i Light Marina Bay, Asia's first and only sustainable light art festival was first held from 15 October to 7 November in 2010. Presented by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and organised by Smart Light Singapore (SLS), the event celebrated Marina Bay's nightscape through the showcase of 25 dynamic and innovative light art installations along the 3.5km waterfront promenade.

The installations made use of energy-efficient lighting and created awareness for energy-saving lighting technology for the urban environment. The "Switch Off, Turn Up" campaign kicked off a programme supported by Marina Bay stakeholders to Switch Off non essential lighting and Turn Up air-conditioning temperatures for the festival period. This initiative has come about to offset energy usage and promote energy savings from lighting. Programmes and fringe activities targeting families, students, industry professionals and the general public were also planned as part of the Festival.

The inaugural festival was a substantial success and was attended by more than 433,000 visitors over a three-week duration, of which approximately 71,031 were international visitors.

This is the second edition of i Light Marina Bay, and will be held from 9 March to 1 April 2012. Themed "Light Meets Asia", the sophomore will feature more than 30 innovative and environmentally sustainable light art installations, with a strong focus on works from Asia.

The Festival's curatorial team is helmed by Festival Director Mary-Anne Kyriakou, and includes two co-curators: Charmaine Toh, a Singapore visual arts curator; and the team from Singapore award-winning design studio FARM. In line with the theme "Light Meets Asia", the curatorial team has selected the sustainable light art installations from over one hundred submissions. The final selection of installations features a strong representation from new, emerging, and well-known artists from countries across Asia, including Singapore. To find out more about the artists and their installations, click here.

Apart from the visually arresting and interactive sustainable light art installations, visitors to i Light Marina Bay 2012 can look forward to a full array of complementary programmes and activities – including a night carnivals, outdoor performances, guided tours, educational talks and workshops – all to ensure that there is something for everyone.