Light Night Leeds moves to half term for two free nights

Light Night Leeds will return across the city on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October, running from 6pm to 9.30pm each night. The citywide festival is free to enter and is aimed at families and visitors of all ages.

For the first time since the event began, it will take place during the October half-term break. Leeds City Council says the new dates, combined with the earlier autumn darkness, should allow more families to experience the projections, performances and immersive installations from the start of the evening.

More than 40 artworks will transform Leeds

The programme will bring more than 40 artworks to familiar streets and buildings around Leeds. Visitors can expect large-scale projections alongside works using light, performance and immersive techniques, created by artists from Leeds, elsewhere in the UK and overseas.

This year’s theme, “A City Speaks…”, will connect the festival with the Leeds 400 celebrations. The city is marking four centuries since King Charles I granted Leeds its first Royal Charter on 13 July 1626.

The installations will explore the people, places and stories that have shaped Leeds during those 400 years, while also looking towards its future. Exact artworks and locations have not yet been disclosed, leaving the detailed route to be confirmed when the full programme is published.

Half-term dates open the festival to more families

Light Night Leeds has transformed the city through art since 2005, but the move into half term is a first. Children will be off school, while the clocks will have gone back during the previous weekend, bringing darkness early enough for the complete programme to begin at 6pm.

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, said the timing should make the event easier for more families to experience. She also described the festival as a way of making art accessible while presenting Leeds as a cultural destination.

The scale of the audience has grown alongside the programme. More than 200,000 visitors attended across the two nights of the previous festival, and the council describes Light Night Leeds as one of the UK’s largest light festivals.

Dates, times and entry details

• Dates: Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October
• Opening hours: 6pm to 9.30pm on both nights
• Location: Various sites across Leeds
• Entry: Free
• Audience: Families and visitors of all ages
• Organiser: Leeds City Council

The initial announcement does not provide transport or accessibility arrangements, and it does not identify individual venues or state whether any installations will require advance booking. Visitors planning their evening will need the full programme before choosing which parts of the city to explore.

Full programme due at the end of September

Leeds City Council is delivering the festival with additional funding from Arts Council England and support from sponsors, trusts and foundations. Light Night Leeds will form part of the wider Leeds 400 programme running throughout the city during the year.

The complete list of artworks, installations and locations is scheduled to be announced at the end of September through the official Light Night Leeds website and social media channels.

Source: Leeds City Council