The international LUMAGICA light festival is coming back to Tel Aviv in November after drawing some 160,000 visitors during its inaugural season in Israel last winter, organizers said on Tuesday.
The festival will open on Nov. 12 at Yarkon Park–Ganei Yehoshua, featuring more than 3 million LED lights, some 30,000 illuminated tulips, light sculptures, multimedia installations and a giant water-screen show.
Organizers said in a press release that this year’s event will be larger than its predecessor, with a new concept created specifically for Israel that combines light, water, flowers, music, art and technology.
The festival is being led by international light artists Anat and Sivan Faraj, working with the production teams of Ganei Yehoshua and Kupat Tel Aviv, artist Misha Anton and the international design and technology teams of MK Illumination, the company behind LUMAGICA.
Among the new attractions will be an illuminated field of some 30,000 tulips created especially for the Tel Aviv festival, alongside giant flowers, kinetic elements and light sculptures.
Another centerpiece will be a water screen 30 meters (98 feet) wide and 10 meters (33 feet) high. Video art will be projected onto the screen in a show combining water, light, images and original music composed for the Tel Aviv event.
Visitors will be encouraged to interact with the installations rather than simply view them, the press release said. The festival will also include a European-style winter fair with two large food areas, culinary stands and fairground games.
LUMAGICA is an international format in which a different story and concept are developed for each location. Organizers said this year’s Tel Aviv festival will incorporate technologies and concepts being used for the first time at LUMAGICA parks worldwide.
Production began nearly a year in advance, involving four MK Illumination factories in six countries. About 15 tons of equipment was shipped to Israel in 12 containers, with additional equipment flown in.
‘LUMAGICA is much more than a light festival’
Anat Faraj, CEO of MK Illumination Israel, said the production represents nearly a year of work involving designers, artists and factories in several countries.
“There is something very moving about seeing an idea that was born almost a year ago come to life here in Tel Aviv,” Faraj said. “Behind one evening of magic lies almost a year of work, countless sketches, changes and complex logistics.”
“For me, LUMAGICA is much more than a light festival. We want to create moments that people take home with them and give families a few hours inside another world. Ultimately, we are not just creating light sculptures; we are creating an experience and a memory.”
LUMAGICA Tel Aviv will be open Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday nights from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Yarkon Park–Ganei Yehoshua.
Tickets, priced at 109 shekels ($33), with discounts available through participating consumer clubs and credit-card companies, can be purchased through the Kupat Tel Aviv website.
