2025 - October - Berlin - Festival of Lights, this time even with a DJ

Is 60.60 euros a reasonable price for a light show with a live DJ? The Berliners and their visitors clearly say: yes. In front of the Berlin Cathedral, where the event took place, a very very long line had formed - but more on that later.

What happened in the cathedral was just a small part of the magnificent Festival of Lights. This year, it is under the motto 'Let's shine together'. The great thing is: in Berlin, the whole world really comes together. Imagine an international folk festival, you hear all languages, music is played everywhere, and the atmosphere is fantastic.

And since most of the illuminations are free to watch, the festival has of course spread by word of mouth. This year’s 21st edition claims to have seen more visitors than ever before and is the largest festival of its kind in all of Europe.

We particularly liked the route from the Brandenburg Gate to the TV Tower. The Nikolaiviertel was too crowded for us, while Potsdamer Platz was noticeably more relaxed due to its spaciousness. A bit further out, the Oberbaum Bridge awaited visitors this year. The walk across the bridge is already worth it: in some places, you automatically become part of the artwork. However, finding a good view of the bridge from the outside is not entirely easy, as the banks of the Spree are developed. So for us, it meant: “Follow the light” or the light source. In the end, at a spot that was eventually found by various mobile phone snapshooters and ambitious photographers, you could even hear the music accompanying the light show.

But now back to the 'Festival of Lights in Concert' at the Berlin Cathedral: Yes, it was impressive – even though we’ve seen many illuminated buildings before.

As a side note: In summer, the Place Stanislas in Nancy is illuminated in the evening and accompanied by music. In Paris and now many other cities, there are various 'de Lumières' locations. We were very impressed back then, as artworks like those by van Gogh are literally brought to life and you can walk right among them. Music and visuals are, of course, perfectly synchronized beforehand.

And here, Berlin employs a trick to not do the same as everyone else: The capital of the legendary club scene lets DJs perform live. This was tried for the first time last year, and this year several DJs appeared on different evenings.

We were there right at the start on 10.10.2025 at 19:30 and experienced Chris Bekker. His atmospheric ambient music fit perfectly with the illuminations and was even met with applause from the scenes at times. Performing in the altar area of the cathedral was an absolute highlight for him, as he confessed in a later interview: “The best day of this year, so far!”

Your best day can still be at the Festival of Lights until 15.10.2025. After that, there will be a break for a year. The exact date for next year has not yet been set. Just check out

festival-of-lights.de

for more information.

This year:

08 - 15 October 2025, 7 PM to 11 PM