Home » News » Experience Trenčín in a different light! The first edition of the Light Art Festival will transform the city into a large light gallery.

Experience Trenčín in a different light! The first edition of the Light Art Festival will transform the city into a large light gallery.

Trenčín 2026

08. April 2025
Press Releases

An oversized projection on the building of the Municipal Tower, an installation that will reflect the beautiful interior of the synagogue, or a laser show that will show Trenčín Castle in a completely different light. These are just three of the seven stops of the Light Art Festival, which will take place on 11 and 12 April from 19:30 to 23:00 with the help of the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026 project. The light works will change the view of famous places and secret corners of Trenčín and will connect history with contemporary art. Entrance to the festival is free.

The first edition of the Light Art Festival is a proof of the potential of smaller towns to host European-level art events. People in Trenčín will experience different forms of light art over two evenings, through laser show, video mapping, digital art. “The vast majority of the festival’s installations are tailor-made for a specific location, it’s called site specific. We gave the artists a space and they tried to incorporate their work so that it works well with the architecture, with the feelings,” says Lukáš Matejka, from the well-known Trenčín civic association TRAKT, which organizes the Light Art Festival and has brought video mapping or digital graffiti to the city in the past.

But the Light Art Festival is not just about the visual experience. “Light art can change the atmosphere of cities, draw attention to their hidden beauty and help people develop a deeper relationship with their urban environment. Each of the festival’s installations offers a new perspective on Trenčín-historic landmarks, cultural spaces or lesser-known hidden corners,” Matejka adds. 

Seven stops of the festival

The light and multimedia installations for the first edition of the event were prepared by designers and artists not only from Slovakia, but also from abroad. The dominant feature of the town, Trenčín Castle, will be dressed in a tangle of lasers by creative artist and technician Roman Bacul. Light beams will be projected onto the facade of the castle and will illuminate its architecture in an unusual design. Visitors of Miloš Alexander Bazovský Gallery will have an opportunity to paint with light thanks to the work of the Romanian design studio called Noiseloop. At the OD Prior, under the auspices of the TRAKT civic association, visitors will have a chance to play the nostalgic video game called Atomic Bomberman right on the facade of the building. Lukáš Dřevjaný alias OXOO, a Czech artist, will visit Trenčín for the second time. This time through the Terraform laser video projection in the interior of KKC Hviezda, depicting plant growth and technology as a creative force. And there is more to come. 

Moving mirrors in the synagogue

One of the most impressive installations will comprise the work Reflection by Czech artists Petr Vacek and Adam Cigler, created in collaboration with PrusaLab for Prague’s Signal Festival. The Light Art Festival team has set it in the newly renovated interior of the Trenčín synagogue. The authors will create a wall of moving mirrors which will interact with the presence of people. “The movement of mirrors will not be random,” Vacek and Cigler reveal. “It is guided by animation, which we have specially designed for the space of the Trenčín synagogue. Just like the lighting around the work and the soundtrack, which we created in collaboration with other creators. The sound and lights are synchronized with the movements of the mirrors,” explain the artists. In this way, the audience will become part of a hypnotic play of light and reflections in the captivating atmosphere of the historic building. 

The story of Well, Just You Wait! with a strong message

The artist Boris Vitázek, originally from Trenčín, brings a work that gives us a peek not only into the inner courtyard of the Trenčín Museum. Through LED animation and laser projection, we get a glimpse into the conflicts of the past and present. He found inspiration in the animated series of Well, Just You Wait. “57 years have passed since the invasion of Slovakia by Warsaw Pact troops. After 21 years of occupation, Slovakia managed to achieve its liberation through thr Velvet revolution. The cycle of tension and aggression, reminiscent of the endless chase in the Soviet animated fairy tale “Well, Just You Wait!”, is repeating all over again today—in the form of the war in Ukraine. It is closer to us than it ever has been in the last 35 years,” says Vitázek about his work.

Start of the festival on Peace Square

The festival programme will officially open on Friday, 11 April at 19:30 on Peace Square. It will include a special linking of video mapping by the Nano vjs collective from Košice to the building of the Municipal Tower and musical accompaniment. During the festival, visitors can take part in guided tours of the light works under the expert guidance of the curators of the M.A. Bazovský Gallery, taste vibrant specialties in selected local gastro establishments or run through the festival together with the Kade tade running club on Saturday evening. Families with children will be able to enjoy activities in the festival map that will make a visit to the works a little expedition. The full programme and festival map can be found at www.laftrencin.sk. 

Light Art Festival is a part of the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026 project. Trenčín 2026 is financially supported by the City of Trenčín, the Trenčín Self-Governing Region and the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. It is supported by the European Union.

Accompanying programme of the festival

Videomapping performance 

Friday April 11

Municipal Tower, Duration: 19:45–20:30

Guided tours

Friday April 11 | Saturday April 12 

Meeting place: reception GMAB, Duration: 20:00–21:30 

Limited capacity, please register online or at the info point. 

Running at the speed of light with the Kade tade running club 

Saturday April 12 

Meeting place: Hasič Pub, Start: 19:30 

I LAF TRENČÍN GASTRO