Color & Light Festival Draws Large Crowds Back to Asbury Park
The Color & Light Festival returned to Asbury Park on July 17 and 18, bringing another weekend of world-class projection mapping to Convention Hall as part of the North to Shore Festival's "Welcomes the World" celebration.
Organized by PolyOne and LUMA and presented free to the public, the event featured artists from around the world who used music, animation, and digital projection to create original works designed specifically for Convention Hall's Grand Arcade. Each presentation offered its own style and personality, giving the audience something new with every show.
As the official photographer for the festival, I had the opportunity to see the event from both sides of the camera. I was there during the final preparations, when organizers were making the last-minute decisions that come with producing an event of this scale. One question that came up before opening night was whether the viewing area would fill.
By the time the first Saturday evening show began, there was the answer.
The boardwalk quickly filled with families, photographers, visitors, and local residents. Before long, the crowd stretched hundreds of feet from Convention Hall, with people gathering across the beach as well. Despite an early threat of bad weather, the skies cleared just in time, creating a perfect summer evening for the festival.
While this year's projections covered a slightly smaller portion of the Grand Arcade than last year's event, the quality of the artwork never missed a beat. Every artist brought a different creative approach, using the architecture in imaginative ways that kept the audience engaged throughout the evening.
Sunday presented a different experience. Changing weather reduced the size of the crowd, but those who attended enjoyed a closer, more intimate view of the projections. The atmosphere remained upbeat, and the audience embraced the opportunity to experience the artwork from a different perspective.
One of the things that stood out over both evenings was the teamwork behind the scenes. Events like this rely on far more than the artists creating the projections. Volunteers, production crews, vendors, security personnel, and countless others worked throughout the weekend to keep everything organized, welcoming, and running smoothly. The security team, in particular, did an outstanding job keeping guests informed while maintaining a positive atmosphere.
Special recognition goes to festival leaders Shawn Emamjomeh, Joshua Bernard, Tice Lerner, and Tamas Vaspori, whose vision and dedication continue to make Color & Light one of Asbury Park's most distinctive summer events.
For everyone who gathered along the boardwalk, the weekend offered a chance to experience art in a way that few festivals can deliver. Judging by the crowds, the applause, and the expressions I saw through my camera lens, Color & Light has firmly established itself as one of the highlights of Asbury Park's summer calendar.
Color and Light Festival PolyOne Luma North2Shore Bill Baumann
