Light festival & light show
Light festivals and light shows, programmed as a timed experience.
- Shanghai Xionglan Culture Communication Co., Ltd. (brand: Xionglan Art)
- Shanghai-based workshop · delivery in 67 Chinese cities
- 10 capability groups / 102 individual techniques · design, fabrication and installation in-house
- Phone +86 156 0163 6249 · Mon–Sun 09:00–18:00 (CST)
A light festival is a route with a rhythm: bright and quiet moments, gathering points, and a sequence visitors can follow. Programming and crowd flow are designed as carefully as the visuals.
Commissioned work in light festival & light show normally runs from 6 to 30 m², with 19–45 working days in production from approved drawings. The reference range for this technique is CNY 180–800 per m², quoted itemised. It sits within our Architectural Lighting & Light Art capability, alongside 7 related techniques, and the 4-point deliverable below is what a commission includes as standard.
When light festival & light show is the right answer - and when it is not
Light festivals and illumination events are chosen where a place wants to draw visitors specifically for a night-time experience, often for a limited season. They suit cities, cultural districts, parks, heritage sites and tourism destinations. They differ from permanent lighting in that the whole scheme is temporary, high-impact and programmed, and the visitor route is central to the design.
How the work is actually carried out
The route is designed first, with the installations placed to pace the experience - building from an opening moment through a middle section to a finale - rather than distributed evenly. Each piece is designed for the specific darkness and context of its location, since a light level that reads in a dark lane disappears in a lit plaza. Power distribution, cabling and crowd movement are planned across the whole route, and control is centralised so the event can be run as a programme. Safety lighting for the route is designed separately from the artistic lighting, and both must coexist.
Typical applications
Typical specifications
| Typical scope | 300 m to several kilometres of lit route |
|---|---|
| Control | DMX/sACN show control, synchronised across sites |
| Programme | 8-16 weeks including programming and rehearsal |
| Compliance | Egress, crowd and electrical safety requirements |
| Capability | Architectural Lighting & Light Art |
| Reference range | CNY 180–800 per m² |
| Techniques in this capability | 8 |
| Coverage | Shanghai base, nationwide delivery, overseas projects on request |
Reference price bands for Light festival & light show
Indicative only, based on the scope normally quoted for light festival & light show. A firm price follows a site survey and an itemised quotation split into material, labour, finishing, packing and freight.
| Scope | Typical area | Reference total | Unit rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small area | 6–15 m² | CNY 1,080 – CNY 12,000 | approx. CNY 800/m² |
| Standard area | 15–36 m² | CNY 2,700 – CNY 28,800 | approx. CNY 490/m² |
| Large area | 36 m² and above | CNY 6,480+ | approx. CNY 180/m² |
Build tiers for light festival & light show
Light festival & light show is not one product at one size: the table below is the same scope ladder we quote on, so you can see where your project sits before asking for a price.
| Build tier | Typical area | Production days | What changes at this tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 6–30 m² | 25–60 | Up to 30 m², one substrate and one access setup, 25–60 days in the workshop. |
| Tier 2 | 6–30 m² | 20–45 | 6–30 m² across two or more faces, 20–45 days, substrate build-up agreed per location. |
| Tier 3 | 6–30 m² | 20–45 | 6–30 m² across two or more faces, 20–45 days, substrate build-up agreed per location. |
| Tier 4 | 6–30 m² | 10–30 | 6–30 m² across two or more faces, 10–30 days, substrate build-up agreed per location. |
| Tier 5 | 6–30 m² | 20–45 | 6 m² and above, multiple substrate types and phased access, 20–45 days with a join and numbering plan. |
What we deliver
- Lighting design, photometric calculation and mock-up testing
- Facade, landscape, and festival lighting installation
- Projection mapping and programmable light shows
- Control systems, dimming and maintenance access planning
Faults we see most often in light festival & light show
Each of these is a field failure rather than a workshop one, and each is cheaper to prevent at enquiry stage than to correct after installation.
- Distributing installations evenly along the route, so the experience has no arc and visitors lose interest halfway.
- Using one light level everywhere, ignoring the large differences in ambient darkness between locations.
- Treating route safety as someone else's problem, when the event depends on visitors moving safely through unfamiliar space at night.
What to settle before an overseas project starts
| Route and arc | Send the intended walk. We will help place the pieces so the event builds rather than repeats. |
|---|---|
| Darkness at each location | Photographs of each site at night are the working brief. Ambient light decides what will read. |
| Power and crowd movement | Confirm power across the route and who handles route safety and crowd flow. Both must be designed in. |
Working with us from overseas
Enquiry to installation, one point of contact. Export packing, shipping, commercial terms and quality control →
Design intent and what drives the cost
| Technique | Light festival & light show |
|---|---|
| Positioning | Light festivals and light shows, programmed as a timed experience. |
| Floor area normally quoted | 6–30 m² per commission |
| Typical production window | 19–45 working days from approved drawings |
| Main cost drivers | Area and repetition; substrate preparation; detail and modelling time; surface finish; access and working hours |
| What we quote separately | Material, labour, finishing, packing, freight and site measures - each as its own line |
Representative work
Architectural Lighting & Light Art projects photographed on completion.
Architectural Lighting & Light Art — Festoon & strip lighting
Architectural Lighting & Light Art — Landscape lighting
Architectural Lighting & Light Art — Festoon & strip lighting
Architectural Lighting & Light Art — Festival light decorationCommon questions
Can the show be run without a technician each night?
How do you manage crowds?
Will the lighting disturb neighbours?
Discuss light festival & light show
Send photographs, drawings or a 3D file with approximate dimensions. You will get a technique recommendation, a reference price band and a production schedule.