Germany’s largest light show with a new fantasy exhibition takes place 1.5 hours from Berlin: Over 15,000 lights illuminate thousands of handmade Chinese lantern figures

In a season in which the light goes out faster than we would like and dusk greets us at around 5 p.m., light shows come at just the right time. Berlin is already decorated like a dream – with festive light installations all over the city and sparkling Christmas markets, one of which shines particularly brightly. However, if you are already familiar with Berlin’s lights and are looking for a new experience during the festive season, we can recommend some real highlights just a few kilometers away: from a sparkling ice skating disco to Brandenburg’s most beautiful light installations and Germany’s largest light spectacle. The latter is the Magical Worlds of Light at the Halle (Saale) Mountain Zoo, which reopened its doors on December 12, 2025.

The Magical Worlds of Light opened in 2018 and has already delighted millions of visitors since then. With over 15,000 lights illuminating thousands of three-dimensional figures, it is the largest event of its kind in the whole of Germany. Every year, the Chinese lantern figures are presented under a different theme – in 2023/24, for example, they were inspired by the stories of the Arabian Nights. The figures are created by hand over a period of months: specially trained artists make them from metal and fabric according to a centuries-old Chinese tradition. Thousands of these handmade lantern figures are then brought to Germany and artistically staged on the Reilsberg – the home of the Bergzoo Halle. Covering an area of around five hectares, an illuminated circular route of around two kilometers leads through over 1,000 individual illuminated figures, embedded in more than 50 spectacular themed installations. A very special atmosphere is created by the unique zoo backdrop, which, together with atmospheric music and appropriate sound effects, brings the light figures impressively to life.

Magical Worlds of Light 2025/26

This year, the Magical Worlds of Light will bring a very special new exhibition to Halle. Under the motto “Fantasy Island”, the show will whisk you away to fantastic worlds from well-known books, films, computer games and more. The exhibition is the sequel to the successful “Myths, Fairy Tales and Legends” show from 2020 and this time focuses on the most popular fantasy characters: dragons, elves, dwarves, sea creatures, trolls, wizards and witches. They are presented thematically in seven different worlds. Inspired by fantasy epics such as Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and many other sagas, real fantasy fans will get their money’s worth here – but the curious and light lovers will also be whisked away to magical, glowing worlds.

The Magical Worlds of Light 2025/26 can be experienced at Bergzoo Halle from December 12, 2025 to March 1, 2026. The opening hours are Wednesdays to Sundays from 17:00 to 21:30, the Worlds of Light are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission for adults aged 13 and over is around €20 during the week and around €25 at weekends. For more information and all the details about your visit, it’s worth taking a look at the official website.