The LUNAR Festival of Lights returns to Sofia for its fourth edition, transforming the capital into an extraordinary open-air gallery. Every evening in the period May 8 to 11, the audience will be immersed in a world of lights through 3D mapping projections and laser shows located at 14 key places in the city center. More than 20 artists from different countries will present a total of 10,000 sq.m. of visual art on the façades of historic buildings, parks and squares.

The grandiose open-air light show is an initiative of the Bulgarian visual effects studio MP-STUDIO and is organized in partnership with the Festival of Lights International – one of the most famous light festivals in the world, with the support of leading Bulgarian and European institutions.

"We are showing the so-called New Media Art – an art that was not so popular until recently. There are many different styles. Each artist has their own unique approach to certain topics. And it is very interesting to present them to people, to observe their reactions and how they perceive the artists' messages. This is a wonderful open-air gallery that is accessible and free for everyone," Marin Dimitrov from MP-Studio says in an interview with BNR-Sofia.

The festival route – approximately 3 km long – will lead the audience through several thematic highlights. This year, the façade of the National Palace of Culture will become an impressive canvas on which the finalists of the "Bright Horizons" competition for static 3D mapping will present their creativity. The route of light will also take viewers to the "Cosmos" fountain in the underpass of the National Palace of Culture. It will shine under the lights of a video mapping show, synchronized with a laser.

On the façade of the National Gallery "Square 500", seven finalists in the International Video Mapping Competition will impress the audience with their work on the theme "Testament".The National Library "Sts. Cyril and Methodius" will celebrate Europe Day with impressive data sculpture, exploring the basic principles on which the EU is built.

Sofia residents and guests of the capital also expect a series of fantastic holograms and visual journeys.

• Concerts, video mapping and festivities to celebrate Europe Day in Bulgaria

• Sofia and the stories-in-light it has to tell under the open skies

The festival will focus attention on various topics, including the "green" one but also on topics such as:

"The role of technology, which is extremely relevant with the development of AI. Of course, the interesting thing about the festival is that we will be able to see a very classic approach from the point of view of painting and fine arts, but also very modern technologies, such as AI, data sculpture, etc.," Marin Dimitrov says.

Last year, LUNAR attracted nearly half a million spectators in just 4 evenings, he claims and adds:

"What is interesting and we observe every year is that more and more people come from all over Bulgaria for the festival itself. People also come from abroad, which is great, because Sofia is becoming a more interesting and attractive center for art. And of course, this festival supports tourism in Sofia," Marin Dimitrov says in conclusion.

The event is realized with the institutional support of the EP Bureau in Bulgaria, the EC Representation in Bulgaria, the Ministry of Tourism, the Sofia Municipality, under the auspices of Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev and with the financial support of the National Culture Fund.

Text: Veneta Nikolova based on an interview by Gergana Peykova from BNR-Sofia with Marin Dimitrov from MP-STUDIO

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photos: lunarlights.eu, MP-STUDIO, Facebook/ Sketches of Sofia