In photos: Bright Brussels lights up the city

The 5th "Bright Brussels, Festival of Light" saw a successful launch on Thursday evening, organisers reported.

The event, which saw 180,000 visitors last year, will light up evenings in the capital until Sunday with a bigger itinerary than previous editions.

The Brussels mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt pressed down on the buzzer, illuminating the "Whale Ghost" set up in the pedestrian precinct. By showing the dance of a ghostly whale, the display invites the public to reflect upon the species' extinction.

The minister then started the Bright Bike Parade, which passed in front of 12 of the 19 light installations set up across the city.

For the first time this year, Greenpeace took part in the festival by showing a video mapping of the Antarctic in the Rue des Minimes.

The luminous works are made up of LED lights, the energy consumed by each of the installations being the equivalent of that used by a washing machine.

The most impressive mapping is the one displayed on the Halle Gate where Bruegel's paintings are projected.

In addition, the Church of Notre-Dame du Sablon is decorated using a method for the poly-chromatic illumination of architecture, and an illuminated installation features the Gothic-style architecture of the church of Notre Dame de la Chapelle.

Various extras are added to the programme: paper lantern balls, for example, will be held on the Place d'Espagne.

The Brussels Times