Light Up the North

23/10/2026

👉 Our SHINE 2026 artists are ready to premiere! ✨

After months of hard work, site visits and support from our network, our SHINE artists, Nurul Wardani and Zhiyan Cai, are ready to premiere their brand-new light artworks!

Through our SHINE programme, we provide funding and mentoring to help emerging artists develop their ideas and bring them to life.

Now in its 10th year, SHINE has helped artists take their first steps into the world of light art, with some of our alumni going on to become full-time artists and present their work around the world. 🌍

🌙 .wardani — Noctilucent
An immersive installation exploring light, atmosphere and the fluidity of space. You can explore at…

📍 Lightpool Blackpool | 21–31 October 2026
📍 Light Up Lancaster | 5–7 November 2026
📍 Barnsley Bright Nights | 20–21 November 2026

🌿 Zhiyan Cai 知严 — Portal: Another Path
A projection-mapped installation inviting audiences to discover a hidden garden through light and illusion. You can explore at…

📍 Light Night Leeds | 28–29 October 2026
📍 Light Night Wigan | 20–22 November 2026
📍 Illuminate Oldham | February 2027

Join us in celebrating the next generation of light artists and discover their work at festivals across our network!

23/10/2026

✨ The Return of Network’s Light Festivals!

As the nights get darker, our network members are getting ready to light up towns and cities across the North and beyond!

Our network festivals offer free and low-cost experiences that bring people together through the magic of light art. No prior knowledge of art needed, just wrap up warm, head outdoors and enjoy some incredible installations with family and friends.

We champion talented UK and international artists, support emerging creative talent and collaborate to co-commission exciting new works. 👉 Swipe right to see what’s coming up this autumn:

✨ Lightpool Blackpool — 21–31 October
✨ River of Light, Liverpool — 23 October–1 November
✨ Bridges of Light, Worcester — 28–29 October
✨ Light Night Leeds 28–29 October
✨ Light Up Lancaster 5–7 November
✨ Light Up Wakefield — 13–14 November
✨ Barnsley Bright Nights — 20–21 November
✨ Light Night Wigan 20–22 November

Who’s ready to get out and explore? Visit the link in our bio to find more or visit the festival’s social media accounts! 😊

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15/10/2026

💫 We’re delighted to announce Markel as the sponsor of the Station Zone at Light Night Leeds 2026! 💫

This year, the Station Zone will be home to Call My Name, Call Me Home, a spectacular combination of projection, song and storytelling illuminating one of Leeds city centre’s most recognisable buildings.

🏨 Call My Name, Call Me Home
Artist: imitating the dog with Hope & Social (UK)
📍 The Queens Hotel, City Square, LS1 1PJ
🗺️ W3W: slug.bats.goat
🎥 PROJECTION | SONG | STORY

A figure arrives by train to begin a new life in Leeds. Over six minutes, the façade of The Queens Hotel transforms as five decades of memories unfold across roads, streets, bars, hospitals and homes.

Buildings appear and disappear, mapping one person’s journey onto the changing landscape of the city.

Created by Leeds musicians Hope & Social with digital storytellers imitating the dog, Call My Name, Call Me Home is a moving hymn to belonging, memory and the places that shape a life.

💙 Thank you to Markel for sponsoring the Station Zone and supporting Light Night Leeds 2026.

🤝 In partnership with Markel, The Queens and Lloyds Wealth.

📅 Light Night Leeds 2026
🗓️ Wednesday 28 & Thursday 29 October



Hope&Social Arts Council England Light Up the North Leeds City Council

Visit Leeds The Queens Hotel, Leeds

15/10/2026

✨ Introducing the South Bank Zone at Light Night Leeds 2026! ✨

We’re delighted to announce that Aire Park is again sponsoring this year’s South Bank Zone, helping us bring incredible light, colour and creativity to this part of the city. 💜

And one of the spectacular artworks waiting to be discovered is...

💫 Aftereal
🎨 Artist: Yasuhiro Chida (Japan)
📍 The Tetley, Aire Park, Hunslet Road, LS10 1JQ
🗺️ W3W: mice.bronze.rungs

OUTDOOR | TRANQUIL | MOVEMENT

Watch a luminous landscape ripple before your eyes as hundreds of fluorescent threads rise, fall and shimmer under ultraviolet light.

Driven by small motors, the threads create hypnotic waves and fleeting trails of light that seem to hover in the darkness. Japanese artist Yasuhiro Chida plays with movement, light and perception, inviting you to slow down, look closely and question where reality ends and illusion begins. ✨

A huge thank you to Aire Park for sponsoring the South Bank Zone and supporting Light Night Leeds 2026.

📅 Wednesday 28 & Thursday 29 October
💡 Light Night Leeds 2026

Afterreal is presented in partnership with the Great British Sasakawa Foundation and Daiwa Foundation.



Aire Park Arts Council England Leeds City Council Visit Leeds Light Up the North
Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

15/10/2026