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Festival of Light in Leipzig: Celebrate 35 years of unity with music and a sea of candles!
On October 6, 2025, Leipzig will celebrate the Light Festival for German Unity with a colorful program and light installations.
Festival of Light in Leipzig: Celebrate 35 years of unity with music and a sea of candles!
On October 6, 2025, the Festival of Light will take place in downtown Leipzig, an important event in the context of the 35th anniversary of German unification. The motto of the festival is “Approaching each other – 35 years of German unity” and is expected to attract thousands of people. The celebrations begin at 7 p.m. with a traditional peace prayer in St. Nicholas Church and end at 10 p.m.
The highlight of the evening will be the laying of the foundation stone of the new Freedom and Unity Monument on Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz. High-profile guests will take part in the celebrations, including the Mayor of Leipzig, Burkhard Jung (SPD), the Prime Minister of Saxony Michael Kretschmer (CDU) and the Federal Commissioner for Culture Wolfram Weimer (CDU). The well-known civil rights activist Gesine Oltmanns will also be present.
Artistic contributions and program highlights
A special musical highlight of the evening will be the premiere of the choral work “Our courage will be close to us”, with 170 children and young people. The program is supported by five light installations designed by artists from East and West Germany.
Visitors are invited to take part in an artfully designed light trail that connects central locations of the Peaceful Revolution. The Light Walk starts at 7 p.m. and there is the opportunity to receive free candles at special stands in the city center to symbolically celebrate the connection and memory of the events of 1989.
The peace prayer, led by Pastor Bernhard Stief, begins at 5 p.m. and is supplemented by a speech on democracy by Nino Haratischwili at 6:15 p.m. The speech will be accompanied by music by Nestan Bagration-Davitashvili. The traditional Candle 89 in Schiller Park will play a special role when guests will light it with thousands of tea lights.
Logistical information
Public transport, bicycles or footpaths are recommended for traveling to the event. Access to St. Nicholas Church is only possible via Entrance D until 15 minutes before the peace prayer. Minor traffic disruptions are expected around Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz and Neumarkt, but no major traffic restrictions are planned. The recommended S-Bahn exit is Leuschnerplatz.
The Festival of Light commemorates not only the Monday demonstrations in the fall of 1989 that led to the fall of the SED regime, but also the ongoing importance of unity in Germany. The event thus becomes a central moment of reflection and shared remembrance, which forms the festive framework for the evening. [MDR] reports that this Light Festival offers a special opportunity to celebrate the values of freedom and democracy, while [Light Festival Leipzig] strengthens the artistic component and highlights the geographical and historical connection of the places.