©Stad Gent - Dienst Toerisme
The Night of the Darkness is, an initiative to raise awareness for light hindrance and light pollution. The Ghent city administration also pulls its weight and extinguishes a large part of the monuments’ illumination.
Since the creation of the Ghent lighting plan in 1998 the city bathes in a magical light after sun set. During the Night of the Darkness, this lighting will be extinguished between 7 pm and midnight. This is the perfection occasion for some stargazing. The Observatory Armand Pien gives you the opportunity to have a closer look at the start. And who knows, you may see a shooting star…
Which lights will be extinguished?
During the Night of the Darkness, the lighting of the Ghent lighting plan will be extinguished between 7 pm and midnight. The illumination of the 3 towers (St Bavo's Cathedral, St Nicholas' Church, Belfry) will be put out the whole weekend from Friday evening till Monday morning and the functional lighting remains on during that period.
This activity takes place on a location within the low emission zone
Are you driving to Ghent? First check whether you may enter the city centre with your vehicle. Clean vehicles may enter the city centre free of charge, polluting vehicles have to pay. Is your vehicle allowed to enter, but do you not have a Belgian or Dutch number plate? You will ALWAYS have to register!
Find out all there is to know about Ghent’s low emission zone (LEZ) here
