9 Reasons to Go to the LUMA Projection Arts Festival This Year
LUMA returns with its 7th annual festival to light up the streets of downtown Binghamton! The show uses historic Binghamton buildings as the canvas for beautiful and mesmerizing displays. It’s a great way to experience all that Binghamton has to offer, whether it’s your first time or your seventh. Personally, nothing sounds better than getting together with some friends, going downtown and escaping for a little while. This year will be my first time going and I don’t know about you, but even the pictures on their own blew me away! I can’t wait to see it in person and I’m sure you’ll feel the same by the end of this post. Here are some reasons why you should be at LUMA this weekend!
LUMA is one of a kind
Before coming to Binghamton, I had never heard of anything like LUMA. After doing some research, I found out that’s because LUMA is really in a league of its own! It’s the only festival in America that focuses entirely on light projection mapping, so it’s pretty amazing that such a revolutionary event is based here in Bing. It’s something you can’t experience anywhere else, so you definitely don’t want to miss it!
You can meet new friends and explore downtown Binghamton
If you’re a first-year student looking to meet some new people or you just want to get out and explore the local area, this is your chance! LUMA draws a crowd of over 35,000 people. It’s our biggest festival, so it’s a great time to branch out, talk to new people and discover Binghamton.
It's FREE!
LUMA is a rare opportunity to experience hours of incredible, larger-than-life entertainment for free! There are no tickets this year, but be sure to sign up for their newsletter and support future LUMA events! Binghamton fuels LUMA, so your attendance helps it continue growing and evolving. “Horizon,” a more extensive exhibition, is the only ticketed event at the festival. If you’re interested, be sure to secure your ticket today!
LUMA was co-founded by Binghamton’s own Joshua Ludzki
By coming to LUMA, you’re supporting a Binghamton native’s vision! Joshua Ludzki, who moved here in 2000, designed LUMA as a way of bringing art to the streets of the city he loves.
MAXIN10SITY is back in a big way
MAXIN10SITY, a staple LUMA artist, returns and brings the universe with them. Their newest piece, “Gates of Eternity,” will be a journey through time and space. MAXIN10SITY is a fan favorite and definitely a display that you have to see to believe!
“Joy Boy” is nostalgic, childhood fun
The Fox, The Folks are bringing a celebration of your inner child to LUMA! Come watch as their immersive display of bright, vibrant colors lights up Binghamton.
Snow Raven is bringing a unique live music experience
A big part of LUMA is merging traditional art with technology to bring culture to a broader audience. Snow Raven, an indigenous Sakha from Arctic Siberia, will blend the music of Shamanic communities with electronic beats for “NEOshamanism: The Arctic Siberian Sound Journey.” As a music lover, I definitely won’t be missing out on such a rare opportunity!
“4U” and “Divided” will move you
In times of conflict, we can learn and escape through art. Julia Shamsheieva, an artist based in Ukraine, is bringing a very personal and impactful display to LUMA this year. Deeply affected by the combat in her home country and moved by the international outpouring of support, Julia’s “4U” is a meditation on how her country has become a symbol of global unity. Mindscape Studio’s “Divided” shares this sentiment of power in unity and love.
LUMA is the future of Binghamton
People travel from all over the country to see the country’s largest projection mapping festival. Binghamton is known for many things, but LUMA is unique in its ability to promote our city’s art and culture to such a massive audience. Binghamton’s history is deeply linked to technological advancement, and LUMA is unique because it combines this innovation with the artistic future of Binghamton. For me, loving Binghamton and being proud to go here isn’t just about having love for the university; it’s also about the larger community we’re a part of!
Jillian McCarthy is an intern for the Office of Media and Public Relations, and a junior majoring in English. She hopes to become an entertainment journalist. In her free time she loves to play guitar, watch movies and read.
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