Edition 15 of Amsterdam Light Festival runs from 26 November 2026 until 17 January 2027 — fifty-three consecutive nights in which the canal belt becomes an open-air museum of contemporary light art.
The artworks are switched on daily from 17:00 until 23:00. Because the installations are placed on bridges, quays and directly above the water, the route reads very differently from a boat than it does on foot: works are composed for the sightline of someone sailing underneath them.
Walking the route is free. Cruises are ticketed and, for this guide, operated by Kinboat — our official partner. Weekday sailings before 20:00 are consistently the quietest, while the weeks between Christmas and mid-January are the busiest of the season.
Dress for roughly 3 °C on the water. Covered boats are heated and enclosed; open sloops hand out blankets, but a hat and gloves make a genuine difference in late December.
Sail the route
Covered, open and private cruises through the Edition 15 route are operated by Kinboat, official partner of this guide.
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