Glow Up 2025 – a night that truly lit up

Last night, Mariënburgplein transformed in a way we don’t often experience. Young people from all across Nijmegen came together for Glow Up, the youth festival that brought real light into the late-November darkness, both literally and figuratively. It felt like a world of its own: laser beams drifting through the air, paint glowing into life, and conversations sparking between people who hadn’t met five minutes earlier.

At the opening, something special took center stage. Our own Claudia Librizzi – supported by Malou Beurskens, the wider Bildung community and the Hobby Centrum Nijmegen – created a living artwork titled Reflections. It became a quiet, shimmering moment where colour, movement and light blended into a space in which visitors could see both themselves and each other reflected. Young people paused, took photos, touched the piece gently as if it were breathing. For us, it captured exactly what Bildung stands for: creating together, growing together, shining together.

The night itself unfolded through a strong, warm collaboration with Public Library Gelderland-Zuid, Bindkracht10, The Guild, and many more community partners who helped bring every corner of the festival to life. Their energy and commitment made the square feel open, welcoming and full of possibility.

There was room to play, to explore, to laugh and to step away from the everyday for a moment. Glow-in-the-dark artworks emerged on the spot, board games brought strangers into easy conversation, and the poetry and writing corners filled with lines that might stay with people for a long time.

Glow Up once again showed the power that emerges when young people meet in a safe, creative space supported by a community that believes in them. We are proud that Bildung Nijmegen could contribute to this night, together with all our partners and the many volunteers who made it possible.

And above all: thank you to all the young people who lit up the square yesterday. Your energy will continue glowing for a long time.