PHOTOS AND VIDEOS: Spectacular highlights as Light Up Lancaster dazzles in the city

Monday, 11 November 2024 14:02

By Greg Lambert @greglam72

The mesmerising Monad display on Lancaster Canal was a big crowd-puller at the festival

There were many highlights as the spectacular Light Up Lancaster festival brought huge crowds into the city.

Thousands of people enjoyed the illuminated sights at the three-day event, which this year was themed on The Art of Science.

The festival ran on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, as many of the city's major landmarks played host to jaw-dropping light art installations.

Footfall cameras logging the busiest evening ever recorded in the city centre on the Saturday night with more than 91,000 across the three nights.

One of the biggest crowd-pullers of the weekend was the Monad attraction on Lancaster Canal, which was viewed by huge crowds from the canal bank next to the Water Witch pub.

Created by Norwegian artist Anastasia Isachsen, Monad was a projection onto a giant mist of water, presenting the circle as a symbol of time and the perpetual motion of the universe.

WATCH our video of Monad at Light Up Lancaster (NOTE - background music has been added)

Another popular attraction was Imprint, a projection onto Charter House in Dalton Square celebrating 100 years of Lancaster textiles business Standfast and Barracks.

WATCH our video of Imprint.

LEAP, by Imitating the Dog, was another popular installation. Projected onto the Judges' Lodgings and featuring live vocal performance, it told a moving story of human communication, time travel and family, set against the backdrop of the 1969 Moon Landing.

WATCH LEAP at the Judges Lodgings.

Other venues for Light Up Lancaster included the Priory, the Castle, the Storey Centre, the Dukes, Sun Square, New Street Square, Market Square (home of a three-day street market), Aalborg Square and Lancaster Library.

Beyond Radio presented a live radio show on Thursday evening from Light Up Lancaster.

Tom Fyson, operations manager at Lancaster BID, said: "We were delighted to be part of the team delivering such a successful Light Up Lancaster. It was wonderful to see the city centre so busy with visitors from far and wide alongside locals.

"The record footfall levels helped give a real boost to city centre businesses."

The festival organisers would love to hear visitors’ thoughts on this year’s event and are inviting everyone to fill out the feedback form on the Light Up Lancaster website where you have the chance to win £100 worth of high street shopping vouchers.

Light Up Lancaster is delivered in partnership by Lancaster City Council, Lancaster BID and The Dukes.

The festival is supported with funding from Arts Council England, Lancaster City Council and Lancaster BID.

Additional financial and in-kind support comes from Lancaster University, Lancaster University Confucius Institute, Pennine Events, the Duchy of Lancaster, and Lancaster’s arts and cultural organisations.

Here are more images from Light Up Lancaster 2024.