ZAGREB, 19 March (Hina) - The five-day Festival of Lights opened in Zagreb with a multimedia projection at the Gradec plateau, with this year’s installations highlighting the need to protect oceans and raise awareness of the impact of climate change.

Mayor Tomislav Tomašević opened the event, saying he hoped visitors would agree it was the best edition yet after seeing all the installations.

According to Forbes, the eighth Festival of Lights is among Europe’s most prominent events, on a par with occasions such as the Winter Olympics in Milan and Formula One races in Turin.

Presented as a “blend of science and emotion”, this year’s edition is the most extensive to date, spanning 21 locations with 26 light installations across the city centre.

Artists from Croatia, Germany, the Czech Republic, France, Spain and Slovakia have created interactive installations as well as light projections.

“As well as being an artistic and visual spectacle, the festival draws attention to what is happening in our seas, oceans, underwater habitats and related ecosystems, and the need to protect them. When we protect nature and the planet, we protect ourselves,” said Martina Bienenfeld, director of the Zagreb Tourist Board.

Petra Boić Petrač of WWF Adria highlighted the symbolic timing of the festival. “We begin with the sea, and 22 March marks World Water Day,” the regional director said.

The opening 3D mapping projection illustrated the contrast between “the rich underwater world as it once was and the devastation seen today”, said presenter Iva Šulentić.

Among those attending were the German and Canadian ambassadors, as well as Berry Vrbanovic, the mayor of Kitchener, Canada who was born in Zagreb.