Brandenburg Gate hosts Festival of Lights from 9 to 18 October
Published on 10/11/2026 at 07:10 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSKey points in brief
- The 22nd Festival of Lights runs from 9 to 18 October 2026 at Brandenburg Gate and other Berlin landmarks.
- The official programme lists Brandenburg Gate at Pariser Platz for a 3D video mapping show during the festival.
- The gate was built between 1788 and 1791 and reopened to the public on 22 December 1989 after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
- Visitors can reach Brandenburg Gate by S-Bahn, U-Bahn and bus during the Festival of Lights period from 9 to 18 October 2026.
Brandenburg Gate is hosting the Festival of Lights from 9 to 18 October 2026. The Berlin landmark, known locally as the Brandenburger Tor, is listed as a venue for the festival's 3D video mapping show at Pariser Platz.
Festival of Lights puts Brandenburg Gate on the programme
The 22nd Festival of Lights runs across Berlin for ten evenings under the theme Colours of Love. The official programme gives the event dates as 9 to 18 October 2026 and lists daily festival hours from 7pm to 11pm. Its venue list places Brandenburg Gate at Pariser Platz and describes the presentation there as a 3D video mapping show.
The programme names the gate as venue 17 among the illuminated locations. Other listed sites include Berlin TV Tower, Berlin Cathedral, Humboldt University, the State Opera, Victory Column and Oberbaum Bridge. The festival therefore links a projection-based art programme with one of the capital's most recognisable public spaces, rather than presenting the gate as a separate indoor exhibition venue. Festival of Lights programme
Brandenburg Gate brings a 1791 landmark into a light-art event
The sandstone gate was built between 1788 and 1791 to designs by Carl Gotthard Langhans. It forms the western end of the boulevard Unter den Linden and stands on Pariser Platz in central Berlin.
The Quadriga was placed on the roof in 1793. The building and the sculpture were heavily damaged during the Second World War, and the Quadriga was replaced by a copy during reconstruction in 1956. The Festival of Lights projections will therefore appear on a structure whose visible form includes both eighteenth-century construction and later reconstruction.
Its political and historical meaning also changed over time. After the Berlin Wall was built in August 1961, the gate stood inside the restricted area and could not be crossed by people from either side. It reopened on 22 December 1989, after the fall of the Wall, and became a symbol of German reunification. Berlin's landmark guide
Pariser Platz connects the projection site with Berlin's centre
The gate stands at Pariser Platz, with Unter den Linden leading directly towards the square. The surrounding area includes the Academy of Arts, the US Embassy and the Hotel Adlon, according to Berlin's official visitor information.
The location makes the Festival of Lights presentation part of a wider central-city route. Visitors can combine the projection at the gate with other listed venues around Unter den Linden, Bebelplatz, Museum Island and Potsdamer Platz, although the official programme does not describe a fixed walking route between them.
Visiting Brandenburg Gate: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Festival of Lights runs from 9 to 18 October 2026, and Brandenburg Gate is listed at Pariser Platz as a 3D video mapping venue.
- The gate's Berlin.de listing says it is accessible at any time; the festival programme identifies the outdoor landmark as a presentation site rather than an enclosed exhibition.
- Brandenburg Gate is at Pariser Platz 5 in Berlin. The S+U Brandenburger Tor station is served by S1, S2, S25, S26 and U5, while bus connections include routes 100, M41, N5 and 300.
- The site is a public square and historic city landmark. The surrounding route includes paved central streets and open urban space, while the gate itself is described as accessible for visitors.
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Frequently asked questions about Brandenburg Gate
When does the Festival of Lights take place at Brandenburg Gate?
The 22nd Festival of Lights runs from 9 to 18 October 2026. The official programme lists daily festival hours from 7pm to 11pm and identifies Brandenburg Gate as a 3D video mapping venue.
What is Brandenburg Gate?
It is a sandstone gate in central Berlin, built between 1788 and 1791 to designs by Carl Gotthard Langhans. The Quadriga was added in 1793.
Where is Brandenburg Gate and how do you get there?
It stands on Pariser Platz in Berlin. The S+U Brandenburger Tor station is served by S1, S2, S25, S26 and U5, with bus routes also stopping nearby.
