For its third edition, Mons en Lumières invites the public to enjoy a sensory and contemporary experience based on a powerful theme:
‘Entering the light. A need to illuminate the world’.
Conceived and implemented by the City of Mons, this 2026 edition is the result of close collaboration with the University of Mons (UMONS) and MUMONS, in dialogue with the Électrique! exhibition. Together, they explore light as a universal language, at the crossroads of art, science and emotion.
When light becomes a passage
Entering the light is like crossing a threshold.
Leaving the shadows behind to better perceive what surrounds us, symbolically rekindling what illuminates our imaginations and our gaze.
Through this theme, Mons en Lumières 2026 questions our relationship with light in all its forms. It is no longer just a visual phenomenon, but becomes energy, warmth, movement, and also knowledge, connection and sharing. A light that connects beings and illuminates the world in a different way.
Art, science and energy in resonance
Designed by MUMONS, the Electric! exhibition explores the fascinating powers of electricity and its role in the birth of the modern world. It highlights how energy flows, transforms and fuels our societies, our creations and our dreams.
Echoing this scientific approach, Mons en Lumières invites artists to extend this reflection into the urban space. The heart of the city thus becomes a canvas for expression, where light comes alive, vibrant and tangible, through immersive and poetic installations.
A sensory and immersive experience
The 2026 route is a true ode to the brilliance of the visible and the beauty of the sensory.
Light pulsates, fragments, disappears and then reappears, inviting the public to slow down, observe and feel.
In a world saturated with images and speed, Mons en Lumières offers a break, a suspended and collective moment, conducive to contemplation and curiosity. An invitation to experience the city differently, after dark.
Lighting up the world, together
By choosing this theme, the City of Mons, supported by its partners — UMONS, MUMONS, the municipality of Frameries and SPARKOH! — affirms its desire to bring disciplines together, to exchange perspectives and to create a space where art and science unite to illuminate the world in a different way.