopes and fears, the significance of the 9ᵗʰ of October then and now, and issues such as media freedom, the environment and the Church. Visitors to the Leipzig Festival of Lights will also be able to ask questions.