Lumen

Experience an exciting night where light, art, and tech transforms uptown Waterloo with interactive installations and performances.

• → September 19 from 6 to 11 p.m.
• → Uptown Waterloo
• → Free
• → All ages and family-friendly

Learn more on the Lumen website, launching early September 2026.

What’s happening

Lumen features more than 30 visual, interactive, new media, and performance-based installations that light up public spaces across uptown. 

2025 festival

Thank you to everyone who joined us! You can revisit the exhibits on the Lumen festival website. 

We gratefully acknowledge our sponsors: Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Waterloo, Uptown Waterloo BIA, Enova, Killam Apartment Reit, Miller Thompson and RBC Royal Bank.

2026 festival

Lumen returns on September 19, 2026 with over 30 installations across uptown Waterloo from Silver Lake to Waterloo City Hall.

Get involved

Watch for opportunities to be a part of the next year's event. Applications will reopen for:

• artists
• food trucks 
• volunteers

Sponsorship opportunities

Lumen draws over 40,000 attendees each year. Contact festivals@waterloo.ca for our sponsorship guide and information about how your business can get involved.