Light Up Lancaster

10/09/2026

📍Location, location, location! This year you'll find artworks located at The Gregson, Moor Space on Moor Lane, Moorlands Church on High St, Lancaster Canal and Williamson Park, alongside much-loved favourites including Lancaster Castle, Lancaster Priory, The Storey and Dalton Square.

🗺️ We're busy working on this year's map and programme so you'll be able to plan your route to take in as many fabulous artworks and installations as possible - watch this space! :)

08/09/2026

📣 DEADLINE APPROACHING - ILLUMINE 2
ILLUMINE 2 is a light art commissioning opportunity for UK Black and People of Colour artists.
📅 Deadline Friday 11 September, 5pm.

📣 ILLUMINE 2: Applications Now Open

We are launching ILLUMINE 2 – a light art commissioning opportunity for UK Black and People of Colour (POC) artists. This open call is a positive action initiative designed to address the underrepresentation of Black and POC artists at light festivals.

We’re looking for an artist or collective to create a bold new light installation that will tour festivals across the North of England, bringing fresh perspectives and new voices to audiences across the region.

The commission includes:
💡 £8,000 artist bursary
🎨 Production budget between £40-£70K
💜 Mentoring and support from the Light Up The North network
🌍 Touring opportunities at up to six festivals in 2027/28

Whether you’re experienced in light art or looking to work with light for the first time, we’d love to hear from you.

📅 Deadline Friday 11 September, 5pm.

Find out more and apply https://lightupthenorth.com/development/illumine/

Image: Molecular Clouds by ILLUMINE artist Daksha Patel at Barnsley Bright Nights 2025. Photo by James Mulkeen.


Light Night Wigan | Visit Barnsley | Bradford Culture Company | Severn Arts | Enchanted City Newcastle | I love Oldham | Light Night Leeds | Light Up Lancaster | Creative Wakefield | Appetite | Quays Culture | Stellar Creates | Culture Liverpool | Flux Rotherham | Arts Council England | Lightpool

07/09/2026

INTRODUCING OUR ARTWORKS...

Demonz by INITI Interactive with ARTshifters turns a building façade into a giant, glowing battleground where the digital and the real collide.

Mischievous creatures flicker to life on screen, daring participants to knock them out with soft balls — every successful hit triggering a burst of light, colour and sound, gone again in an instant.

Come and battle with Demonz in Sun Square every evening of the festival.

06/09/2026

INTRODUCING OUR ARTWORKS...

Noctilucent by Nurul Wardani is an installation that explores the perception of volume in space through light, atmosphere and movement. Using projected light within haze, the work creates shifting forms that occupy space, inspired by natural patterns and atmospheric phenomena.

Catch this mesmerising installation every evening of the festival at 's Moor Space on Moor Lane.

05/09/2026

INTRODUCING THE 2026 ARTWORKS...

Some castles don’t last for ever – and that’s OK!

A joyful, playful reflection on the fleetingness of life, SANDCASTLE is a reminder to enjoy every moment we have – before the castle comes crashing down.

Created by (Blink and You Miss It, Lancaster Priory 2025; They Were People First, Judges Lodgings, 2023), this brand new projection piece promises to be another memorable transformation of a beloved Lancaster landmark.

Expect a winter castle dressing up as a summer sandcastle, a soundtrack that’ll cling to you like sand between your toes… and a deceptively simple allegory: that even if nothing we build lasts forever, that shouldn’t make the building of it any less fun.

30/08/2026

This year's theme for Light Up Lancaster is No Boundaries - celebrating connection, creativity and all the things that bring us together. Plus, we're introducing brand new Fun Zones where children and young people can get hands-on and become part of the artwork themselves. Over the next few weeks we'll be revealing the incredible artists, installations and experiences heading to the festival this November. So keep following to be among the first to discover what will light up the city in 2026!

And don't forget - before the festival, Explore Week returns during half term (26-30 October) with five days of free creative workshops exploring light, art and science at The Storey.

- Explore Week: 26-30 October
- Light Up Lancaster: 5-7 November
Find out more: www.lightuplancaster.co.uk

29/08/2026

🌟Light Up Lancaster is for everyone - and this year we're looking to make it even more magical for children and families!🌟

We're raising funds for new Family Fun Zones, giving young festival-goers even more opportunities to play, create, explore and enjoy the festival. Every donation, no matter how small, will help us make Light Up Lancaster an unforgettable experience for local families.

💛 Please help us bring more family fun to the festival: donate today via Spacehive! https://www.spacehive.com/light-up-lancaster-fun-zones

21/05/2026

📢𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠!
If you are an early-career artists or producer this is a fantastic opportunity to get behind the scences at Light Night Wigan and Light Up Lancaster... see below for details...

15/05/2026

Light Up the North is looking for a freelance Programmer Lead to deliver an ambitious programme of activity…see below for details…

📢We’re hiring: Programme Lead (Freelance)

We are seeking a Programme Lead to help deliver an ambitious programme of activity across the next two years. As a strategic network supporting the development of the light art sector, we bring together light festivals to share expertise, commission new artworks, support artists, carry out research, and strengthen collaboration across the sector.

We’re looking for someone with experience in...
✅ Strategic partnerships and advocacy
✅ ACE-funded projects and reporting
✅ Evaluation and data analysis
✅ Managing programmes and multiple stakeholders
✅ Writing reports and supporting sector development

We'll offer...
📍 Remote / flexible working
📅 Contract dates July 2026 – January 2028
🕒 Working pattern 48 days across 19 months (average 2.5 days per month)
💷 Fee £250 per day (£12,000 total fee)
🚆 Additional travel & subsistence budget available

Visit https://lightupthenorth.com/opportunity/programme-lead-for-lutn-2026-28/ to submit your CV + short supporting statement.
⏰Deadline: Midnight, 7 June 2026
📣Shortlisted applicants notified: 11 June 2026
🗓 Interviews: Week commencing 15 June 2026

LUTN is funded using public funds from Arts Council England.



📷Rainforest Butterflies by Anne Bennett. Nightfall Middlesbrough 2025. Photo Simon McCabe.

Visit Barnsley | Severn Arts | Bradford Culture Company | I love Oldham | Light Night Leeds | Lightpool | Experience Wakefield | Appetite | Quays Culture | Artichoke | Stellar Creates | Culture Liverpool | Flux Rotherham | Freedom Festival Hull | Things That Go On Things | Enchanted City Newcastle | Light Night Wigan

12/05/2026

Light Up The North secures funding from Arts Council England to drive next phase of Light Sector Development, read more about this great news: https://lightupthenorth.com/light-up-the-north-secures-funding-from-arts-council-england-to-drive-next-phase-of-light-sector-development/