Light Move Festival 2026 ran from 25 to 27 September, and once again the centre of Łódź became a city of light, with projections, installations and illuminated buildings across the route.

I photographed the festival in 2025 too, mostly projections and illuminated architecture. This time I also walked the route at night, looking for colours, details and people.

When the Streets Light Up

When it gets dark, familiar streets look different. Piotrkowska Street was particularly busy. The buildings were lit up with strings of lights spanning across the street. Crowds were walking between the different festival sites. I kept people in my photographs because they show how the city changes after dark.

Łódź is a good choice for events of this kind. Its ornate facades work as giant screens: the light changes how they look, but their original shapes stay visible.

Light Between the Buildings

Some of the simpler scenes appealed to me most. Tkalnia restaurant, for example: its warm interior glowed against the blue and red light of the festival outside.

When Buildings Become Screens

The festival was impressive because of its enormous projections, which completely changed the look of the buildings. They weren’t just a backdrop; they were the performance.

The facades were given colours and patterns and some of the projections depicted characters and figures.

Seeing how the projections changed the way I looked at Łódź’s architecture was one of the best parts of Light Move Festival 2026.

People Are Part of the Festival Too

The festival is also about the people who experience it. They move from one installation to the next, stop to look around, and end up in the photographs, along with the performers walking through the crowd.

Into the Green

The festival also reached parks, where the trees were used as part of the displays.

There were scenes with the light distributed over the trees and not concentrated on any particular building.

Walking the Festival

I walked around the festival with my camera, photographing the packed streets, the brightly coloured buildings, the unusual art installations, and the people who brought it all to life.

The festival seemed perfectly at home in Łódź, as if it had always been a natural part of the city.

A Glimpse of the Festival

Photographs can capture the light, but video gives a better sense of the movement and atmosphere.

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The lights are now off, but the images are still there.

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If you enjoyed this night walk through Łódź, you’ll find more stories and photographs from Poland and beyond on Shutter & Saddle.