The 9th International Festival of Light will take place this year in Jerusalem’s Old City from June 28 to July 6, between 20:00 - 23:00 Sunday - Thursday and from 21:00 - midnight on Saturday nights.

The festival is free for all to enjoy as the alleyways of the Old City become illuminated in breathtaking colors, shapes and movement transforming the Old City with innovative and challenging installations into a map of enchanted illuminated trails suitable for visitors, locals, families, artists and creative enthusiasts.

Every year, four tracks are offered, each clearly marked by a different color light, taking visitors from one art installation to another in and around the Old City. Details about the pieces exhibited along each track are readily available, allowing guests to choose a route based on their preferences.

The artworks which are usually huge in size include three-dimensional installations, videos on landmark Old City walls and sound-and-light shows. There is also an art fair featuring work by a wide range of light designers displaying and selling their artworks. Some attractions around the Old City are open as well during the evenings of that week.

The light installations are created by international and local Israeli artists. Among the installations there will be an interactive light work created by Lateral Office and CS Design from Canada called Impulse that comprises of various sized seesaws, with lighting and sound that are activated as one person sits down on each end. The seesaws, fitted with LED lights and speakers, then produce a series of beautiful sounds. The intensity of the light varies as the board’s angle changes. The installation and its streamlined design will delight children and adults as they play with the sounds and lighting effects it produces, filling Tzahal Square with a dance of sounds and lights.