Lighting makes a splash at Budapest’s new Danube Arena

Time pressure is a fact of life on big lighting projects. But for the new Danube Arena in Budapest, the schedule was extra tight – after a major aquatics event decided to relocate at the last minute.

The state-of-the-art water sports venue on the banks of the River Danube had to be completed in just two years, when the location for the 2017 FINA World Aquatics Championship was unexpectedly changed from Mexico to Hungary.

It includes two full-size swimming pools, a diving pool and a training pool, and can host up to 15,000 spectators. The arena’s lighting was designed by local practice Be Light, using products from Thorn and Zumtobel, who were involved with the project right from the planning stage. To meet the high standards required for the project – especially the demands of HDTV broadcasting – Be Light decided that the lighting system for the Danube Arena needed to be LED. In fact, the arena is believed to be the first sports venue in Hungary to be lit predominantly with LED.