INTERVIEW: Getting ready to Light Up Lancaster

Thursday, 3 November 2022 13:28

By Greg Lambert @greglam72

Light Up Lancaster returns to the city this weekend. Photo by Robin Zahler.

The Light Up Lancaster festival is set to illuminate the city this weekend and we have been finding out more about it.

The two-day free family-friendly festival, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, brings innovative and imaginative light art to Lancaster’s city centre streets, squares and historic buildings, finishing with a fantastic fireworks display.

And Beyond Radio has been chatting to Julie Brown, the festival's artistic director, to discover some of the delights in store this year.

LISTEN to our interview with Julie Brown.

"It's a really fun-filled family free event, and we install all across Lancaster, light installations, light art, projection mapping and really fun activities for families to do," said Julie.

"You do a self-guided trail all around the city, and there are some great big things and small-scale things to see, all around the place.

"We are using lots of the spaces that people will recognise from previous years and expect to see things in, but also a few new ones."

Light Up Lancaster locations include the Priory, the Judges’ Lodgings, St Nicholas Arcades, The Herbarium, The Cornerstone and The Storey. Outdoor venues featured will be the Castle, Market, Dalton and Sun Squares, the Storey Gardens, New Street and Upper Church Street/Castle Hill. All events are within walking distance of each other and are completely free.

New locations this year are Kanteena which will stage a Light Art Jam and St John’s Church which hosts hundreds of illuminated butterflies.

Here is how Lancaster Castle might look this weekend!

All the light installations can be viewed from 5pm to 10pm on Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5, 5pm to 7pm (Castle area venues) and 5pm to 7.30pm (other venues).

Light Up Lancaster, which first took place 10 years ago, is organised by Lancaster City Council, Lancaster BID and The Dukes. It is funded by Arts Council England, Lancaster City Council and Lancaster BID.

Weather permitting, the spectacular fireworks finale will be launched near Lancaster Castle on the Saturday at 8pm.

Wristbands are required for the fireworks official viewing areas at Giant Axe and Quay Meadow but if you haven’t been able to order any online, the display can still be enjoyed from various vantage points across the city – if you can see the castle, you can see the fireworks!

Information on all the artworks can be found here.