Follow The Light.

Scenes From Friday Night's Aurora Festival in the Arts District.

Walking up to the Dallas Arts District on Friday night, you could definitely tell: Something big was going on. Moving closer to Flora Street and The Crow Collection of Asian Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, and Dallas Museum of art, the signs were even more clear: Streets were blocked off and the masses walked between the rows of parked cars.

The reason for all this commotion? Dallas' third Aurora festival, which puts contemporary light art on display through projections and installations laid out across the district, and is free to attend for all.

It was an inviting scene; most every piece on display screamed for its audience's attention. As light is an integral part of vision, that came easily.

Along with the displays along Flora Street, the Crowe, the Nasher and the DMA were all open to the public for free, allowing the crowds to explore even more art on this night. There was more than just art, too; at least a dozen food trucks were on hand satisfy attendees' stomachs. Meanwhile, down the road a little bit at Klyde Warren Park, performance art reigned supreme as dancers donned LED light costumes and danced among the attendees to bongo drums.

But it was the interactive art works that drew the most attention. Near the dancers, a huge blowup of plastic sat in in the middle of the deck park, and its handlers asked that attendees enter its confines and paint its insides, adding to what the rest of the public had done before.

It was a great night for art in Dallas. Sometimes, a little extra shine is all that Dallas' most creative artists really need.