Llum BCN light festival to illuminate Poblenou again February 2-4

Llum BCN – Barcelona's festival of light – will return for its 13th edition from February 2 to 4 in the city's Poblenou neighborhood.  

This year’s edition will focus on the relationship with the surroundings, concerns about climate change, and the impact of new technologies.  

The program features almost 40 proposals and includes 13 professional light installations made by national and international artists. 17 school installations made by Barcelona’s design and illumination schools will also be part of the festival.  

This year’s edition aims to showcase more female artists, and visitors can look forward to seeing works by British collective UVA, Antoni Arola, Elisa Storelli, Jou Serra, Anna Ridler, Alba G Corral, Gijs Coenen, and Sofía Montenegro.   

Maria Güell Ordis will once again curate the festival with Juliette Bibasse as an international guest curator.  

Named for the Catalan word for light, Llum BCN exists at the intersection of art, technology, light, music, design, and architecture. 

The festival is free and last year over 220,000 people attended. 

Llum Pro conference on February 3 

The festival also includs the conference Llum Pro for light arts professionals which will take place on February 4 in the DHUB auditorium. Commissioners from other European light festivals will participate in the conference that has been organized in collaboration with the Institut Ramon Llull. 

Off Llum around the city

Eleven artists will participate in Off Llum, which can be found in other parts of the city during the festival. Organized by the Poblenou Urban District, it includes works by Darklight Studio, Inzist, Agustina Palazzo, and BeatMe Lab Studio.

Getting there

The area can be accessed via metro, tram, bus or train.

The closest metro stops are Glòries (red line L1), Clot (red line L1 and purple line L2), and Bogatell, Llacuna, Poblenou and Selva de Mar (all yellow line L4).

Tram lines T4 and T5 serve the area, as do several buses: 6, 7, 62, 136, 192, H12, H14, H16, V25, V31, B20 and B25; and night buses (NitBus): N2, N6, N7, N8 and N11.

The Rodalies train network lines R1, R2, R2N and R11 call at Clot-Aragó station.

Accessibility and recommendations

Llum BCN installations are generally accessible for people with reduced mobility. The SpY Monolith installation is not fully accessible for people with reduced mobility, but can be viewed and enjoyed by all.

On some streets, lighting will be reduced. Organizers ask visitors to be careful as they move through the area.

Some installations are not recommended for people with special visual or auditory sensitivities. The Parallel Strata installation contains strobe lights.