Evenings In Amsterdam: Here’s What You Missed From the Amsterdam Light Festival

We can’t travel – yet, but to make do I’ve been doing one of those cliché things where I travel in my mind by going through photos of my old trips. And this inspired me to put together the next instalment of Evenings In …,this time covering the Amsterdam Light Festival I visited a few editions ago.

I’ve been loving the rise of light festivals in the last few years. It’s a great way to brighten up any place once the Christmas lights have been taken down (and even put up), it makes art approachable to everyone, and it gives you a reason to leave the house during the cold, grim and dark months.

The 2019/2020s theme of the Amsterdam Light Festival was DISRUPT! where a wide collection of light installations brightened up the city’s streets, buildings and canals.

One of the great things about it was that I got the excuse to visit parts of Amsterdam I’d never had a reason to explore before, and thankfully the guidebook map meant I didn’t get too lost on my light trail.

The exhibits focused on nature and climate issues, as well as on Amsterdam’s history and just making use of the city’s buildings in inventive ways.

My highlights were The Clothes Line, the Drowned Street and the Paparazzi Tunnel. I wish I’d got to experience that last one by boat as it was designed with that in mind, but I did like that fact that being on foot gave you time to explore each piece at your own pace.