It’s OK to wear sunglasses at night this week. Two light festivals are debuting in the Bay Area, with impressive public art that will shine brightly up to eight stories tall.
In Palo Alto, Code:ART 2025 begins its run from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. on October 16-25, with the chance to meet local and international artists on Oct. 16-18. What is Code:ART? Well, it’s a free festival that features “dynamic projections, immersive environments, responsive sound, light and game-based experiences,” according to the Palo Alto Public Art Program.
A centerpiece are eight-story artworks by 3D projection-mapping artists. These will be displayed 7-10 p.m. nightly on the facade of City Hall at 250 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto. There are also artworks that transform an alley into a movement-activated hall of lights, and something called a “Screamaton” that morphs a photo booth with a rage cage. Plus, nightly performances on King Plaza, live music and pop-up concerts across downtown. For details, visit instagram.com/publicartpa.
Then in Oakland, there’s the Autumn Lights Festival popping off 6 p.m.-11 p.m. on Oct. 16-18 with roughly 75 glowing and locally-produced artworks. Now in its 14th year, the annual event is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Gardens at Lake Merritt and takes place at the gardens at 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland.
The Code:ART 2025 festival runs Oct. 16-25 in Palo Alto, Calif., with multiple public artworks centered around light and interactivity. (Palo Alto Public Art Program/Alessio Cassaro)The Gardens at Lake Merritt were built in the 1950s and feature 7 acres of idyllic water-and-forested space including bonsai and rhododendron groves. During the early morning it’s a good place to spot robins and hummingbirds, and at night during the festival — when the albino raccoons come out, seriously — it’ll be transformed into a strange, illuminated wonderland.
Last year’s Autumn Lights Festival went heavy on nature-themed creations. There were pink squids, a towering Mario Bros.-style mushroom, light-festooned trees reflecting in the lake’s ripples and a “Neon Zoo” of questionable animals. Tickets for the fundraiser are $32 for adults and $15 for ages 6-17 (fees included) and are available at gardensatlakemerritt.org.
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