Mainz leuchtet – Das Late Light Festival returns for the 4th time: From September 24 to 26, the heart of the city will once again be creatively illuminated
For the fourth year, Mainz leuchtet – Das Late Light Festival will once again illuminate the heart of the city for three evenings from September 24 to 26, 2026 with a spectacular light show stretching from the Rheingoldhalle to Schillerplatz. Every day from 8 to 11 p.m., striking light and video projections designed by students of Mainz University of Applied Sciences will transform buildings along the Mile of Lights into impressive works of art. The free event is rounded out by an accompanying program full of variety, guided tours, and activities in local restaurants, cultural venues, and retail businesses.
The event Mainz leuchtet – Das Late Light Festival, which was jointly developed in 2023 by mainzplus, Mainz city government, and Mainz University of Applied Sciences, is one of the highlights of the city’s event calendar and has attracted a total of around 250,000 visitors to downtown Mainz over the past three years. Numerous oohs and aahs and faces filled with amazement have marked the Mile of Lights from Rheingoldhalle to Schillerplatz. From September 24 to 26, 2026, the popular light festival will once again take place in its familiar location, from 8 to 11 p.m. every day.
As in previous years, the event centers on the elaborate and impressive light installations and video projections known as mappings, developed by students of the Time-Based Media degree program at Mainz University of Applied Sciences, which present various buildings in the city center in a completely new light. Visitors can stroll along the Mile of Lights from Rheingoldhalle to Schillerplatz and enjoy being amazed by the light art on display along the way. The illuminated buildings and sites featured in the 2026 Mainz leuchtet – Das Late Light Festival are: Jockel-Fuchs-Platz/Rheingoldhalle/Brückenturm, mainz STORE, St. Martin’s Cathedral (east choir), St. Gotthard Chapel, Mainz State Theater, Deutsche Bank, Juwelier Leo Link GmbH (both on Ludwigsstraße), Osteiner Hof/Schillerplatz, and Bastion von Schönborn. Parallel to the installations, the exhibition über:morgen will be shown in the LUX Pavilion of Mainz University of Applied Sciences on Ludwigsstraße. The Mainz leuchtet bus will also be traveling through the downtown area as a mobile element of the festival.
The spectacle of lights will again be complemented by various offers and activities along the Mile of Lights. For example, numerous retail businesses will keep their stores open until 10 p.m. during the “Long Night of Lights” on Saturday, 26 September. Some local retailers and restaurateurs are also preparing special light-themed offers. Participating businesses include ANSON’S, ENTEGA Point, Burgerheart, and Wilma Wunder am Markt. More businesses will be announced in the coming weeks.
A special city tour by the Mainz Tourist Guide Association (Gästeführerverband Mainz e.V.), held on all three event days (each evening at 8:30 p.m.), tells fascinating stories about Mainz leuchtet – Das Late Light Festival while offering special insights into Mainz’s old town. In addition, LVNG MNZ will offer two city tours on the mysterious “lost Marys” (Friday, September 25, including refreshments, and Saturday, September 26, without refreshments, both at 7:30 p.m.). The tours are coordinated by mainzplus and can be booked now at www.mainz-leuchtet.de.
Mainz leuchtet – Das Late Light Festival is organized by mainzplus GmbH in collaboration with its project partners, Mainz city government and Mainz University of Applied Sciences. The Time-Based Media degree program at Mainz University of Applied Sciences, which developed the creative concept specifically for the festival, is responsible for the artistic implementation. Professors Tjark Ihmels, Daniel Seideneder, Pascal Kulcsár, Benjamin Hohnheiser, and Olaf Hirschberg are in charge of the artistic and organizational direction.
The 2026 edition of Mainz leuchtet – Das Late Light Festival is supported by premium partner ENTEGA, as well as partners Bastion von Schönborn, J. Molitor Immobilien, Juwelier Leo Link GmbH, Mainzer Mobilität, Rheinhessen Sparkasse, SELTERS, and Volksbank Darmstadt Mainz. A special thanks also go to all owners and property managers of the buildings.
Nino Haase, Mayor of the state’s capital city of Mainz, expresses his enthusiasm: “Since its debut, the event Mainz leuchtet – Das Late Light Festival has delighted Mainz residents and tourists alike, year after year. There are hardly any other events that bring together such creative potential to breathe even more life into downtown Mainz and light it up in such a special way. What stands out in particular is the joint implementation of the event by city marketing, the university, and cultural stakeholders, with the involvement of local businesses as well. My sincere thanks go to the many people involved, who make this special project possible with their ideas, passion, and dedication.”
Katja Mailahn and Marc André Glöckner, managing directors of organizer mainzplus, say: “In late September, a unique atmosphere can be experienced in downtown Mainz. At Mainz leuchtet, everyone has the opportunity to get to know the city in a very special way. You can marvel, stroll, linger, reflect, and discover. The positive feedback from previous years shows that the light festival inspires enthusiasm while involving important local stakeholders. The valuable cooperation with the Mainz city government and Mainz University of Applied Sciences continues to prove its worth. In 2026 as well, we will stage a festival full of variety that presents Mainz in a special light and illustrates the diversity of our city.”
Prof. Dr. Katharina Dahm, President of Mainz University of Applied Sciences, sums it up:”Mainz leuchtet is an impressive example of what can emerge when the university, the city government, and city marketing work together. Because the students’ works truly illuminate Mainz’s urban spaces and can be experienced by so many people, the special connection between our university and the city’s stakeholders becomes wonderfully visible.”
Mainz leuchtet – Das Late Light Festival grew out of the Innenstadt-Impulse (City Center Impulses) funding program of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the state capital Mainz, which was designed to bring new energy to the downtown areas of cities following years of crisis. With the idea of bringing the theme of light into the city in many different forms, the format of a major event was created that has lit up Mainz’s downtown area for three evenings along a Mile of Lights from the Rheingoldhalle to Schillerplatz since 2023.
Everything you need to know, at a glance:
- When: September 24 to 26, 2026, from 8 to 11 p.m. every day
- Where: Downtown Mainz (from Rheingoldhalle to Schillerplatz)
- Participants in the “Long Night of Lights” on September 26 and other activities: ANSON’S, Burgerheart, Wilma Wunder am Markt – more to follow
- Program and additional information: www.mainz-leuchtet.de
- Admission is free. You can book activities in the supporting program and guided tours here: www.mainz-leuchtet.de
Getting there and back:
Public transportation is recommended for arrival and departure. Please note the temporary road closures and diversions during the event. On all event days, Mainzer Mobilität is offering an event ticket for RMV fare zone 13 (Mainz-Wiesbaden). You can find information and connections here: www.rmv.de and www.mainzer-mobilitaet.de.
Temporary road closures:
On the event days from Thursday, 24 September, through Saturday, 26 September 2026, temporary restrictions in car, public transportation, and taxi traffic will apply daily from approximately 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.:
- Ludwigsstraße fully closed (access to surrounding parking garages remains open)
- Weißliliengasse closed from the Weißliliengasse parking garage/access to Ludwigsstraße (entry to the Weißliliengasse parking garage remains possible)
- Große Langgasse/corner of Ludwigstraße (access to Ludwigstraße closed)
- Schillerplatz/corner of Schillerstraße (access to Schillerplatz/Ludwigsstraße closed)
- Schöfferstraße/near Jesuitenbogen (access to Höfchen closed)
- Schöfferstraße/near Höfchen (access to Höfchen closed)
On all three event days, public transportation will not run through Schillerplatz and Ludwigsstraße/Schöfferstraße from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Public transportation routes will be diverted accordingly, with replacement stops set up in some cases.
Information about the mappings/locations:
Jockel-Fuchs-Platz/Rheingoldhalle
- An audiovisual production, where light and video installations animate the Rathaus plaza and its structures, offering a place to linger, feel, and breathe. This year, Jockel-Fuchs-Platz transforms into a space of the elements. Light, audio, and video create imaginary worlds of forest and water, of wind, fire, and earth.
Brückenturm
- Visitors can look forward to an interactive projection that explores personal dreams, wishes, and longings. The installation invites people to share their own ideas and wishes, creating a shared connection in the process. The Brückenturm façade is transformed into an interactive and surreal projection in which the individual wishes of visitors merge into a single visual experience.
mainz STORE
- Tom Braunschedel: Interactive projection: A lively digital guestbook for Mainz leuchtet. Visitors can create their own avatar and send it onto the façade.
Dom St. Martin (St. Gotthard Chapel)
- Nico Michel/music by Willi Bücking: Film collage: Caught in the whirl of the rhythm of people walking, running, pushing, and rolling.
- Steffen Philippi/music by Willi Bücking: 3D animation: Holes open up in the building’s masonry, layer by layer.
Dom St. Martin (east choir)
- Jonas Abdelmon/sound by Mihail Scheiermann: 3D animation: A reinterpretation of the cathedral’s formal language in a dynamic interplay of geometry, light, and shadow.
Mainz State Theater
- Malte Kropp/music by Willi Bücking: 3D animation: A forest dweller comes into contact with the lights and logic of the city.
- Raban Löffler/music by Mihail Scheiermann: Film/2D animation: Hands, light, and shadow. Movement and architecture.
Juwelier Leo Link
- Jocy Merk: 2D frame-by-frame animation: A house dresses to impress.
Deutsche Bank
- Toni Strauß/music by Willi Bücking: 2D animation: Photographs of façades of all kinds repeatedly form new structures in a spherical animation, creating a constantly changing, trance-like atmosphere.
LUX Pavllion
- Parallel to the installations, the exhibition über:morgen will be on view in the LUX Pavilion of Mainz University of Applied Sciences on Ludwigsstraße.
Osteiner Hof
- Maja Kaub: 3D/2D animation: An adventurous raccoon discovers the power of spray paint cans.
- Isabell Camaj: Cut-out stop-motion animation/2D animation: Children’s doodles come to life on the façade.
BUS Mobile Projection Unit
- The Mobile Projection Unit of Mainz University of Applied Sciences stops at changing locations around Mainz. Supervised by Professor Daniel Seideneder, the rolling installation, together with DJ Funkanomics and live visuals, creates various special lighting atmospheres throughout the city.
Bastion von Schönborn
- This year as well, the popular restaurant on the banks of the Rhine in Kastel will be beautifully illuminated, with the best views of the Mainz side of the Rhine.
