The first Festival of Lights at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo ended last night, and it lasted 97 days.
It attracted over 50,000 visitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the world.
“The festival lasts until March 1, and we hope that by then we will reach the number of 50,000 visitors. That would really be an impressive result and would position the Sarajevo Light Festival as one of the most visited attractions in Sarajevo, especially in the winter period,” said to Fena news agency Adnan Čomor, spokesperson of the Sarajevo Light Festival.
Čomor pointed out that the most visitors to the Festival of Lights are on Thursdays, when, in addition to the Festival’s setting during its duration, and as part of the campaign “I go to the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursdays”, the collections of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina can also be visited.
“From February 1, those collections will be enriched with the permanent exhibition “Amphibians and Reptiles of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, as well as the exhibition “EX-SITU – Artistic positions on endangered biodiversity of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, which will certainly contribute to the attractiveness of the visit to the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. but also the Sarajevo Light Festival on Thursdays,” said Čomor.
Speaking about what the visitors like the most, he pointed out that in general the visitors are delighted with the Festival’s setting.
“Their comments on leaving the Museum show how we managed to create a special experience, a story that has its own beginning and end and is interesting and inspiring,” said Čomor.
However, as he emphasized, based on the reactions of the visitors and the time they stayed there, it is certain that the video installation “Stargate” by the Romanian artist Ignat Radu is the most attractive installation at this year’s edition of the Sarajevo Light Festival.
“Of course, there is also the installation of the French art group “Tilt”, which fit fantastically into the space around the stećak in the Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also the installation “Bosnian Carpet”, which was created in cooperation with the experts of the National Museum,” said Čomor.
According to him, it is noticeable that during the winter, Sarajevo is mostly visited by tourists from Serbia and Croatia, so it is precisely the visitors from those countries that have been the most at the Sarajevo Festival of Lights.
“During February, there are school holidays in Slovenia, but also shorter vacations in Serbia and Croatia, so we expect that the trend of tourist arrivals will continue during the month ahead,” said Čomor.
He noted that until now, most of them have been individual visits to the Festival.
“With the fact that we must emphasize that our family tickets, which are valid for up to five people, are particularly popular, and we are really glad that we managed to make the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Sarajevo Light Festival places for the whole family to go out. The fact that the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina is gaining a new audience through this event, as well as that the Sarajevo Light Festival in a certain way shed light on the importance of this most important cultural and scientific institution, is particularly pleasing. The winter vacation is over and we hope that during February we will have more group arrivals of primary and secondary schools from Sarajevo, but also from the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Čomor.
During the winter, the wonderful Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina became a magical place full of light and an unmissable attraction for citizens and visitors of Sarajevo of all generations.
The Sarajevo Light Festival brought attractive light installations inspired by the ambiance of the Botanical Garden and the natural and cultural-historical treasures kept in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Modeled on lightscaping experiences in botanical gardens and parks around the world, the Sarajevo Light Festival at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a unique event in this area.
It is designed as a light park where visitors will experience moments of inspiration and true happiness.
The first edition of the Sarajevo Light Festival at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be held from November 25, 2023 (BiH Statehood Day) to March 1, 2024 (BiH Independence Day), Fena news agency writes.
