Light and art to shine at City of Waterloo’s Lumen Festival

The City of Waterloo is pleased to present the annual Lumen Festival, returning to uptown Waterloo Saturday, September 20, 2025 from 6 to 11 p.m. This free, family-friendly event promises a memorable evening of exploring over 35 imaginative installations by local and international artists.

Celebrated as a festival where artists make their mark with cutting-edge installations, Lumen brings world-class interactive art to public spaces in uptown Waterloo.

“Lumen is a showcase of creative talent,” says Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe. “With over 35 installations across our public spaces, this festival highlights Waterloo’s commitment to activating and celebrating shared places and to bringing the community together.”

A highlight of this year’s expanded program is the installation Say What You Will, by internationally acclaimed artist MASARY.  Co-presented with the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in celebration of their 25-year anniversary,  Say What You Will is an interactive projection that transforms spoken words into light. The artwork explores how meaning and emotion can change when speech, text and sound are expressed in new forms.

Other highlights include:

• Chaos and Wonder, a spoken word and contemporary dance performance by artists Roshan James and Tara Butler.
• sPARK! - a pop-up dance party, where Waterloo Park transforms into a giant dance party by Dark Rooms (Jackie Levitt & Jonah Kamphorst).
• 星星(Sing Sing), an interactive projection by Germaine Liu.

In addition to the one-night festival on September 20, Lumen will feature three longer-lasting installations that will stay in place until October 19:

• POP!, an interactive large-scale sculpture by Gentilhomme / Presented by Quartier des Spectacles International in partnership with Jack World.
• Entanglement Pair, an interactive projection by Sebastian Bevelander.
• Say What You Will, an interactive projection that transforms spoken words into light by internationally acclaimed artist MASARY / distributed by Wireframe | Public Art Agency

About Lumen

Lumen is a free, all-ages festival that celebrates the intersection of light, art and technology. Featuring the work of local, national, and international artists, Lumen highlights accessibility, interactivity and innovation. In 2024, Lumen attracted over 110,000 visitors over the course of the month-long celebration and the festival continues to grow as one of Waterloo’s signature events.

The City of Waterloo is committed to accessibility, and presenting this event entirely free and open to the public, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the magic of light and art.

Event Details

Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025
Time: 6 to 11 p.m.
Location: Various locations in uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park

For more information and updates, please visit www.lumenfestival.ca or follow Create Waterloo on social media for event updates.

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Media contact:

Shirley Luu
Communications Consultant
Corporate Communications
City of Waterloo
Shirley.luu@waterloo.ca