Making the beautiful game unforgettable

From the parking lot to the playing fieldd

Modern stadiums increasingly resemble entertainment venues rather than purely sporting arenas, and how they’re lit can have a significant impact on how visitors feel.  The role of light is no longer limited to ensuring visibility on the playing field—long before a game starts, and until well after it’s over, the stadium experience today is shaped by light.

Illuminating the façade in team colors can strengthen a team’s visual identity while fostering a sense of pride and belonging among fans as they arrive. Getting visitors to engage emotionally at the gates also builds excitement by creating an electrifying atmosphere that begins in the parking lot and accompanies them as they make their way from the exterior to the interior of the stadium.

For venues that can hold tens of thousands of fans, making people feel safe is just as important, and lighting plays a role here too. Well-designed stadium illumination should guide people safely from A to B, helping with crowd flows, wayfinding, and traffic management. Using warmer tones of white light can also reduce the stress and confusion associated with large crowds.

Using light to intensify the experience

For fans inside the stadium, lighting has become a core element of the entertainment experience as well. Dynamic light shows before kick-off, synchronized goal celebrations, and dramatic player entrances help visitors feel immersed in the action on game day.

Advanced lighting systems have become standard features in elite sports stadiums. In fact, light is now choreographed in sync with music and video content—with the intention of tapping into the emotions of fans in the same way that a concert or theatrical production does.

World-class lighting for global broadcasts

In addition to creating the ultimate experience for fans in the stands, every stadium that hosts games during the biggest international football tournament needs to ensure the best possible viewing experience for the billions of people watching on TV.

In order to comply with FIFA’s lighting quality standards, Estadio Banorte turned to Signify, world leader in lighting and an official FIFA Preferred Provider for floodlights. The stadium’s installation was meticulously designed to light every inch of the field evenly, featuring 320 Signify ArenaVision LED floodlights that provide 3500 lx of horizontal illumination for excellent visibility, for both players and broadcasters.

Lighting controls in a league of their own

Today, lighting is a fully integrated part of the live entertainment experience, made possible through the use of connected lighting control platforms, like Signify Interact, which centralize and simplify the controls.