Six years is a long time to wait. Yet in September 2025, Cascais will once again glow with the return of Lumina Festival da Luz, one of Europe’s most acclaimed light art gatherings. From the twelfth to the fourteenth, the town becomes a stage of luminous imagination, a living gallery where streets, squares and beaches are transformed into ephemeral works of art.

Since its creation, Lumina has welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors, presented 136 light installations and hosted 122 artists from 26 countries. Its reputation has been confirmed by The Guardian, which listed it among the ten best light festivals in Europe, and by awards such as Best Cultural Event in 2013 and the prestigious EFFE label for notable festivals.

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The 2025 edition carries the theme Dreams and Stories: A Luminous Journey through the Subconscious. More than 20 artworks will reimagine Cascais across a three-kilometre route. Installations will include sculptures, interactive pieces, videomapping and live performances. Names such as Amanda Parer from Australia, Rui MiraGaia from Portugal, Ant Dickinson from the United Kingdom, H.E.M. from France and the Dutch artist Hugo Vrijdag will join a diverse roster representing four continents.

Carole Purnelle, Founder and CEO of OCUBO, calls Lumina “an invitation to dream awake”. For her, each artwork is a passage into memory and sensation. Nuno Maya, Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director of OCUBO, describes the pause since 2018 as “a breath in, now released with new ideas and new energy”.

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This renewal is supported by a strong network of partners. Câmara Municipal de Cascais stands at the centre, reaffirming its role as a cultural leader in Portugal. Turismo de Portugal joins with a national vision, marking 2025 with the message “Portugal is Art”, a statement that resonates through every illuminated facade and performance. Sponsors, embassies and cultural institutions contribute to the global reach, ensuring that Lumina is both proudly local and truly international.

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Beyond numbers and recognition, the essence of Lumina remains intimacy. Families walking hand in hand through streets alive with light, children playing inside glowing sculptures, visitors carrying memories long after the installations fade.

Most of all, Lumina is entirely free to the public, open to all ages, families and friends. It is a gift to Cascais and to everyone who wishes to share in its brilliance.

This September, Cascais will once again shine. With its artists, its partners, its stories and its light, Lumina returns not simply as an event but as a celebration of imagination itself.