De Lumineuze Nachten Review

When the months of November and December rolls around, the Netherlands lights up. Over in Amsterdam we have the Light Festival, Ouwehands Dierenpark brings out Light Nights and Kasteel De Haar in Utrecht does De Lumineuze Nachten.

Over the last few years I’ve seen the ads on Facebook about De Lumineuze Nachten, so for the 2024 winter season I decided that’s the event my husband and I would attend.

If you live in the Netherlands and have been seeing the same ads, check out my honest review to see if the value of the experience is worth the money (it’s not the cheapest event out there!).

Note: this was paid for out of my own pocket.

The Practical Stuff Over De Lumineuze Nachten

Before diving into the review, lets get some of the boring practical stuff out of the way. Like how to get to the castle, price and accessibility.

Where Does the Event Take Place

De Lumineuze Nachten takes place on the grounds of Kasteel De Haar. In the event you aren’t in the know, De Haar is the largest castle in the Netherlands and the oldest record is from 1391. There’s a whole history about the castle which you can read about on the Kasteel De Haar official website.

The castle hosts a wide variety of events over the year, but we aren’t here to talk about those events. We’re here to talk about the Luminous Nights which runs through December and the first week of January on select nights.

Getting to the Castle

Now, what’s important for you to know is the castle is just outside of Utrecht in Haarzuilens. You can come by bike, public transport (use 9292ov.nl) or by car in which you will pay for parking.

Cost of the Event

De Lumineuze Nachten uses dynamic pricing so make sure to check the calendar to see times available and prices.

The cheapest ticket you can pick up for the 2024 season was €15.00 for adults and the most expensive was €19.50. The cheapest for children between 4 and 12 years old was €11 with €14.00 being the most expensive.

For parking, the pricing was also dynamic. The cheapest is €8 and the most expensive is €11. Of course if you were to go visit the castle on any other day you’re only paying €7.50.

Keep in mind that on top of the cost of the ticket, you’re also going to pay a €1.50 per ticket service cost. There is no service cost on the car parking ticket though.

I will update this with the 2025 prices as soon as they’re announced later this year!

Event Accessibility

The route for the Luminous Night is roughly 2km (1.2 miles) long with the entire track being flat. There are two sets of stairs towards the end. The steps have rails and the organizers set up wheel chair ramps on each set.

There was also disabled parking close to the entrance of the castle.

An Honest Review of De Lumineuze Nachten 2024

We purchased tickets for Friday the 13th of December and decided on the 20:45 (that’s 8:45 pm) time slot. It was roughly a real feel of 3 degrees Celsius and dry. Really we couldn’t have asked for a better night.

Entering the Castle Car Park

Upon turning off the main road onto the lane that goes to the castle car park, staff were positioned to help navigate to a parking spot. They were friendly, efficient and we were parked and headed to the castle quickly.

Entering the Castle Grounds

It was incredibly easy to find our way to the entrance of the event. From the parking lot you turn left and go into a court yard of the castle. Then you find the exhibit entrance where they scan your ticket and give you a card for parking your car, if you have parking.

Then they direct you to the door that leads you out to the castle grounds.

De Lumineuze Nachten – Art and Storytelling

The Luminous Nights experience tells a story with lights, projections and story telling. The castle grounds is artfully covered in light art installations and some very clever people mapped story projections to the buildings.

Now, here’s something the website fails to mention. The story IS in Dutch. The story is meant for children so the narrator, the oldest tree on the castle grounds, speaks slowly and clearly. I’d say that if you’ve had Dutch up to A2 you’ll understand 75% of the main story. However, you can read it in english here.

In a nutshell the story is about a Circus where everything is going wrong. A mouse, the main character, comes and saves the circus. While you’re walking around the castle grounds, you get little side stories about how the different acts and animals were having trouble like the elephant drowning and the tiger being set on fire.

The little side stories were the hardest for me to pick up because the people around us were talking. So I had to have my husband fill me in here and there.

While the story is obviously aimed at kids, there weren’t very many out and about. Everyone we were walking with were adults who seemed to be enjoying the stories. At least we thought it was cute.

Accessibility of the Luminous Night Event

I try to pay attention to the accessibility of the attractions and events that I go to. So I was happy to see that the walking route was indeed wheel chair accessible.

Some of the route was pavement, some was dirt (and it was a little muddy from previous days rain) and then there was a bunch that was gravel. But the gravel part wasn’t deep gravel and I saw several wheel chair users navigating the path easily.

There was a part that I was highly disappointed in the organizers for. Along a 2km walking route there were barely any benches for those with mobility issues to utilize. There were at least 2 benches that were roped off because they were close to the equipment at a story station.

There are some inexpensive options to put down temporary benches that can be used each year that would make the fun walk available to everyone, of all abilities.

Food and Drink at the Event

Unfortunately, I can’t review this part. A little more than half way through the walk, there was an area set up selling warm drinks and I think some snacks. It was crowded so we didn’t go in and take a look.

So if you need a snack due to the walking, make sure you put something in your pocket or bag ahead of time.

Toilets at the Event

At the castle, in the courtyard before entering the event, you can use the toilet. Note that they are pay toilets, so have some coins ready. There are no bathroom opportunities along the walking route.

Final Thoughts About De Lumineuze Nachten

Overall, I thought it was a really cute event. I was most impressed with the mapping of the projections onto the different buildings and gateways. And, the sound was perfectly in sync with the projections. As long as people weren’t talking, it the sound was loud enough and clear as well.

The walk wasn’t intense by any means (unless you have physical challenges and need to sit regularly) and was quite enjoyable. There was a portion on the walk, by a pond, that smelled of raw sewage. So that was a little less pleasant but it seemed contained to that area only.

Friday the 13th at 20:45 wasn’t overcrowded at all. In fact, I think the crowd was perfect. We were able to see all of the art, lights and projections. There were a few places where the people around us felt the need to talk through the story, so we’d just have to wait until it started over. That was a little annoying but people will people no matter where you go. I can imagine though the bigger the crowds, the more that this is an issue.

However, with all this being said, if I was at the beginning of learning Dutch I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed this event at all.

Would I Go to the Luminous Nights Again?

Would I come back for future seasons? I think this is a “I came, I saw, move on” type event. If it was half the price then I wouldn’t mind going again to see a new story or new art installations. It was cute, but I’ll find a new light adventure for the 2025 winter season.

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