Bristol Light Festival

City Centre BID invites you to explore Bristol through light from Thursday 27 February to Sunday 1 March, 2020 as part of its exciting new festival .

The Bristol Light Festival will bring colour, light and play to city centre spaces each February for three years. Designed to make the city more enjoyable for residents, attract visitors and boost the economy during a traditionally cold, dark, quiet month, the festival is an exciting addition to Bristol’s winter calendar.

The City Centre BID has appointed two acclaimed Bristol-based creative directors – Katherine Jewkes and Vashti Waite – to build the festival into an internationally recognised event over the next three years and forge partnerships beyond the city. We are also leading a Light Festival partnership that includes Bristol City Council and the University of the West of England (UWE)’s Digital Cultures Research Centre, which has secured a £15,000 grant to evaluate the wider impact and benefits of this event on the city, helping to inform its development.

…we have curated a group of fantastic local and international artists who all embody the playful and creative spirit of the city.
Katherine Jewkes, Bristol Light Festival co-director

Updated: Thursday 13 February, 2020

The full programme of artists announced for Bristol Light Festival

Seven new and exciting artists of light have been added to the programme of local and international talent as part of the Bristol Light Festival, taking place from Thursday 27^th February to Sunday 1^st March.

Frame Perspective by Olivier Ratsi will transform Millenium Square with a 30-metre-long luminous installation of repeating frames and LED lights. It will give off both bright light and sound creating an interactive experience that alters the surrounding environment.

MilkBottle by Jack Wimperis is a specially commissioned series of light sculptures made out of recycled milk bottles with the aim to raise awareness about single-use plastics. Supported by Cabot circus, Milkbottle Cages will see a sculpture of the recycled milk bottles with embedded LEDs. Milkbottle Screen is a screen of 600 hanging one-pint milk bottles, situated on Castle Park’s bandstand.

Nimbes and Nebulae by Joanie Lemercier will take visitors on a unique journey following an artistic interpretation of a voyage through time and space. Nimbes is a fulldome piece that was created in 2014 In partnership with composer, James Ginzburg. The installation will be a 15-minute show screened in the Planetarium at We The Curious and will be immediately followed by Nebulae, created in 2019.

Wildlife on the Waterfront by Bristol charity, Send a Cow, will tell the tale of the people and wildlife in Uganda’s oldest national park. In partnership with Bristol’s award-winning Limbic Cinema, the piece will be projected onto the Arnolfini as part of the Living with Wildlife appeal to protect the people and wildlife in Uganda.

Neighbours is an installation created by a collection of local artists who are working together to create a unique piece of light that will pay homage to Bristol’s graffiti culture. It will be revealed as a final surprise on the opening of the festival on Thursday 27^th February.

The new artists will join Pink Enchantment by Tine Bech on Castle Bridge, Wave-field Variation Q by Lateral Office and CS Design in Queen Square and Overheard in Bristol consisting of a four metre neon sign installed by Cascade Steps featuring the well-known Bristol saying, ‘CHEERS DRIVE.’

For more information and updates about the festival please visit www.bristollightfestival.org.

Updated: Friday 17 January, 2020

First three installations announced

City Centre BID has launched the new Bristol Light Festival website and announced the first three commissions for the festival. They include light art installations that are visiting the South West for the first time as well as brand-new installations created exclusively for this first edition of the festival.

Pink Enchantment by international artist Tine Bech will shroud Castle Bridge in bursts of atmospheric pink mist as walkers and cyclists cross the water.

Wave-Field, Variation Q by Lateral Office will transform Queen Square into a playground of giant seesaws that burst into joyful music and light when played with.

Overheard in Bristol will depict a famous Bristolian phrase in four-foot neon beside the Cascade Steps. It’s sure to become a favoured selfie spot.

A further three art installations will be announced ahead of the festival, so keep checking here for details.

Updated: Wednesday 4 December, 2019

Invite: Wednesday 15 January, 2020

Join us on Wednesday 15 January, 2020 when we’ll be hosting a levy payer event to introduce the team behind the Bristol Light Festival, share opportunities on how businesses can get involved and celebrate this exciting new festival for our city. More details coming soon.

The full programme of artists announced for Bristol Light Festival

First three installations announced

Invite: Wednesday 15 January, 2020

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