Lumiere London lights up the city

Head out into the streets of London this weekend and prepare to be dazzled by Lumiere London, the UK’s largest light festival, which stays on our streets until Sunday 21 January 2018. The free event showcases installations by over 40 artists, available for viewing between 17.30 and 22.30 each night.

Nightlife in Leicester Square Gardens

Over the four-day period, over 50 artworks are lighting up six areas of London with highlights including the Lantern Company’s transformation of Leicester Square Gardens into a luminous secret garden, a Flamingo Flyway in Chinatown and our favourite, Voyage, a passage through the years projected on to the Hotel Café Royal building in Piccadilly Circus.

Voyage in Piccadilly Circus

Elsewhere, keep an eye out for the Cirque Bijou’s community-led umbrella installation which pops up in any of the six main areas involved when you’re least expecting it.

The inaugural Lumiere London took place in 2016 when 1.3 million visitors took to the streets to marvel at the nocturnal exhibition.

The six London areas displaying the installations are King’s Cross, Fitzrovia, the West End, Mayfair, Westminster & Victoria, and the South Bank & Waterloo. The festival is a collaboration between arts organisation Artichoke Trust and Visit London. To help you plan your visit, download the free Lumiere London app available from Visit London.