Visitors to central Warsaw will soon be able to walk through an illuminated garden where butterflies glow among the trees and projected flowers respond to their movements. The Polish capital is scheduled to unveil a new, year-round interactive light installation in Park Świętokrzyski on Thursday evening, 15 October, bringing an unusual after-dark attraction to the area beside the Palace of Culture and Science.
The installation will feature dozens of illuminated flowers and insects, coloured lighting around the park’s fountain and pathways, and digital projections that change as people walk through them.
Unlike Warsaw’s traditional Christmas illuminations, the new attraction is designed to remain in place throughout the year.
- Find more news from Poland on our Homepage .
Its first presentation is scheduled to begin shortly after 6pm local time on Thursday, with an autumn-themed display.
The Warsaw Municipal Roads Authority (ZDM) has confirmed the opening arrangements and the installation’s main features.
A walkway that responds to visitors
The centrepiece of the attraction will be an approximately 50-metre section of pathway transformed into an interactive projection space.
Images inspired by animals, plants and other natural forms will appear on the ground.
Motion sensors will detect the presence and movement of people walking through the installation, triggering changes in the projected patterns.
Visitors will therefore become participants in the display rather than simply watching it.
According to ZDM, individual animations will last approximately three minutes and run continuously in a repeating sequence, with transitions between the visual scenes.
A second projection will illuminate the area around the park’s fountain.
The technology is intended to make the installation particularly appealing to families, allowing children and adults to interact with the illuminated environment without specialised equipment.
Butterflies, flowers and glowing trees
The wider installation is designed around the theme of a garden inspired by nature.
Warsaw officials have confirmed plans for 10 illuminated dandelions, 10 flowers and 18 butterflies.
Additional decorative elements inspired by leaves and plant stems will complement the sculptures.
Trees, pathways and the fountain’s surroundings will also receive coloured illumination, creating a continuous display through part of the park.
At least six overhead lighting decorations will be installed along the pathway beside Świętokrzyska Street.
Rather than separating the attraction into individual exhibits, the designers intend to integrate its lighting with the existing trees and pedestrian routes.
The visual themes will change with the seasons, providing different effects during autumn, winter, spring and summer.
The city has not yet published a complete programme showing which animations will be presented in each season.
A new attraction beside Warsaw’s famous landmark
Park Świętokrzyski lies immediately north of the Palace of Culture and Science, one of Warsaw’s best-known landmarks.
Its location places the new attraction within walking distance of the central railway station, shopping areas and major public transport connections.
The installation will also include a dedicated photo frame positioned near the fountain.
Visitors will be able to take photographs with the Palace of Culture and Science visible behind them.
The frame is expected to remain in the park initially, before being relocated to Plac Centralny, the redesigned public square nearby.
The broader objective is to create a more continuous pedestrian experience between Plac Centralny and Świętokrzyska Street.
For international visitors, the park offers a central location for an evening walk without requiring a journey to an attraction outside the city centre.
Warsaw’s new lighting programme extends beyond Christmas
The park installation forms part of a larger redesign of Warsaw’s public illuminations.
The city has signed a three-year contract with Polish decorative lighting company Multidekor, covering new lighting installations and their maintenance through 2029.
According to Warsaw’s official visitor information service, the programme is valued at almost PLN 53.5 million over three years.
That figure covers the wider city illumination programme, not just the installation in Park Świętokrzyski.
The contract provides for almost 2.9 million energy-efficient LED lighting points and more than 900 decorative elements and installations across the capital.
The larger programme will begin in December, when Warsaw introduces its redesigned Christmas illuminations.
These will include decorative installations in the Old and New Towns, the Royal Route and several parts of the modern city centre.
Some displays will draw on Warsaw’s history and legends, including the city’s famous mermaid symbol and other traditional characters.
A separate projection-mapping display is planned for the façade of the historic Staszic Palace, combining illuminated images, animation and music.
Multidekor, which is responsible for designing and installing the decorations, has confirmed that the public attractions will be free to visit.
The year-round Park Świętokrzyski display will open before the larger festive programme.
Energy-saving lighting installed before the opening
Preparations for the new attraction included an earlier modernisation of the park’s regular lighting system.
In August, ZDM announced that it had replaced older sodium lamps with modern LED fixtures.
The number of permanent lighting fixtures was reduced from 73 to 56, while their combined rated power fell from approximately 7,000 watts to 1,323 watts.
According to the municipal authority’s detailed account, the new lamps also allow adjustments to brightness and colour temperature at different times of night.
The changes are intended to improve visibility, reduce energy consumption and limit the effects of artificial light on nearby residents and wildlife.
However, the figures relate to the park’s regular lighting system, not the additional electricity required for the interactive attraction.
The total energy consumption of the completed light garden has not been disclosed in the available announcements.
When can visitors see the new light garden?
The first display is scheduled to begin on Thursday, 15 October 2026, shortly after 6pm Warsaw time.
- Location: Park Świętokrzyski, central Warsaw, beside the Palace of Culture and Science
- Opening: 15 October 2026, after 6pm
- Admission: Free
- Availability: Intended as a year-round attraction
The city has not yet confirmed a complete daily operating timetable or the exact hours for future seasonal displays.
Visitors planning a later trip should check the city’s official announcements for any changes.
For Warsaw, the opening marks a move beyond temporary festive lighting towards an attraction designed to bring people into public spaces throughout the year.
If it operates as planned, Park Świętokrzyski will offer a changing after-dark experience in one of the capital’s most recognisable locations.
