Enschede Lights up
Get to know Enschede with this spectacular free light projection route through the city centre. Will you join in?
Lights up
Enschede
You won't know what you see with all those technologies during this light experience. From December 11 to 14, 2025 between 17:00-22:00 there will again be spectacular light art locations throughout downtown Enschede!
Keep an eye on this page and socials for the latest updates!
Enschede Lights Up 2025
This year, Enschede Lights Up takes place from 11 to 14 December 2025. The starting point of this unique free route is Tourist Info Enschede at Langestraat 41. All locations can be visited between 17:00 and 22:00. Tourist Info Enschede will have extended opening hours during these days and is open from 17:00 to 22:00. This year, the route features more than 10 locations!
In the Klanderij-Twentec you’ll discover Marbles, a giant rotating marble run that surprises you with ever-changing light patterns. On Jacobusplein, the artwork Breathe invites you to slow down and reconnect with your breath, while at the intersection De Graaff, light and rain come together in the poetic installation It’s raining light. At Twente Board, you can join Fieke fikst ’t, an interactive game that playfully introduces you to the world of technology. From this location, the historic TET bus offers free rides to two other stops along the route.
At Villa Schuttersveld you can enjoy a magical multimedia show that brings the history of the villa and 700 years of Enschede to life. On Sunday 14 December at 19:00, the mayor will officially close the Enschede 700 anniversary year with a special reflection, accompanied by live music to celebrate the final evening.
The remaining locations and artworks will be revealed later. Alongside all installations, you can once again enjoy fantastic street performers this year. At the starting point on Langestraat 41, visitors can get glow-in-the-dark face paint, and of course there are plenty of spots along the route to grab a drink or a bite to eat.
Route booklet
You can pick up the free route booklet from Wednesday 10 December at Tourist Info Enschede (only in NL and DU).
The route
Marbles
Location 1 - Klanderij-Twentec
Have you ever seen a giant rotating marble track like this? A glowing marble rolls down a spherical track with shifting light patterns. Along the axis, the marble is pushed back up through the sphere. The changing lights on the sphere symbolize the many ways you grow and express yourself. Step in and let it surprise you (or even hypnotize you).
Creator: Gertjan Adema
Live performance Fentom, Kes en VJ Caro
Location 2 - Vestzak
Especially for Enschede Lights Up, Enschede musicians Fentom and Kes join forces with VJ Caro for a live performance at Vestzak on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 December. In just three days, these creators, who have never collaborated before, will develop a brand-new musical and visual show inspired by the theme Street Art in Enschede. They will present this brand-new creation at Vestzak on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 December. This programme is a collaboration between Vestzak, GrensFrequentie, the ArtEZ Conservatory and the Booster Festival.
Please note: The live performance can only be seen on Friday and Saturday at 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:00.
Breathe
Location 3 - Jacobusplein
Breathing is the essence of our existence. We can survive for days without food or water, but without breath only a few seconds. Yet we rarely think about it. In a world that never slows down, we breathe fast and shallow. This installation invites you to breathe consciously again, to slow down, and to reconnect with yourself and with nature.
Creators: Markus Anders in cooperation with Circus Lumineszenz
It's Raining Light
Location 4 - Kruispunt de Graaff
Light and rain work together, meeting each other halfway in the air, where they create brief moments of colour. As the raindrops fall, they catch the light, refract it and reveal colours that would otherwise stay hidden. Each droplet becomes a tiny prism, holding the sunlight for a moment before it disappears. The sky, once heavy and grey, turns into a vibrant canvas painted with shades of gold, blue and violet. The light doesn’t resist the rain, it moves through it, allowing colour to emerge, shine and fade again.
Creators: Circus Lumineszenz
An enterprising journey through time
Location 5 - 053 Impact City
In the future home of Het Warenhuis, still known to many as “the old V&D”, you’ll discover 700 years of Enschede’s entrepreneurship and inventions. Thread by thread, the tapestry of our impact city is woven; from textile capital to high-tech hotspot. Explore the story of an enterprising city that keeps reinventing itself.
The time travel experience is available in Dutch and English.
Creators: Novel-T & Total-Image
Light up street theater
Theater on the road
Also be surprised along the way by various light up street theater acts!
Fieke Fixes It together with you
Location 6 - Twente Board
During Enschede Lights Up you can join an interactive game: help Fieke bring her robot back to life by finding all the parts in time! Along the way, you discover how fun technology really is and that’s exactly what Fieke Fixes It stands for. Fieke Fixes It is a Golden Book created in collaboration with Twente Board to spark children’s enthusiasm for technology: creative, exciting and essential for the future. Want to know more? Visit twenteboard.nl/fieke.
This interactive game is made possible by 100fat.nl and Geert Gratama.
TET bus
Hop on and ride along
From location 6, you hop on the TET bus for free and ride straight to locations 7 and 8! During Enschede Lights Up, the bus runs all evening, so you can easily move between these three spots. Stichting Historische TET Bus is dedicated to preserving the history of TET and keeping the iconic TET bus 38 on the road for the future. TET 38 is the last remaining operating bus from 74 years of city and regional transport in and around Enschede. Ride along and enjoy this unique piece of Enschede’s history.
You can find the stops at the following locations:
- Twente Board – at the intersection of M.H. Tromplaan and Piet Heinstraat
- Saxion – at the intersection of M.H. Tromplaan and De Ruyterlaan
- Villa Schuttersveld – behind Maison Manon at Meubelplein, Schuttersveld 3, where the road borders the villa’s grounds and you’ll see the large parking area
Time Bots
Location 7 - Hogeschool Saxion
Become a time-traveling robot with Time Bots. This interactive game is projected onto the main building of Saxion. By jumping and ducking, you guide your robot through Enschede’s different time zones and back to the future. Are you faster than your opponent?
Creators: Maria Smink & Ruben Smith, students of Saxion Creative Media & Game Technologies
Sound design: Jonas Winkelman & Job Boost, students of ArtEZ and founders of Figure Eight Audio
Host
Enschede Lights Up
Take a short break at one of the Lights Up Hosts: Moeke or Metropool Café. At Moeke you sip on glowing cocktails, while Metropool Café treats you to glowing popcorn. The perfect stops to recharge during your light-filled adventure!
Curious about Enschede's DNA?
Location 8 - Villa Schuttersveld
At the rear side of this historic location, the villa’s rich history comes to life once again through a captivating multimedia show. Travel through time and experience how Enschede grew from a small farming village into a vibrant city, with a special look back at the highlights of 700 years of Enschede.
Multiple shows take place every hour.
On Sunday 14 December at 19:00, the mayor will officially conclude the Enschede 700 anniversary year. Afterwards, a special retrospective of the celebration will be shown, followed by live music to end the evening on a festive note.
Creators: Total-image, Vision Impossible
Music and arrangements: Maarten de Groot
Fantastic Fountain
Location 9 - Steps of the Intercity Hotel
Water and life are inseparable, and fountains are a beautiful reflection of that connection. They surprise, refresh and soothe, a magical spectacle for all ages. With his installation “Fantastic Fountain”, Dennis Nolda brings that magic to life in the heart of Enschede, where water, light and music merge into a sparkling artwork full of energy and wonder on the steps of the Intercity Hotel.
Artist: Dennis Nolda, Essen, Germany
Technical support: Stage United
Music: Daniel Kuniczak, Essen, Germany
Diving in the Sea of Colours
Location 10 - Willem Wilminkplein
Walk straight across Willem Wilminkplein and feel the square come alive in a captivating play of colour. Pause for a moment and let yourself be swept into a magical world as light artist Daniel Margraf transforms the square with a completely new, site-specific immersive experience.
Creators: Pronorm / Daniel Margraf
Heavenly Light
Location 11 - Grote Kerk
For this edition of Enschede Lights Up, the Grote Kerk on the Oude Markt has been transformed into a true place of calm. Step into seventh heaven and enjoy the colourful projections that bring the church to life in radiant light. Immerse yourself in the heavenly glow, reflect, and unwind.
Creators: Total-image / Maarten de Groot / ArtEZ Conservatory students and teachers
Sponsors Enschede Lights Up
2025
Enschede Lights Up is made possible by contributions from Klanderij-Twentec, Novel-T, Pay.nl, Twente Board, IntercityHotel Enschede, Ondernemersfonds Enschede and Gemeente Enschede.
