Lichtfest Leipzig

"We are the people" – Leipzig remembers

On the evening of October 9, 1989, around 70,000 people gathered after the Peace Prayer in St. Nicholas' Church to peacefully demonstrate for freedom, civil rights, and reforms. This Monday demonstration is considered a decisive step in the course of the Peaceful Revolution, which led to the fall of the Berlin Wall a few weeks later and ultimately to German unity. Since then, Leipzig has commemorated this world-historical event every year on October 9th with the Lichtfest – the city sees itself as the "City of the Peaceful Revolution".

A path of light through the city center

The focus is on light installations and art projections distributed along the historic city center ring road. East and West German artists collaborate on the path of light – a symbol of unity. Key locations include Nikolaikirchhof (starting point of the demonstrations), Augustusplatz (central meeting point), Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz (site of the future Monument to Freedom and Unity), and Schillerpark with the large candle installation "Kerzen-89", which every visitor can light.

Program in St. Nicholas' Church

As in 1989, the traditional Peace Prayer (5–6 PM) takes place in St. Nicholas' Church, followed by the prominently attended Speech for Democracy (6:15–7:15 PM) – a programmatic address given annually by female writers, intellectuals, or politicians. It has become a firm fixture in the German calendar of remembrance.

A message for the present

The Lichtfest is both a commemorative event and a civic festival. Admission is free. Leipzig residents, eyewitnesses, and guests from all over the world are invited to celebrate together, reflect – and remember that freedom was hard-won. In the state of Saxony, the cradle of the Peaceful Revolution, the Lichtfest is the most significant date in the historical calendar.