FUTURE AT POTSDAMER PLATZ
Idea: A grandiose panorama
Potsdamer Platz has firmly established itself as the central location for the FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS. Year after year, the creative goal is to make the square a magnet for visitors to the festival and to emotionalize it as a cosmopolitan experience. While many other festival locations stand for tradition, the festival puts the future in the spotlight here.
Implementation: Immerse yourself in the diversity of the square
The special feature of Potsdamer Platz is its numerous “hotspots”, which set very different accents: Kollhoff Tower, Forum Tower, Ritz Carlton, P5 office building, Haus Huth, Piano-See, Alte Potsdamer Straße and Marlene-Dietrich-Platz. They will all be included in the large lighting installation.
2023
In 2023, the Festival of Lights Berlin took on the theme “Colours of Life”. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Potsdamer Platz once again lit up with a breathtaking sea of lights. A particular highlight was the tunnel “Wonderland”, transforming the passage at the historic Haus Hut into a fluorescent dream world. Another attraction that drew thousands of visitors was the Piano Lake, where the 3D show “Fantasy” was projected onto a canvas of water droplets, turning the lake into a magical light spectacle. An artwork that garnered significant attention on social media was “Together!”: Giant colorful hands formed a heart, symbolizing love, empathy, and unity in all their diversity.
2022
Potsdamer Platz is a new kind of urban center for Berlin’s dynamic community. A place full of energy in harmony with global and local cultural developments. Combining an iconic past with the rhythms of today, Potsdamer Platz offers Berlin’s renowned diversity as well as world-class entertainment and events and local amenities. The new centerpiece of the quarter is The Playce – formerly the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden. The experience and shopping destination breathes new life into the district not only with its diverse range of stores, but also with art and culture. It is managed by its owner, the asset manager Brookfield Properties.
2021
“Creating Tomorrow” was the overarching motto of all the installations, which was emblazoned in large letters across the square. It intensively highlighted topics such as sustainability, the future, science, humanity and diversity. Earth and Mars with a height of over 4.50 meters as highly visible light art objects further raised awareness of the tireless efforts of people to create a future worth living. Other highlights this year included the dancing swans on Lake Piano, a warning mural on the P5 building and a visit from DUNDU, a giant light figure led by puppeteers.
2019
To mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, colourful, imaginative Berlin Wall artworks conquered Potsdamer Platz and the Kollhoff Tower at the 15th FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS. Next door, the exotic video projection “Honduras, through the heart of our people” shone on Haus Huth. It was created by local artist Gabriel Vallecillo Marquez in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Honduras. Other highlights around the square were the light installation of sea anemones by Malte Kebbel on the Piano Lake and the circular installation “People Leipzig-Berlin” by French artist Philippe Morvan, who illuminated the path to German unity with a thousand flashlights.
2018
Potsdamer Platz celebrated its 20th anniversary as part of the FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS with an impressive premiere. A panorama production – tailored to the forward-looking character of the location – turned the entire square into an impressive work of art. At the heart of the panorama was the Kollhoff Tower in the middle of Potsdamer Platz. The final of the “World Championship of Projection Mapping” took place on its imposing facade. Under the motto “Architecture in a New Dimension”, the world’s best 3D mapping stories, selected by a jury from hundreds of designs by international artists, were presented. Festival visitors were able to vote online for their favorite, several competition entries were tied and the championship remained exciting until the last minute.
Success: Central meeting point of the festival
In proven cooperation with Potsdamer Platz Management and the Potsdamer Platz marketing community, innovative concepts for staging the neighborhood are created every year. Various partners are involved, including those who are not directly at home in the neighborhood. They use the available space for their own messages. As a result, Potsdamer Platz has become an important public and media favorite of the FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS. Everyone comes, sees and marvels.
