Amsterdam Light Festival
The Amsterdam Lights Festival, now in its third edition, takes place between 27 November to 18 January 2015, lighting up the Amsterdam skies with light sculptures, projections and installations by contemporary (inter)national artists.
Amsterdam Light Festival website: http://www.amsterdamlightfestival.com/en/programma/2014-2015/water-colors/
One of the remarkable things about the Amsterdam Lights Festival is its ability to encourage the general public to roam the Amsterdam streets on cold wintery nights, when most would prefer to be snuggled up in front of the television with a cup of hot chocolate.
Water Color Cruise
The best way to experience the Light Festival is to follow the Water Colors Cruise. On this occasion we went on the Canal and Holland International Canal Cruises Water Color Cruise.
Canal Cruises website: https://www.canal.nl/en/water-colors-cruise and https://www.canal.nl/en/amsterdamlightfestival
We had gone on the walking tour of the Amsterdam Lights Festival the evening before and suffered the cold accordingly. In contrast, the boat tour, which we went on the following evening, had the distinct advantage of being warm and comfortable. No frozen fingers and sniffing noses.
This year, the works are even more spectacular than in prior years. Some of the works featured in our video include the following:
-House of Cards by OGE Creative Group
-Water Fun by Angus Muir
-Floating Bridge by Leandro Mendes
-World of Shapes by Todd van Hulzen / Studio Louter on Science Center NEMO
-Ghost Ship by VisualSKIN
-On the Wings of Freedom by Aether & Hemera
-My light is your light… by Alaa Minawi
-The Gatekeepers by Irma de Vries
-The Sphere of Amsterdam by Students HvA
-Lightbridge by Tjep
-178 BOTTLES, 1 MESSAGE by Saskia Hoogendoorn & Lieuwe Martijn Wijnands
-Arborescence by Loop.pH
-Tulip Mania! by Eibert Draisma & Aoife Wullur
-Lux Turba Sensus by Univate
-Effervescence by Géraud Périole
-Circle of Life by Rob van Houten
I enjoyed both the walking tour and the Water Colors Cruise in equal measure. I would favour the boat cruise from a comfort perspective. If you are in Amsterdam in Jan 2015, then make a plan to see the Amsterdam Light Festival.