First Time Outside the UK – Lightopia 2022 Comes to Belgium

First Time Outside the UK – Lightopia 2022 Comes to Belgium

Are you ready for the biggest light and lantern festival in Europe? It’s returning these winters, the first time outside the UK. It will be held from November 18, 2022, to January 8, 2023, just outside of Brussels, at Château de Grand-Bigard in Dilbeek.

Lightopia is influenced by the Chinese New Year culture. One of the most awarded festivals, it got 8 (3 silver and 5 gold) awards on the 11th Global Eventex Awards edition in 2021. Before that, it was recognized with the City Life Award in 2020 for the best art event or exhibition.

For this year, the festival decoration includes multiple golden arches with unique designs for visitors to walk through. Other attractions include white rabbits with a monocle, magic peacock, shiny water lilies and glittering hearts, multicoloured phoenixes, and psychedelic mushrooms. This one, in Belgium, is anticipated to be the most massive light festival of lanterns.

The 12^th-century castle, Château de Grand-Bigard is located in the Dilbeek municipality, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. It was constructed for Bigard’s first lord, Almaric Bigard. A wide moat surrounds the castle and a bridge with five arches that lead to the drawbridge spans the moat. The gatehouse’s central part is known to be constructed in the 14th century. The use of red brick and a slate roof refers to the Flemish Renaissance style used to construct it.

In a statement to the Brussels Times, Grand-Bigard castle’s owner, Xavier Pelgrims said, “Originally from the United Kingdom, this event is coming to the continent for the first time. At night, a fabulous light show will illuminate the castle and the park with hundreds of multi-coloured and interactive lights, a real enchantment for everyone.”

Lightopia in Brussels will have 14 lighted spaces, each with a different theme like “The Enchanted Kingdom” and “Magic Safari.” However, a big part of the course will be dedicated to Christmas celebrations, that’s named “A Christmas Fairyland.”

It’s not the first time a festival has been duplicated from one city to another. But this one will place the local folklore card, unlike others. To introduce localism, Lightopia will feature an awesome Belgian flower alley and a big illuminated Manneken Pis.

That’s not all. This festival in Brussels will also feature a giant fir tree, glittering floral arches and jellyfish, mermaids, a zoo of lights, and a luminous sleigh. However, a magnificent aquatic light show is what will complete this year’s Christmas version of Lightopia. The light show is planned to take place from Castle lake every evening. This will be a magical fantasy for adults and kids alike, transporting them into a magical dream world of unlimited possibilities and incredible proportions.