Lights In Alingsås

Lights in Alingsås is a month-long lighting festival located in the city of Alingsås, Sweden. It is administered by Alingsås Energi and supported by the IALD.

The Workshop

An immersive lighting design workshop runs for a week in late September, where student participants are taught and led by professional lighting design Workshop Heads to develop lighting installations that are then open to the public for the following five weeks.

Workshop Heads

Six project sites per year require Workshop Heads to lead their respective student teams. These group leaders and mentors are chosen to represent diverse genders, ages, and nationalities, delivering a vital experience to the participants and the festival itself.

Professional lighting designers are invited to become Workshop Heads through an application process (found below during the open period). Designers may also apply in pairs, but all costs and fees are divided.

Workshop Heads use their wealth of experience to guide students through the design process with sketches, photographs, hands-on mock-ups, and tests. This established educational method ensures that an enriched and in-depth knowledge of the lighting discipline is taught thoroughly.

Workshop heads must commit to two on-site meetings in the city of Alingsås, Sweden:

  • The Concept Meeting (choosing the installation sites) - March
  • The Workshop - September to October

Lights in Alingsås Timeline

While the festival opens to the public for five weeks, the process for developing and readying Lights begins nearly a calendar year prior.

  1. Applications for Workshop Heads (15 December - 11 January). Experienced designers apply to be part of Lights in Alingsås as Workshop Heads.
  2. Selection of the Theme and Lighting Trail (January). The LIA project group determines where in Alingsås the lighting trail should go, and what the year's theme should be.
  3. Selection of the Workshop Heads (February). The leading designers are selected from all applicants to oversee and guide each design team.
  4. First Concept Meeting (26 - 29 March). The Workshop Heads arrive for a first meeting in Alingsås where they walk the lighting trail and familiarize themselves with the theme. It's at this meeting that the first concept ideas are developed.
  5. Applications for Students (07 April - 28 April). Students interested in being part of the Lights experience are encouraged to send in their applications.
  6. Sketch Submissions (March - June). The designers make sketches and submit requests to Alingsås Energi for equipment needed for their installations. Alingsås Energi tries to match these requests and have a dialogue with the sponsors.
  7. The Workshop Week (24 September - 03 October). All students and designers meet for the first time during the workshop week to build and create the installations together.
  8. Event Opening (02 October - 01 November). During the event period, the installations are up and open to the public. Visitors can walk with a guide along the trail, attend lectures, and experience various connected events.

Alingsås Energi has been a partner since the beginning of Lights in Alingsås and our responsibility since 2018. It's our way of contributing to the development of Alingsås and a way to give back to the community. The workshop has put Alingsås on the world map, and it means a lot to the trade, tourism, and other traders in the municipality.

"The main aim of the workshop is to have a professional lighting designer guiding the lighting design students through the complete lighting design process of an actual full-scale project."

|| Frida Almqvist, Workshop Manager

Applying to Attend the Workshop

Are you a student? Seize the opportunity to gain unique experience building full-scale lighting installations under the instruction and leadership of some of the most talented professional lighting designers in the industry. 

Every year, 40 students from universities across the globe travel to Alingsås, Sweden to participate in the creation of Lights in Alingsås. By joining the workshop, the students take part in the entire process from conceptual design to a complete installation in only one week.

Student Registration

Students who seek to be a part of the September workshop week can do so through a registration form on the Lights In Alingsås website during the student registration period opening in April.  The IALD will post a link to the application form here when the application window opens.  The form provides important details regarding cost (or scholarship eligibility), planning for travel, and more.

Applying for Scholarship Support

The student fee is estimated to be 4100 SEK, including VAT (Value-Added Tax), and the festival organizer and owner, Alingsås Energi, allows students to apply for a scholarship. Applications can be submitted through a form on the Lights In Alingsås website from 07 April to 28 April.

Applying to be a Workshop Head

The coordination, immersive education, and experience of each participant in the Lights workshop relies extensively on the Workshop Heads: a group of highly qualified international lighting design professionals who offer their expertise and mentorship to guide the students in each installation.

Workshop Heads are selected each year from those applications submitted here. As part of the application process, qualified professionals should be prepared to provide:

  • Full name and email contact;
  • Nationality and country of residence;
  • Professional experience;
  • Description of teaching and leadership abilities;
  • An explanation of interest in becoming a Workshop Head.

Applications are open to both IALD members and non-members, but does require the applicant to have (or create) an IALD website account to begin the process.

The 2026 Workshop Heads applications will be open 15 December 2025 until midnight CET 11 January 2026.

Read more about the role of Workshop Head here: Workshop Head Description