Announcing: Selby Light 2026
7th November 2025
We’re delighted to announce that Light Up Lancaster returns this autumn and that imitating the dog will be involved again in leading delivery and organisation of the festival, as well as showcasing our brand new light installation.
From Thursday 6th-Saturday 8th November 2025, audiences in Lancaster will see the city’s heritage buildings and open spaces illuminated by beautiful light artworks, installations and projections, collected under the theme of ‘In the Blink of an Eye’.
We’re not quite ready to reveal our piece just yet (soon!) but we are very excited for you to see how our Lancaster locations light up, courtesy of some brilliant artists from across the UK and beyond. Keep up to date with programme announcements in the upcoming months over at the Light Up Lancaster website.
Light Up Lancaster’s Explore Week will also be returning from Monday 27th-Friday 31st October (Half Term), offering an exciting series of fun, free workshops and creative activities centred on light, art and science. These 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.
We’re looking forward to working alongside our partners Lancaster BID, The Dukes, Mirador and Lancaster University, with support from Lancaster Council, to bring this celebration to Lancaster again. There’s already been a lot of hard working going on behind the scenes but now the announcement is out there, we can’t wait to share more with you. Stay tuned!
For the press release in full, please see below.
PRESS RELEASE
Light Up Lancaster returns for 2025 on November 6, 7 and 8 – and it will be truly magical! Audiences will be treated to beautiful light artworks, installations and projections that playfully illuminate the city’s heritage buildings and open spaces.
This year’s theme has been announced as ‘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.
- Join 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….
- …and lots, lots more!
Councillor Martin Bottoms, cabinet member with responsibility for regeneration and local economy, 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 tempting 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. Please email hello@lightuplancaster.co.uk to find out more about these tours.
Organisers have also announced that the very popular EXPLORE WEEK, is back for 2025, taking place from the 27 – 31 October (Half Term). Five days of free workshops 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: www.lightuplancaster.co.uk
Light Up Lancaster is delivered by Lancaster BID, imitating the dog, The Dukes, Mirador and Lancaster University with support from Lancaster City Council.
Light Up Lancaster is supported using public funding by Arts Council England. The festival is also supported by Lancaster City Council, the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund, the Duchy of Lancaster, the Confucius Institute, Lancashire County Council, Lancaster University’s Engineering & Physical Sciences and Arts & Humanities Impact Acceleration Account, and the Friends of the Judges’ Lodgings, Lancaster, amongst others.
Notes for editors
For further details please contact: Rosalind Forster, rosalindforster@icloud.com
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