More than 450,000 residents and guests visited the event between 11 and 14 May.
A total of 12,370 square meters of art was presented in an urban environment at the LUNAR Festival of Lights. The second edition of the light art event attracted more than 450 thousand visitors from Bulgaria and abroad, who had the opportunity to enjoy 24 artworks that transformed landmark buildings, parks and squares in the capital.
Thirty-two artists and studios from 12 countries presented their art during the festival. The artworks of artists from Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Spain, Italy, Poland, Romania, Thailand, Ukraine and Sweden conveyed important messages about environmental protection, the role of technology in our daily lives, upgrading the skills of humanity and more.
For the first time in Bulgaria, as part of the festival, an international video mapping competition was held, organized by MP-STUDIO, with the institutional support of the European Parliament in Bulgaria. “We are Skills” competition celebrated the European Year of Skills, with 24 applicants from 12 countries taking part. During the last night of the festival, the three winners of the championship, selected by a five-member international jury, were announced on the facade of the Regional History Museum – Sofia. On the first place was the Polish studio Clockwork, with its show “Lagun”, the second place went to the Bulgarian artist Antonio Yotsov, who in 2022 was among the winners who created an artwork for the facade of the National Palace of Culture. On the third place was for the show “Unity”, by the studio Kurbas Pro from Ukraine.
“For us, the second edition of LUNAR was a step towards consolidating the event in Bulgaria and turning it into a tradition. We are happy that this year we gave a platform to even more artists from all over the world to show their art in Bulgaria and that we managed to create a quality program that provokes the imagination of the visitors but also sends important messages. I believe that with the support of our partners in this journey, we have already positioned our country on the international map of light festivals and that in the future, this format will contribute to the cultural and economic development of our country,” said Marin Petkov, founder of MP-STUDIO and the LUNAR festival.
The creative team behind the festival is the Bulgarian projection mapping and visual effects studio MP-STUDIO, which is responsible for the art direction and much of the production of the Festival of Lights International format. Every year the Bulgarian team transforms some of Berlin’s most famous facades with their art: the Brandenburg Gate, the TV Tower, Berlin Cathedral, etc., as well as some of the most iconic buildings in numerous cities in Europe and Asia.
The event was held with the support of the Bureau of the European Parliament in Bulgaria and the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria, Sofia Municipality and under the patronage of the Chairman of Sofia Municipal Council Georgi Georgiev.
The names of the three winners of the first international video mapping contest in Bulgaria are now known. “We are Skills” competition was organized by MP-STUDIO, with the institutional support [...]
