The Daisler Association brings life to the night in Timișoara with the 2023 edition of the famous lights-art festival Lights On, part of the cultural calendar of the “Timișoara 2023 European Capital of Culture” program. From September 27 to October 14, the city will be a kaleidoscope of light and culture.

The most complex edition of the Lights On festival so far turns Timișoara into a nocturnal cultural laboratory, taking place under the umbrella of the International Light Festival Organization, which brings together over 40 global festivals of this kind. The fact that Lights On is the first Romanian festival member of this prestigious association underlines its importance and cultural impact.

Culture doesn’t sleep – and it shouldn’t! For this, The Night-Art Festival aims to bring the streets of Timișoara to life during the night with a variety of events, from theater performances and live music to guided tours and circuits of light installations. However, the festival maintains a deep respect for those who prefer the quiet of the night without disturbing public order or traffic.

Lights On extends to Timișoara the role of nocturnal cultural event, proposing innovative concepts that enrich cultural life until late at night. Under the motto “Culture Doesn’t Sleep”, Timișoara becomes a laboratory for the exploration of night culture, with activities structured in three main areas: LIGHT, RESEARCH, EXPERIMENT.

LIGHT
More than 100,000 people are expected at the largest edition of the light installation circuit. It will be organized for the first time in the Iosefin district, one of the oldest districts of Timișoara, which becomes the festival’s home.

Among the impactful works arriving in Romania for the first time is Submergence, by the British studio Squidsoup, a unique experience that will fascinate Timișoara’s audience and beyond. Firefly Field belonging to the Dutch studio Toer will be exhibited for the first time in Timișoara, consisting of a firefly field of approximately 500 square meters.

The event will have its official opening on September 29, 2023 through a unique show created by Romanian and foreign artists alike.

Also in the LIGHT category we find the first direct allocation of grants for research and the creation of light installations in the history of the country. Thus, the Daisler Association grants 2 grants of €5,000 each to the University of West Timișoara – Visual Arts section – and the Cluj-Napoca University of Art and Design – Sculpture section, the purpose of these grants being to stimulate the young generations in a new field in which the Daisler Association has innovated over the past 5 years. The grants are offered in partnership with George by BCR – the official partner of The Night-Art Festival.

One of the two installations built by the students will then be exhibited in Leeds during the largest light festival in the UK – Light Night Leeds, one of the partners of The Night-Art Festival. It is thus about a unique opportunity that Romanian students have to exhibit on one of the great stages of continental light art.

RESEARCH
The RESEARCH category begins on September 30 with the Culture of Nightlife Conference, a conference focused on cultural nightlife. The event brings together leading figures in the field, including “night” mayors, social anthropologists with experience in the concept of the “Night City”, authorities in light-focused events and strategies, and founders of global networks of sociologists studying the impact of night events.

The event will be hosted near Iulius Town and the full guest list will be announced in August. During the conference, good practices from the great cultural capitals of the world will be presented, with an emphasis on nocturnal activities that do not disturb residents who want to rest.

Within the same category, RESEARCH, dozens of artists will have the opportunity to interact with the public and present their artistic practice in Meet & Greet sessions for the first time in Timișoara.

EXPERIMENT
This category aims to demonstrate that cultural life can also be vibrant at night, without disturbing the rest of the public. The content includes nocturnal cultural experiments inspired by cities such as London, Amsterdam and Paris.

Two award concepts are Night Theater and Night Gigs. The first, a unique play about night security in Timișoara, written by Andrea Tănase and directed by Cătălin Mardale, will be performed in a moving electric bus. Night Gigs, on the other hand, is a series of surprise shows. The purchase of the ticket does not reveal the location or the artistic act, information that will be communicated on the day of the event.

Performances can include musical performances, stand-up shows, improvisation, drag shows, cultural activism, club theater, etc. and will take place in various spaces, such as private courtyards or factories. Each show, which lasts approx. 2 hours, it will have a limited audience of 50 people, favouring interaction with the artists.

Tickets will go on sale in August.

The category also includes Night Walks, nocturnal tours that connect visitors with light installations and areas of the Iosefin district that undergo transformations from night to day. These tours will be conducted in several languages, together with Timișoara Guided Tours guides.

Also within The Night-Art Festival, we offer the people of Timișoara the unique opportunity to enrich their cultural landscape at night. Thus, the Daisler Association is launching a new call addressed to event operators from Timișoara, a call intended to add nocturnal cultural experiences between September 27 and October 14. Various activities, from midnight cooking classes to puppet theater for adults, will be assisted by our association for effective implementation. Ten of these events will receive grants of €1000 each and implementation and communication support.

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This project is part of the national cultural program “Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in 2023” and is financed through the Grow Timișoara 2023 program, carried out by the Project Center of Timișoara Municipality, with funds allocated from the state budget, through the budget of the Ministry of Culture.

The Night-Art Festival is presented by George, the first smart banking.

Sponsors: Fan Courier, Iulius Town, ATP Motors, Pepsi

Project partners: Leeds City Council, In-Edu Association Timișoara, German Cultural Center Timișoara, Cluj Cultural Center, West University Timișoara, University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca, Polytechnic University of Timișoara

Communication partners: Getica OOH, Aushopping galleries, Kiss Fm, Euromedia, Pressone.ro, G4Media.ro, World Wide Print, Daisler Print House, Știri din România, Tion, Express de Banat, IQOOL, Zile și Nopți, Știri de Timișoara, NewsVest, Adevărul, TVR, Radio Timișoara, România Pozitivă, Best of Timișoara