It’s February: Let there be light!

The third verse of Genesis, and no, we’re not talking about the first time Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel harmonised on stage, included the immortal line: “Let there be light!”

At some point on the third day of February, a similar command will be issued. And on the fourth, and the fth, and for three more weeks, all the way until February 26.

For the sixth year, the Copenhagen Light Festival is returning to light up Copenhagen with 35 installations, numerous pop-up and thematic events, and a wide selection of guided tours, parties and treasure hunts.

On February 3, it will open to the public at the Royal Danish Playhouse followed by a big concert at Holmens Church. Green-minded, the festival will only use special energy donated by its sponsor Ørsted.

Undeterred by corona and an incredible cold spell two years ago, it keeps on coming back for more, bringing badly needed light into our lives at a time when we need it most.

In the suburbs too No doubt, 2021 was a breakthrough year for the free festival. Completely starved of indoor cultural events due to the pandemic, a record half a million people braved sub-zero temperatures to attend.

It was as if each installation was a giant heat-emitting beacon, drawing in the shivering crowds, warming them up with their sheer wonder.

Primarily set up lining Copenhagen Harbour, this year will include installations in far- ung locations as well, including outer-Copenhagen parks Bavnehøj, Remiseparken and Ørestaden, and even suburbs such as Brønshøj, Sundby, Vanløse and Tingbjerg.

To admire the city centre lights, visitors are inspired to choose from three routes – measuring 2, 5 or 10 km – which they can walk, run or cycle.

Organisers have divided the more than 35 installations into three groups: ‘Artistic’, ‘Architectural’ and ‘Experiences’. The first category is all about the message, the second the spectacle, and the third more family-orientated.

“We hope that many Danes and foreigners will again visit Copenhagen during the winter holiday and spend a few days seeing the installations,” enthuses the

Kongshaug.

“We are attempting to accommodate our guest’s wishes for installations that are of a high artistic caliber and which also provide fun family experiences.”

Kongshaug warns visitors to book tickets for the guided tours as quickly as possible, as they tend to sell out quickly.

Extra tours along the canals have been organised in anticipation of the huge interest – and new this year, there are also beer, wine and dance tours, as well as special arrangements for the visually impaired.

Make sure you download the festival app so you are fully briefed on what is going on.

Feb 11, 11:30 & 18:30, Feb 12, 11:30; Royal Arena, Hannemanns Allé 18-20, Cph S; 280-661kr, ticketmaster.dk

When an American petrol-head placed oversized wheels and a ridiculous suspension on his Ford 5250 pickup truck in 1975, little did he know he would be paving the way to one of the crazes of the 1980s.

And now parents who came of age during that decade can introduce one of their childhood passions to their own kids at the Hot Wheels Monster Truck events, which are taking over Royal Arena on the rst weekend of the winter school holiday.

It promises to be non-stop mechanic fury: three epic performances rendered all the more spectacular in the dark.

The ‘Glow Party’ is tailored for the whole family to enjoy, but there’s an added bonus for monster truck’s biggest fans: the Crash Zone Pre-Show Party, which starts 150 minutes before the main shows.

Once showtime arrives, the pyrotechnics and lasers will go into overdrive when the likes of Mega Wrex, Tiger Shark, Boneshaker, Bigfoot and Gunkster enter the arena to perform all manner of stunts.

But it wouldn’t be ‘Monster Truck’without some ‘driveovers’. Enter Megasaurus – the giant, car-eating, re-breathing, prehistoric robot that loves nothing better than trampling four-wheeled prey. (BH)

GIANT BILLIARDS

ends Feb 26, open Wed-Sun 11:0017:00, Mon-Tue closed, until 21:00 on Thu; Skovvej 100, Ishøj; over-18s: 140kr, under-18s: free adm; arken.dk

From the 1966 lm Fantastic Voyage to Inner Space 21 years later, there’s always been something appealing about being miniature, and museums know this better than most, often conjuring up exhibits that make visitors feel they are completely tiny.

But instead of being confronted by a massive human spleen or an avalanche of red blood cells, Arken museum this winter has been o ering kids the chance to engage with massive three-metre in atable balls, red at a pretty intense velocity across a huge 225 sqm air mattress.

Duck or let it hit you for the giant thrill, ‘Giant Billiards’ has been winning rave plaudits since it opened in the autumn, and February is the last month in which you can try it out.

Originally from Austria Designed by Haus-Rucker-Co, a rebellious Austrian art collective formed in the 1960s, the exhibition is a re-enactment of the work they originally presented at the Museum of the 20th Century in Vienna in 1970.

The group explained how they “wanted to challenge their contemporaries’ often limiting perceptions of space, break down existing hierarchies of power and create new utopian urban spaces”.

For safety reasons, only children with a height of over 120 cm are permitted to enter, and there can only be a maximum of 15 on the mattress at any time. Under-18s must be under the supervision of a responsible adult. (BH)