Light Up the North

14/06/2026

11/06/2026

This week we held our quarterly network meeting in Blackpool.

A huge thank you to Lightworks — the home of the Blackpool Illuminations and Lightpool for hosting us - both in-person and online!

This was an especially exciting meeting as we celebrated confirmation of our new Arts Council England funding for the next two years.

We had a number of brilliant discussions around our plans to support emerging light artists, co-commission new works, and continue raising the profile of the light art sector as a whole.

👀 Exciting times ahead - watch this space!

11/06/2026

📣Come along to our next Oldham Artist's Network meeting!

🎨Where? Gallery Oldham
🎭When? Thursday 9 July, 6 - 7.30pm

Join us at this first network meeting as Greater Manchester Town of Culture. Connect, share, create and just have a lovely evening among like minded individuals!

We'll be there to welcome you, share information and listen.

Book your free space using the link in the comments (helps with planning) or just come along on the day.

See you there!

11/06/2026

📣Calling all Artists and Creatives living in Oldham📣

There's still time to apply for funding between £100 and £500 to support your creative development.

For more information and to apply email: [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you!

11/06/2026

Blackpool has been named on the longlist for UK City of Culture 2029. This is an exciting opportunity to showcase what makes our town unique while helping shape a vision for the future of Blackpool.

The bid team brings together Blackpool’s major cultural organisations, independent creatives, Blackpool Council, key businesses and tourism bodies.

We’ve written a short survey to gather your experiences and views to feed into the bid. Your feedback will help us understand what culture means to people locally, what matters most, and how it can benefit residents, communities, and businesses.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and help ensure your views are heard.

☑️ Survey closes 5 July - link in comments
📷 by Lucy Hunter

11/06/2026

08/06/2026

Light artists ✨

Join us for a webinar on Tuesday, 9th of June at 6 PM CET.
We'll introduce ILO as a community, showcase the artist database, and explore the benefits it can offer you.

Register your attendance here: https://forms.gle/meU4cTwNH51uf4bC9

06/06/2026

‼️ Deadline: Sunday 7 June

We’re looking for a new Programme Lead to join our network of light festivals!

If you’re passionate about creating exceptional cultural experiences and working across an inspiring network, we’d love to hear from you.

Find full details and how to apply below.

📣 Could you be our next Freelance Programme Lead?

We’re looking for a Programme Lead to help deliver our ambitious programme of activity over the next two years — supporting the development of the light art sector through collaboration, commissioning, research, and artist support.

We’re looking for someone with experience in:
• Strategic partnerships & advocacy
• ACE-funded projects and reporting
• Evaluation and data analysis
• Programme management & stakeholder coordination
• Report writing and sector development

📍To apply, visit https://lightupthenorth.com/opportunity/programme-lead-for-lutn-2026-28/

📅 Deadline: Midnight, 7 June 2026
📩 Shortlisted applicants notified: 11 June 2026
🗓 Interviews: Week commencing 15 June 2026

LUTN is funded using public funds from .

04/06/2026

Dear light artists ✨

We'd like to invite you to an upcoming webinar where we'll introduce ILO as a community, showcase the artists database, and explore the benefits it can offer you. More details will be shared soon.
Stay tuned!