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鈥檚 a great way to experience all that Binghamton has to offer, whether it鈥檚 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鈥檛 know about you, but even the pictures on their own blew me away! I can鈥檛 wait to see it in person and I鈥檓 sure you鈥檒l 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鈥檚 because LUMA is really in a league of its own! It鈥檚 the only festival in America that focuses entirely on light projection mapping, so it鈥檚 pretty amazing that such a revolutionary event is based here in Bing. It鈥檚 something you can鈥檛 experience anywhere else, so you definitely don鈥檛 want to miss it!
You can meet new friends and explore downtown Binghamton
If you鈥檙e 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鈥檚 our biggest festival, so it鈥檚 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 and support future LUMA events! Binghamton fuels LUMA, so your attendance helps it continue growing and evolving. 鈥淗orizon,鈥 a more extensive exhibition, is the only ticketed event at the festival. If you鈥檙e interested, be sure to
LUMA was co-founded by Binghamton鈥檚 own Joshua Ludzki
By coming to LUMA, you鈥檙e supporting a Binghamton native鈥檚 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, 鈥淕ates of Eternity,鈥 will be a journey through time and space. MAXIN10SITY is a fan favorite and definitely a display that you have to see to believe!
鈥淛oy Boy鈥 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 鈥淣EOshamanism: The Arctic Siberian Sound Journey.鈥 As a music lover, I definitely won鈥檛 be missing out on such a rare opportunity!
鈥4U鈥 and 鈥淒ivided鈥 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鈥檚 鈥4U鈥 is a meditation on how her country has become a symbol of global unity. Mindscape Studio鈥檚 鈥淒ivided鈥 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鈥檚 largest projection mapping festival. Binghamton is known for many things, but LUMA is unique in its ability to promote our city鈥檚 art and culture to such a massive audience. Binghamton鈥檚 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鈥檛 just about having love for the university; it鈥檚 also about the larger community we鈥檙e 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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