Cape Town –LUMENOCITY takes over the Norval Foundation gardens for eight glowing nights this November.
After drawing 17,000 visitors to the Company’s Garden in April, a selection of LUMENOCITY’s light installations return for eight nights in a new setting, between 20 and 29 November
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Art of Light – Opening in Tokai
The team behind LUMENOCITY, Cape Town’s first large scale light art exhibition, is back. The Art of Light by LUMENOCITY opens at the Norval Foundation in Tokai on Friday 20 November and runs until Sunday 29 November 2026. It is closed to the public on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 November.
In April, LUMENOCITY transformed the Company’s Garden into a walkable world of light. Weekend tickets sold out, and 17,000 people of all ages, from toddlers to grandparents in their nineties, explored the 24 South African made installations.
Now, a selection of these works by South African artists have been restaged across the Norval Foundation’s Sculpture Garden. Set against trees, open skies and the surrounding mountains, the installations offer a new way to see LUMENOCITY. For anyone who missed it in April, it is a second chance. For anyone who was there, it is a familiar favourite in a completely new light.
An Evening for Everyone
“AfterApril, people kept asking when they could see LUMENOCITY again,” says Gareth Hadden, founder and creative producer of LUMENOCITY. “The Art of Light is our answer. These are works Capetonians already love, but at Norval they meet water, trees and open sky instead of city streets, and that changes everything about how you experience them. It’s an evening for everyone, from little ones to grandparents.”
The Norval Foundation’s facade will also come alive with video mapping by South African artists. On Wednesday 18 November, two nights before opening, LUMENOCITY’s signature Beam of Hope will light up the night sky above Tokai as a signal that The Art of Light has arrived.
What to Expect
The Art of Light is an outdoor route through the gardens that visitors walk at their own pace. Allow 60 to 90 minutes. Food trucks and a licensed bar make it an easy evening out for families, couples and friends.
- The Experience: An outdoor, self-paced night walk featuring ten light installations and sculptures created by South African artists.
- The Setting: Set against the indigenous fynbos, trees, and open night sky of the Norval Foundation’s sculpture gardens.
- Capacity: Nightly capacity is strictly capped to preserve the nocturnal walking experience.
Installations Include
1. Beam of Hope by Gareth Hadden: a column of light cast into the night sky, LUMENOCITY’s calling card
2. Coral Garden by Cape Town Creative Academy students: a glowing ecosystem created through LUMENOCITY’s skills-transfer programme
3. Alt Ring Portal byAlan Bradburn: a circle of light hovering over still water 4. Arboris Lux by Wayne Visual: trees lit in colour and rhythm
5. Cadence by Hott3D Eyecom: a pulsing 3D field of light
6. Lily Pad by Fabric: lit lily pads and fountains moving in unison
7. Mycoremediation 2050 by Reece Brice: fungal forms of light imagining a cleaner future
8. Dodecahedron by Showtex: a twelve-sided structure of fabric and light to step inside 9. Dual Doors by Waterdixon: two glowing doorways offering two routes through the garden
10. Beholder by Lukas Petersen: an artwork that seems to look back at you
Every work is designed and produced by South African artists, technologists and designers.
Event Details
| What | The Art of Light by LUMENOCITY |
| Where | Norval Foundation Sculpture Garden, 4 Steenberg Road, Tokai, Cape Town |
| When | 20 to 29 November 2026, closed to the public Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 November |
| Times | 5pm to 10:30pm, last entry 10pm |
| Tickets | R250 adults, R150 pensioners and children under 16 |
| Book | Quicket or theartoflight.co.za |
| Food and drink | Food trucks and a licensed bar |
| Good to know | Family friendly. No dogs. Limited paid parking on site and nearby, so e-hailing is recommended |
About LUMENOCITY
LUMENOCITY is a South African design and production showcase of light-based art, founded by creative producer Gareth Hadden. Its first edition ran from 9 to 12 April 2026 in Cape Town’s Company’s Garden, with projection mapping on the Iziko South African Museum and National Gallery.
It drew 17,000 visitors, sold out and featured 24 installations by South African artists, technologists and designers. LUMENOCITY also runs a skills-transfer programme that gives emerging creatives the chance to design and build large-scale work.
Source and References
https://www.capetourism.com/the-art-of-light-the-norval-foundation/
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