The project
The project consists of producing a new concept of an illuminated route in the region of Mons and the heart of Hainaut: a festival of lights. Each edition of this will take place over a period of 2 to 3 weeks, favoring January/February. This cultural and touristic event will be totally free of charge and accessible to as many people as possible. The first edition will be held during the first quarter of 2024 and will be repeated over a period of 6 years.
The ‘Art and Culture Festival of Lights’ intentions:
- Artistic: highlighting an international panel of artists with great potential pulling power while also leaving significant room for artists resident in Wallonia, offering them a unique professional experience and national and international visibility;
- Touristic: contributing to the introduction of local architectural heritage, its history and its folklore through walking and cycling routes in the form of guided tours;
- Participatory: allowing citizens and societies to get to grips with a well-established sizeable cultural show in the province (pursuing the co-creation dynamic initiated and led by the Mons 2025 Foundation as part of the Grand Huit project);
- Interactive and Innovative: without excluding the contemplative dimension, the festival will prioritize interaction between the public and the light installations by using cutting-edge technology, and also prioritize the success of the dynamic initiated by the Museum Lab ERDF project (testing pre-prototypes technologies in the museum environment);
- Provincial: the objective of introducing and promoting cultural heritage, folklore and the main strengths of the province of Mons and the heart of Hainaut;
- Environmental Responsibility: through the establishment of a complete sustainable development action plan.
For further information, click the following link to the Structural Funds section of the Walloon Government: https://europe.wallonie.be/ and https://www.enmieux.be