Open, reusable crowd lighting for festivals, artists and makers. Music-reactive. Off-grid. Built on an open protocol.
NocturNation Intro small - SD 480p.mov
NoctuNation turns wristbands, badges, light sticks and other connected devices into a shared light experience — without cloud dependence, proprietary lock-in or throwaway hardware.
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Proven live at EMF Camp 2026. NoctuNation ran on Stage D for 2xAA, connecting a ChamSys lighting desk via DMX and ArtNet to audience Tildagons and ESP-based bracelets.
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Open protocol. Reusable hardware. Professional event delivery.
We can help with experience design, show programming, setup and on-site operation. If you are planning a pilot, festival, performance or installation, start a conversation through the NoctuNation project on GitHub.
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Designed for people as well as technology. NoctuNation includes audience etiquette and Calm Mode guidance, helping organisers create an exciting experience while considering accessibility, comfort and venue context.
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Music Reactive Crowd Lighting. Open-source. Off-grid.
A sea of light dancing in time with the music, carried by the audience. Wristbands, badges, and light sticks - all moving as one, without a cable, cloud, or stage cue. NoctuNation is the open protocol and reference firmware for Lumes: any device, in any form, that listens to a NoctuNation Director and turns the signal into light. A Tildagon badge is a Lume. A repurposed PixMob wristband is a Lume. An M5 Stick running in receive mode is a Lume. The protocol does not care what's on the other end - if it speaks NoctuNation, it joins the show.
Our story begins on a warm Saturday evening at Glastonbury Festival in 2024, when Coldplay's record-breaking fifth Pyramid Stage headline set turned a crowd of more than 100,000 people into a sea of light with LED wristbands. It was a truly magical experience. The audience became more than attendees - they became part of the show.
But it also raised a question: what happens to all that hardware after the show? Each wristband contained a working PCB, LEDs, and two AAA batteries, yet once activated there was no way to turn it off to save power. The biodegradable-plastic strap - a noble effort - could split when opened, and the electronics were heat-bonded into the strap and couldn't be removed. Could those lights have a second life beyond a few nights and a single vendor ecosystem?
I kept thinking about the wristband afterwards - not just as a souvenir, but as a tiny piece of electronics with years of life still in it. I wanted to know whether it could be reused, and whether the magic of that moment could be made open.
That question became NoctuNation.
NoctuNation ran on Stage D at EMF Camp 2026 (16-19 July) for 2xAA’s set, using a NoctuNation Director plugged into a ChamSys lighting desk via DMX and ArtNet, lighting up the audience’s Tildagons and ESP-based bracelets!
Needless to say, it was a fantastic success and brought a new way for the audience to participate in the show!
Install the NoctuNation app from the EMF app store. Once it's running:
There is nothing to configure to receive the public show - the app boots straight into receive mode and will connect to the show automatically.
The NoctuNation app can also run in Director mode, responding to your movements and broadcasting it to other Tildagons in the vicinity. If you bring up the menu, select Director mode.
If you take a look at our GitHub page, you can write your own Shows for the Tildagon, or create a sound-reactive show using an M5 Stack StickC S3. We’ve love to see what you’re able to bring to the party!
We also have a range of tools and documentation you can use on your laptop, including:
