Code:ART Festival

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Code:ART 2025 is a free, interactive media art festival that transforms downtown Palo Alto into a vibrant hub of light, sound, and imagination from October 16-25, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Presented by the City of Palo Alto Public Art Program, the festival launches with five site-specific installations from October 16-18, including a centerpiece at Lytton Plaza and four hands-on art experiences where visitors can meet the artists. These installations by local, national, and international artists reimagine downtown plazas, alleys, and public spaces in inventive ways - featuring dynamic projections, immersive environments, responsive sound, light, and game-based experiences.

Each night from October 16–25, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Palo Alto City Hall façade will come alive with stunning 8-story projection artworks by three world-renowned 3D projection mapping artists. In addition to the projection artworks on King Plaza, Code:ART 2025 features a full lineup of live music, roaming performances, and community programming - including nightly performances on King Plaza, a silent disco, and a weekend of live DJ sets and pop-up concerts across downtown.

Code:ART 2025 invites you to explore, play, and connect through bold public art that reflects Palo Alto’s spirit of creativity and innovation!

City Hall Projection Mapping Art: Alessio Cassaro

City Hall Projection Mapping Artwork: "Parallel Visions" by Italy-based artist Alessio Cassaro transforms Palo Alto City Hall during Code:ART 2025, using light and motion to turn static architecture into a living, breathing canvas of 2D/3D video mapping and imagination.

City Hall Projection Mapping Art: Jeff Dobrow

City Hall Projection Mapping Art: Tempest" by artist Jeff Dobrow is a bold, abstract projection artwork that transforms Palo Alto City Hall during Code:ART 2025, guiding viewers through three acts - Void, Disruption, and Being - to explore our evolving relationship with technology.

City Hall Projection Mapping Art: Yann Nguema

City Hall Projection Mapping Art: "INFRASTRUCTURE" by French artist Yann Nguema transforms Palo Alto City Hall into a virtual inner world, using projection mapping to reveal and reimagine the hidden structures that support and shape the city.

Grove by Pneuhaus

Lytton Plaza Installation: Grove by Pneuhaus is an interactive light sculpture inspired by mycelium networks, transforming human movement into waves of color in a soaring, cathedral-like space of connection and play.

Glow Walk by Shagun Singh

Glow Walk by Shagun Singh transforms an ordinary alley into a responsive, light-filled passageway where movement activates shifting colors, turning a simple walk into a playful moment of connection and wonder.

Time Stretched Thin by Joshua Miller

Time Stretched Thin by Joshua Miller is an interactive installation that transforms movement into flowing ribbons of light, inviting participants to experience time as a playful and poetic medium.

Screamaton by Antonin Fourneau and Manuel Braun

Screamaton transforms the photo booth into a cathartic, interactive experience where participants scream to trigger a visceral portrait of emotional release - artists: Antonin Fourneau and Manuel Braun.

Iceline by Oona Stern

Iceline, an interactive video installation by artist Oona Stern, that invites audiences to engage with the melting Arctic landscape and rising sea levels through immersive visuals filmed in Svalbard.

Public Programming during Code:ART

Code:ART 2025 features a full lineup of live music, roaming performances, and community programming - including nightly performances on King Plaza, a silent disco, and a weekend of live DJ sets and pop-up concerts across downtown.

Contact the Palo Alto Public Art Program with any questions. Sign up to our monthly newsletter and stay connected on Instagram and Facebook. If you are interested in sponsoring or supporting Code:ART 2025, contact Public Art Program Director Elise DeMarzo by email.

Previous Events

Last updated on September 17, 2025