The popular free light-art trail, Light Up Lancaster, returns to the city centre in November.
Details have been revealed for the event, which takes place on November 6, 7 and 8.
Light Up Lancaster invites audiences to explore this magical light-art trail throughout the city, discovering enchanting light-artworks and captivating installations in Lancaster’s streets and squares.
This year’s theme is ‘In The Blink of an Eye’.
Festival Producer George Harris said: ‘’We hope audiences will experience a festival where shapeshifting, illusion and the ever-changing will be reflected in fun, engaging and clever light artworks.
‘’This year’s festival theme is all about the impermanence of things, even the things we think are always going to be the same. As a wise saying goes - thanks to impermanence everything is possible!’
Artists from across the UK and beyond will come together to celebrate the dynamic qualities of light, using projections, music, imagination and play.
Attractions this year will include:
Limbic Cinema and music artist RAMZi for Forged in Water - an audio-visual installation that explores the underwater world, and its otherworldly seascapes, in a water-based projection work on Lancaster canal
Discover Molecular Clouds by Daksha Patel – a beautiful and interactive projection featuring scenes of the ever-changing natural world.
Immerse yourself in stories of Lancashire folklore with Veil. Set within the courtyard of Lancaster Castle, beams of laser light drift and shimmer overhead, merging with an ethereal soundscape crafted by artist Flolux.
Enjoy a feast for the senses at Peddie’s Chocolate Shop, wonder as a magical apparition materialises out of the darkness with Fading, unleash your creativity as your body becomes the brush on an AI-powered canvas with Dark and Light.
Councillor Martin Bottoms, cabinet member with responsibility for regeneration and local economy at Lancaster City Council, said, “As a long-standing supporter of the festival, Lancaster City Council is delighted that Light Up Lancaster has secured funding for this year.
‘’The festival is a key part of our events calendar and showcases and celebrates the city’s creativity while providing a timely boost to the local economy.”
Tony Johnson, Lancaster BID Manager said: “Lancaster BID is proud to be part of the team delivering Light Up Lancaster again this year. The event is a real annual highlight drawing thousands of visitors into Lancaster and shining a new light on our fabulous historic city centre.”
All the installations are free to view and suitable for families, and they will all be running on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 5pm until 10pm. Plus there will be a food market in Market Square, managed by Food Futures – the perfect opportunity to visit the festival after school or work and grab a bite to eat before exploring.
The festival will also be offering British Sign Language interpreted tours of the artworks. Led by specialist facilitator Martin Glover, BSL users will be able to experience the artworks and learn about the creative processes behind them.
Organisers have also announced that the very popular Explore Week, is back for 2025, taking place from the 27 – 31 October, during half term. This will be five days of free workshops and will offer fun and exciting creative experiences and hands-on activities learning all about light, art and science.
The workshops will be located in The Storey and have been coordinated together with the Engagement team at Lancaster University, with support from the University’s Impact Acceleration Account funding programme.
Details of the programme for both Explore Week and the main festival will be available on the Light Up Lancaster website in the coming weeks at www.lightuplancaster.co.uk
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