LUMINO: Montréal's iconic winter festival casts an even brighter light
Montréal's dazzling winter light festival, Luminothérapie, is stepping into an exciting new chapter as LUMINO, transforming the city's downtown core into an enchanting playground of light and artistic innovation, both in and out of doors.
For its 15th edition, running from November 28, 2024 to March 9, 2025, this iconic winter festival expands its luminosity across the Quartier des Spectacles and the city’s centre to create a brilliant and evolving wintertime experience combining art, technology, and public participation.
A free, daily event that runs from dusk until 11 p.m., LUMINO has become a quintessential Montréal pastime, drawing visitors from around the world and showcasing the city's commitment to cutting edge public art that meets at the intersection of creativity and technology.
The evolution from Luminothérapie to LUMINO brings with it an ambitious vision: thirty sparkling installations spread across fifteen public spaces, from the PVM esplanade at Place Ville Marie to Place Émilie-Gamelin, turning Montréal’s downtown into a canvas for both local and international artists to display their creative brilliance.
Among the festival's must-see installations, some of which are being shown for the first time in North America, Montréal’s own Patrice LaCroix contributes "At the Hand," a massive four-story responsive installation featuring over 24,000 LED lights that allows spectators to control an interactive hand using computer vision and artificial intelligence.
Another installation is "Éloge de l'air" by French studio ChevalVert, where visitors can wave a giant five-meter-high flag, creating a mesmerizing display of movement and light.
The festival seamlessly blends whimsy with technology through works like "Les Fabuloscopes" by Montréal studio la Camaraderie and artist Eruoma Awashish. This playful installation brings to life classic childhood tales using three large machines inspired by vintage optical toys, where passersby can turn the wheel on each structure to create strobing, animated projections. Meanwhile, French studio TILT's "Lustres" transforms the city skyline into an elegant outdoor ballroom, with magnificent light fixtures orchestrating a silent symphony in the winter night.
Nature meets artistry in "Biolumen" by Rahda Chadah and Toronto's RAW Design, an installation that draws inspiration from the ocean's bioluminescent creatures. As darkness falls, these sculptures glow from within, casting colored beams accompanied by gentle melodies that create an otherworldly atmosphere.
The festival extends its reach to Montréal's Wilder Building, UQAM's President Kennedy building, and the area around Saint-Laurent metro station serving as a backdrop for "Étrangement satisfaisant" by Montréal studio COLEGRAM. This series of three video projections tap into contemporary online culture, offering viewers a unique, strangely satisfying experience.
Interactives artworks
Since January 9, 2025, Lumino has unveiled 14 dazzling new interactive artworks, with 10 of them on display indoors — a first in Lumino’s glowing history.
At UQAM's Place Pasteur, a mesmerizing installation called "Chaleur humaine" (human warmth) features a massive luminous ring that floats above the ground like an eternal sun, creating a peaceful atmosphere with its gentle light patterns. Over on Sainte-Catherine Street West, you'll find the fascinating "Talking Heads" — two enormous LED-lit faces that seem to come alive as they communicate through changing colors and expressions. Mid-January brings "Le Tunnel," a spectacular 30-meter walkthrough experience of light and sound at Place Émilie-Gamelin. From January 30, wander through "Trumpet Flowers," where towering illuminated flowers sway to Australian jazz tunes in a giant magical garden.
LUMINO transforms Montréal's indoor spaces into captivating art venues
Step into Le Central to experience "Équilibre: Tensio," a mind-bending installation that shifts from chaos to perfect harmony depending on where you stand. At Complexe Desjardins, "VORTEX" creates a mesmerizing dance of light and water above the main fountain, while Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hosts, "Cinétique" where circular light rods pulse with invisible energy. Don't miss "Kaleidoscope: A Social Media Trinity" at Place des Arts, offering a thought-provoking look at our digital lives through stunning visuals.
The creative explosion continues at Îlot Balmoral, on the corner of De Bleury and De Maisonneuve, where Canadian talent takes center stage. The ground floor has been transformed into a gallery showcasing works like the stunning "Chasing Waterfalls," the innovative "Matière Première," and the student-created "Porteur de Lumière" (light bearer). "Microstars" joins this impressive lineup. Meanwhile, UQAM's design students are lighting up the city with their "Beyond Human" projections, turning the Grande Bibliothèque and the UQAM Design pavilion facades into massive canvases of light and imagination.
LUMINO represents more than just a name change; it's a welcome expansion of one of Montréal’s cherished cold weather activities. As the festival continues to grow and delight, it’s a wonder-filled testament to Montréal's creative spirit and its ability to transform the winter months into an active season full of beauty and light.
Sarah Beall
Sarah Beall is a writer, editor, and creative who loves food, fun, and all things arts and culture. Her wanderlust has taken her to such places as São Paulo, Brazil, Seoul, South Korea, London, England, and New York, New York, and yet she’s always happiest playing tourist and living the good life in Montreal, the world-class city she’s called home for over 20 years.