What Lights in Alingsås does

Lights in Alingsås is an annual outdoor light festival held in Alingsås, Sweden, operating since 2000 with its 27th edition scheduled for 2 October – 1 November 2026. Each edition is preceded by a week-long international workshop (25 September – 3 October 2026) in which 40 scholarship students from universities including KTH, Jönköping University, and UPC collaborate with six to seven internationally credentialed lighting designers (e.g., from NBBJ, Hartranft Lighting Studios, DERA.lighting, and Aether Lighting Design) to produce six experimental light installations. The 2025 edition drew approximately 70,000 visitors along a 3.5 km lighting trail linking Åmanska Parken, the city centre, and Nolhagaparken, featuring energy-efficient LED lighting, video mapping (e.g., Studio Smash's opening frames), and seasonal sound design by composer Sebastian Studnitzky.

The festival's product surface includes a free self-guided trail, guided tours in Swedish and English (75–150 SEK individual; 3,000–3,300 SEK private group), a free mobile app with audio guides and digital mapping (Google Play / App Store), a scholarship workshop program (0 SEK for confirmed scholarship holders; 4,200–7,200 SEK for self-funded students and professionals), drop-in wedding ceremonies at Nolhaga Castle (800 SEK per couple), and window-display/photography competitions. Go-to-market combines community-led word-of-mouth, organic social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube), printed brochures distributed across Alingsås venues, partnerships with universities, and participation in industry trade shows (e.g., Light + Building Frankfurt).

Lights in Alingsås is organized by Alingsås Energi AB (org.nr 556402-5905), a municipal energy company that has been involved since inception and assumed full organizational responsibility in January 2018. The event is sponsored by equipment manufacturers (Ewo, Martin, Meyer, Fergin, Fox, Griven) and supported by Alingsås Municipality, which co-organizes ancillary events such as the wedding ceremonies. Revenue is generated through ticket sales, workshop fees, sponsorships, and ancillary events; financial figures are not publicly disclosed. A team of 12 employees, led by Event Manager Camilla Boström, Workshop Manager Frida Almqvist, and Communicator Shecko Amoor, executes the annual program.

Name

Lights in Alingsås

Legal name

Lights in Alingsås (organised by Alingsås Energi)

Website

https://lightsinalingsas.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lights in Alingsås is an annual 31-day light festival in Alingsås, Sweden, organized by municipal energy company Alingsås Energi AB. It combines a week-long international lighting-design workshop (40 students, 6–7 designers) with a public 3.5 km trail of experimental installations serving ~70,000 visitors annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Light Festival / Cultural Events

akta.pro primary industry

Bars & Pubs (Non-Music) (MPAGAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ), Event Lighting Decor (Uplighting, String Lights, Effects) (HSACAOAE)

Keywords

• Light festival events
• Architectural lighting design
• Cultural tourism events
• Lighting design workshops
• Public art installations

Headquarters

HQ city

Alingsås

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Guided Tour Tickets: Visitors purchase tickets for Swedish-language guided tours via Billetto.se or at Alingsås Kulturhus. Adult tickets range from 75 SEK (Mon–Tue half price) to 150 SEK (Wed–Sun). Youth tickets 50–100 SEK, children free. Private group tours in Swedish cost 3,000 SEK incl. VAT; in English 3,300 SEK incl. VAT.
2. Workshop Registration Fees: Non-scholarship students and young professionals pay 4,200 SEK incl. VAT to participate in the workshop. Professionals pay 7,200 SEK incl. VAT. These fees cover jacket, gloves, water bottle, reflective vest, headlamp, seminars, and certificate. Accommodation is included only for confirmed scholarship students.
3. Sponsorship and Equipment Partnerships: Gold equipment sponsors (e.g., Ewo, Martin, Meyer, Fergin) and general equipment sponsors (e.g., Fox, Griven) provide equipment in exchange for brand visibility. International partners and collaborators contribute to the event's ecosystem. Sponsorship categories include Gold equipment sponsors and general equipment sponsors.
4. Special Event Fees: Special events such as drop-in wedding ceremonies at Nolhaga Castle are offered for 800 SEK per couple, including an alcohol-free sparkling drink and a loan bouquet.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Lights in Alingsås is Sweden's largest annual light festival, held over 31 days from 2 October to 1 November each year across a 3.5 km trail in Alingsås, Sweden. The festival's installations are produced during a preceding week-long international workshop (25 September – 3 October) in which 40 scholarship students from universities worldwide collaborate with 6–7 internationally active lighting designers to build full-scale light installations. Revenue-generating offerings include guided tours in Swedish and English, paid workshop registrations, drop-in wedding ceremonies at Nolhaga Castle, and corporate sponsorship packages.

Product overview

Lights in Alingsås is a single annual event product featuring a light festival, workshop program, and supporting services. The core offering is the 31-day light festival (October-November) with 6 experimental installations along a 3.5 km trail, created during a week-long international workshop. Supporting services include guided tours (Swedish/English), a free digital audio guide mobile app, scholarship program for students, and seasonal offerings like drop-in wedding ceremonies. The festival is organized by Alingsås Energi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lights in Alingsås Light Festival Sweden's largest annual light festival, a 31-day public event featuring six experimental light installations along a 3.5 km trail through Alingsås city centre and Nolhaga Park. Free self-guided access for the general public.
• International Lighting Design Workshop Week-long intensive workshop where 40 international students collaborate with 6–7 professionally active lighting designers to design and build full-scale light installations from concept to completion, including seminars, hands-on mock-ups, and a certificate.
• Guided Tours (Public and Private) Expert-led guided tours of the 3.5 km lighting trail in Swedish and English, including public tickets sold via Billetto and private group bookings for corporate and association clients.
• Lights in Alingsås Mobile App (with Digital Audio Guide) Free mobile application available on Google Play and App Store providing digital trail mapping, real-time positioning, installation information, programme details, audio guides in Swedish and English, and an AR game.
• Drop-in Wedding Ceremony at Nolhaga Castle Drop-in wedding ceremony service at Nolhaga Castle during the festival, priced at 800 SEK per couple, including an alcohol-free sparkling drink and a loan bouquet, with witnesses available on site.
• Scholarship Program for International Students Annual scholarship programme offering 40 international students from partner universities (KTH, Jönköping University, UPC, etc.) fully covered participation in the workshop, including education, seminars, lunches, accommodation (camp standard), and a professional certificate.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70,000 visitors in 2025, up from previous years, despite unpredictable weather
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alingsås MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2026Alingsås Municipality collaborates on the festival, including co-organizing special events such as drop-in wedding ceremonies at Nolhaga Castle. The municipality's properties and public spaces (e.g., Nolhaga Park, city streets) serve as installation sites. The municipal Tourism Unit nominated Lights in Alingsås for the Hållbarhetsklivet 2025 award.
• Snurr KommunikationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 October 2026Snurr Kommunikation is referenced as a collaborator on social media posts promoting the 2026 festival, contributing to communications and marketing outreach.
• Upplev AlingsåsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 October 2026Upplev Alingsås is tagged in social media posts as a festival collaborator, contributing to the local tourism and experience ecosystem.
• KTH (Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026KTH is one of the primary university partners from which scholarship students are recruited annually for the Lights in Alingsås workshop. Students from KTH and other collaborating universities receive scholarships covering education, seminars, accommodation, and meals during the workshop week.
• Jönköping University (JTH) – Jönköping Institute of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026JTH (Jönköping University) is a key university partner recruiting scholarship students for the annual workshop. The partnership provides students with hands-on lighting design education credits.
• UPC (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain / Mexico City)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026UPC's Postgraduate Program in Lighting Design (in collaboration with Arquine, Mexico City) sends students and has sent workshop heads (Jose Cardona is Academic Director of this program). This is a transatlantic educational partnership.
• Gymnastikens HusminorOthers · 1 January 2026Gymnastikens Hus in Alingsås provides 'camp standard' accommodation (shared gymnastics hall with air mattresses) for confirmed scholarship students from September 24 to October 3. This enables the workshop to provide all-inclusive access for international participants.
• Ewo (Gold Equipment Sponsor)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Ewo is a gold equipment sponsor providing lighting equipment for the installations. Sponsorship includes brand visibility during the festival and association with the event's professional output.
• Martin, Meyer, Fergin (Gold Equipment Sponsors)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Martin, Meyer, and Fergin are gold equipment sponsors providing professional lighting equipment for workshop installations. Their support enables the high-quality execution of the light art installations.
• Fox, Griven (Equipment Sponsors)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Fox and Griven are equipment sponsors providing additional lighting equipment for the festival's installations.
• Lightecture MagazineminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Lightecture Magazine collaborates with Alingsås Energi and other universities to facilitate student participation in the workshop, serving as a professional bridge between the academic and industry communities.
• Sparbanken Alingsås (Alingsås Savings Bank)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Sparbanken Alingsås sponsored the 2025 photo competition, providing a prize of a film evening at Sweden's smallest cinema in Tollered for the winning family.
• Alingsås Energi ABcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Alingsås Energi is the official organizer of Lights in Alingsås. The energy company took over as project organizer in January 2018. It manages all operational aspects including workshop coordination, ticket sales, sponsorship, and the annual execution of the festival. Alingsås Energi also provides electricity infrastructure and manages customer service during the event.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Vivid Sydney: Major annual light, music, and ideas festival in Sydney, Australia; comparable in category but materially larger in budget, duration, and commercial scope, serving as a benchmark for what scaled light festivals can become.

Direct peers

• Ghent Light Festival: Triennial light art festival in Ghent, Belgium, featuring dozens of illuminated installations across the historic city center; comparable in trail-based, free, multi-installation format.
• Signal Festival: Annual light art festival in Prague combining public light installations with curatorial and educational programming; directly comparable to Lights in Alingsås in format, international designer involvement, and free public access model.
• Fête des Lumières (Lyon Festival of Lights): World-renowned four-day light festival in Lyon, France, attracting millions of visitors and featuring large-scale light installations across the city; the most iconic direct peer in scale, format, and international designer participation.
• Festival of Lights Berlin: Annual October light festival in Berlin illuminating landmark buildings and public spaces with international light art; closely matches Lights in Alingsås on timing, free public access, and architectural projection.
• Noor Festival (Lucerne): Light art biennial in Lucerne, Switzerland, presenting curated international light installations in public spaces; comparable in scale, curation model, and Central/Northern European positioning.
• Lumiere London: Biennial light festival produced by Artichoke in central London, commissioning UK and international artists to create large-scale illuminated installations; similar free-access, citywide, designer-curated format.
• Amsterdam Light Festival: Annual winter light festival along Amsterdam's canals featuring commissioned light artworks by international artists; same seasonal urban-trail, free-public-access, sponsored model as Lights in Alingsås.

Others

• PLDC (Professional Lighting Design Convention): Biennial conference and exhibition for the international architectural lighting design community; addresses the same designer audience as Lights in Alingsås' workshop and represents a competing channel for designer attention and sponsorship.
• International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD): Global professional association for independent lighting designers; relevant as the credentialing body for many of Lights in Alingsås' workshop heads and a key node in the same international designer network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9DuSA5V349cLlA4lvpO6pA
• Facebookfacebook.com/lightsinalingsas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lights-in-alings-s
• Instagraminstagram.com/lightsinalingsas

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lights in Alingsås