LUMENOCITY is a Brand-new Light Art Festival at the Company’s Garden THIS WEEKEND

Cape Town will be shining brighter than ever next April for the first edition of LUMENOCITY – The Art of Light, Africa’s first major festival dedicated entirely to light-based art, immersive technology, and illuminated storytelling. From 9 to 12 April 2026, the historic Company’s Garden will undergo a remarkable transformation, inviting locals and travellers alike into a glowing world of colour, creativity, and wonder.

This new concept is created entirely by South African artists, including acclaimed Cape Town illustrator and multi-disciplinary artist Yay Abe. The festival promises a fresh cultural experience that celebrates imagination, innovation, and the unique creative energy of the Mother City. Here’s what you need to know.

© Michael Attfield for What’s on in Cape Town

What to expect at LUMENOCITY festival

Visitors will go on a beautifully curated journey through more than 20 large-scale light installations, interactive artworks, and ambient experiences that celebrate play and exploration. The festival’s centrepiece is a towering 10-metre light structure, home to a 5x5m LED “cave” that guests can step inside for a full, sensory immersion of shifting visuals and colour.

Projection mapping by Yay Abe across the façades of the Museum and National Gallery will bring the Gardens’ historic architecture to life in a spectacular wash of moving art.

From dusk until late, the Company’s Garden becomes an illuminated playground: glowing tree canopies, responsive artworks that shift with movement or sound, gentle performances, and pathways washed in light. Family-friendly spaces and a variety of local food trucks round out the experience, offering visitors an inviting place to pause, snack, and take in the atmosphere.

More about the festival

Beyond its striking artistry, LUMENOCITY is an ambitious vision for Cape Town’s creative future. The event is timed intentionally alongside the iconic Two Oceans Marathon, drawing on immersive things to do for thousands of visitors and offering a platform for new opportunities for emerging artists and creative practitioners. The festival is positioned not only as a cultural showcase but as a long-term catalyst for innovation and economic uplift within the city’s creative industries.

A bold five-year plan outlines continued expansion across the Company’s Garden, potential citywide light trails, and activations at landmark locations. Its most ambitious future proposal—projection mapping Table Mountain—promises a breathtaking statement of African creativity on the global stage.

As Founder and Creative Producer Gareth Hadden explains, LUMENOCITY celebrates Cape Town as a city shaped by light, amplifying its stories, landscapes, and imaginative spirit for all who wander through its illuminated paths.