Spectacular Winter Lights Walk World Premiere at The Iconic Skansen in Stockholm on October 27th.
Photo: Skansen
Visitors will be immersed in a magical, light and sound walking trail. The visually stunning 1.5-kilometre promenade, lined with tailor-made sound installations, opens on 27th October 2023.
"With so much history at Skansen, we want to get closer to the present day in a relevant way with surprising new experiences. It is, therefore, extra exciting for us to open a completely new attraction in the middle of the Swedish winter darkness”, says Yvonne Nordlind, Marketing and Communications Manager at the Skansen Foundation.
Light walks, where large-scale installations frame the experience, have been a success in North America, the UK and parts of Europe. However, in Sweden, it's a new concept. Gunnebo Castle and Gardens in Mölndal announced their Winter Lights will open on November 17. Now we can reveal that the concept is also coming to Stockholm. At Skansen, buildings dating back to the 1800s sitting amid a beautiful Swedish landscape will be combined with the latest in creative and sustainable lighting technology. All light installations have been developed specifically with their unique historical surroundings in mind. Thus, the experiences at both Skansen and Gunnebo Castle and Gardens are completely unique. Winter Lights is presented by Temple Live Entertainment (TLE), which has produced other successful immersive experiences and entertainment across Scandinavia and Europe.
In addition to the large, specially designed light installations, the promenade will also be framed by extra lighting effects and decorations. Winter Lights also has an exclusively developed soundscape, contributing to the fantastic experience. The approximately 1.5 km long route takes about 90 minutes to walk. Visitors will be admitted to Winter Lights at Skansen at 20-minute intervals, allowing everyone to enjoy the experience at their own pace without the crowds. There are also food and drink stalls along the trail with carefully selected Swedish seasonal flavours.
Winter Lights is a collaboration with the local organizer FKP Scorpio, who has extensive experience in the Swedish live music industry and a unique knowledge of arranging large events. Ingrid Sutej, CEO of TLE, says: "Skansen is admired and loved throughout the world. We are incredibly happy to collaborate with them and bring Winter Lights to Stockholm. Skansen is a very special place for both Stockholm's residents and tourists. We promise to honour this cultural heritage by offering an experience of the highest quality – an experience that highlights the wonderful environment and the history of the place. Our hope is to create a new tradition for winter visits to Skansen, thereby building on the legacy of Skansen's founder Artur Hazelius."
For more information and ticket booking, visit Lightupyourwinter.com or follow @winterlights_swe on Instagram and @WinterLightsSwe on Facebook.
Facts: Winter Lights at Skansen
Dates: October 27th 2023, to January 28th 2024
Tickets available via Lightupyourwinter.com or Eventim.se
Prices: Adult tickets from 350 SEK (approx. $32/£25.50) and child tickets from 215 SEK (approx. $20/£16).
Located in the middle of the green island of Djurgården in Stockholm is Skansen. A place that brings to life nature and culture – now, then and in the future. The Skansen Foundation is the world's oldest open-air museum, founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius, and every year is visited by around 1.4 million guests.
Other light experiences across Sweden:
Island of Light, Smögen Photo: Asaf Kliger/Westsweden.com
Island of Light, Smögen, West Sweden´s Bohuslän Archipelago, 7-10 September 2023
Step into an enchanting voyage through captivating luminous masterpieces positioned on the granite Island of Smögen, nestled along Sweden's West Coast.
The Island of Light festival of light art serves as a harmonious intertwining of untouched nature and contemporary light technology, resulting in captivating artistic forms. Whether viewed from sea land, Island of Light will take you on an extraordinary journey.
Gunnebo House & Gardens Winter Lights, Gothenburg, Nov 17, 2023 – Jan 7 2024
A world of wonder with every footstep. Enjoy an unforgettable afternoon or evening walking through spectacular light installations, and experience the beautiful grounds of Gunnebo House and Gardens in a completely new way. Perfect for visitors of all ages. Light experiences will include the ´Hyper Space Tunnel´ ´Beyond Violet´ and ´Fairy Stalactites´
Rays of Light, One Peace at a Time - Lights in Alingsås, West Sweden, 6th Oct – 5th Nov 2023
Lights in Alingsås was awarded first prize for 2022's best lighting design event at the [d]arc awards ceremony in London in March 2023. Alingsås is also famous as Sweden´s capital of Fika, the Swedish tradition of taking coffee and cake with friends. It is now famous as the home of Lights in Alingsås, a world-class lighting design event now in its 24th year.
Living Room under Water. Photo: Patrik Gunnar Helin
The world needs peace and people need inner peace. Our worldwide situation requires a lot of patience, aid and resilience. But also the ability to see the light where it manages to shine through. Find that ray, streak or flicker and find inner peace, if only for a moment. The light will break through – one peace at a time.
This year's seven lighting designers will be inspired by and interpret the themes of peace, hope and inner harmony. The route is approximately two kilometres long, where visitors will see a mix of cityscapes, nature, waterways, and places special to Alingsås.
The heart of the project is a workshop where only the theme and the trail are determined in advance by the organisers, Alingsås Energi. The workshop lasts for one week when the international teams of lighting designers and the students work together day and night. No one knows what the final result will be until the day of the grand opening.