Quays Culture

Quays Culture Presenting new, immersive and exciting public realm exhibitions with a focus on creativity and technology. Main funders - GMCA and ACE

We are the team behind Lightwaves Salford and We Invented the Weekend festivals. Quays Culture at MediaCityUK immerses audiences into new and exciting public-realm exhibitions with a focus on creativity, technology and digital innovation - attracting local and international talent to Greater Manchester. Our partners include The Lowry, Salford University, MediaCityUK, Quayside, Salford City Council and GMCA.

100 Days to go until Salford turns 100! 🎉On 21 April 2026, Salford will mark 100 years since being granted city status b...
11/01/2026

100 Days to go until Salford turns 100! 🎉

On 21 April 2026, Salford will mark 100 years since being granted city status by a Royal Charter by King George V - and the countdown starts now!

From local heroes and hidden histories to big cultural moments and neighbourhood celebrations, Salford centenary is about our people, our pride and our future.

👉 Sign up to the newsletter to find out what’s coming up, how to get involved and how to share your Salford story at: www.salford100.org.uk

Let’s make it a year to remember!

🌟 Artist Development Day 🌟Join artists, producers and technical specialists for an afternoon exploring how light‑based a...
08/01/2026

🌟 Artist Development Day 🌟

Join artists, producers and technical specialists for an afternoon exploring how light‑based and outdoor work is developed, produced and commissioned.

Through chats with and we’ll uncover producer insights and a practical development session, we’ll share tools, ideas and support for artists working – or looking to work – at scale.

🕐 1:00–5:00pm
📍 Lowry (aldridge studio)
🍸 Followed by informal networking drinks

Perfect for artists, producers and creatives curious about light, sound, outdoor and touring work.

🔗 Booking info in bio

Producers CreativeTechnology PublicArt

How amazing are these photos from 😍 full gallery from Lightwaves coming in January!! All of us at Quays Culture would l...
22/12/2025

How amazing are these photos from 😍 full gallery from Lightwaves coming in January!!

All of us at Quays Culture would like to wish you a very warm and bright Merry Christmas 🎄

Excited for wha’s to come in 2026…

QC x

p.s there’s still a chance to win a £50 Nell’s Pizza voucher by completing the short survey in our bio!

There’s still time to win a £50 voucher for in MediaCity!!! All you have to do is complete the short survey in our bio ...
15/12/2025

There’s still time to win a £50 voucher for in MediaCity!!! All you have to do is complete the short survey in our bio about your experience of Lightwaves Salford 2025 … 😋

Amazing photos courtesy of A reminder to complete the survey in our bio for a chance to win a £50 Nell’s voucher! 😋🍕
09/12/2025

Amazing photos courtesy of

A reminder to complete the survey in our bio for a chance to win a £50 Nell’s voucher! 😋🍕

🥲 And just like that, Lightwaves 2025 is over! We can’t thank you enough for coming out and braving the weather to celeb...
08/12/2025

🥲 And just like that, Lightwaves 2025 is over!

We can’t thank you enough for coming out and braving the weather to celebrate Lightwaves 2025 with us. We would love to hear your thoughts so that we can continuously work to improve our programmes - the link to the survey is below and in our bio. By entering, you’ll be automatically entered to win a £50 gift card at Media City! 😋🍕

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Lightwaves_Salford_2025

We’d like to give a special thanks to all the incredible artists involved:





spark




Bowman

studio

As well as:

















More photos coming soon!

QC x ❤️

06/12/2025

Have you got visited Lightwaves Salford yet? Hear from these visitors about their favourite artworks and what they've enjoyed most this year. Hope you can join us today or tomorrow (our last day is Sunday 7th December, 4-10pm)

Lightwaves Salford 2025, trail of 12 outdoor light artworks dotted around Salford Quays and MediaCity. Running over 4 nights - 4-7 December, 4-10pm. FREE - no need to book, just turn up and enjoy! 🌟 Don't miss it! 🌟



Film by .creative

😍😍😍What’s been your favorite art work this year?We switch on again at 4pm tonight for 6 hour of FREE light art! Photogra...
06/12/2025

😍😍😍
What’s been your favorite art work this year?

We switch on again at 4pm tonight for 6 hour of FREE light art!

Photography by Chris Payne

05/12/2025

Hear from some of the first visitors to this year's Lightwaves Salford who braved the rain last night to explore, play and even dance! We're really pleased that you had such a great time! 😍

Lightwaves Salford 2025, trail of 12 outdoor light artworks dotted around Salford Quays and MediaCity. Running over 4 nights - 4-7 December, 4-10pm. FREE - no need to book, just turn up and enjoy! 🌟 Don't miss it! 🌟

We had a great opening night despite the rain yesterday 🌧 Unfortunately the forecast for this evening is strong gusty wi...
05/12/2025

We had a great opening night despite the rain yesterday 🌧 Unfortunately the forecast for this evening is strong gusty winds. So please be aware that although Lightwaves Salford is scheduled to be fully open, for safety reasons we may need to close some of the artworks.  We will monitor the situation and share updates on our socials. 

Thank you for your lovely feedback and photos and we hope you can still join us this evening or over the weekend ❤

The Lightwaves Salford Team x

🌟VISITOR INFORMATION (everything you need to know!)🌟 LIGHTWAVES OPENS TONIGHT! 🥳Whether you’re a regular or visiting Lig...
04/12/2025

🌟VISITOR INFORMATION (everything you need to know!)
🌟 LIGHTWAVES OPENS TONIGHT! 🥳

Whether you’re a regular or visiting Lightwaves Salford for the first time we thought you might appreciate some top tips to get the most of our your visit:

* Download the
app so you can find the installations easily

* Have a look at the map in advance so you can plan your route - in total it’s around 1.5 km and takes around an hour

* Each artwork is unique and by a different artist - there’s information on the signs at each one or chat to the coordinator to find out more (the artist themselves may be close by too!)

* Be prepared for cold, wet weather and wrap up warm

* Hop on the tram to MediaCity rather than driving then you don’t have to worry about parking (Download the

app to plan your route)

*Parking: Quayside car park can get VERY congested. There’s another car park at MediaCity which would recommend. Full information here:
https://www.mediacityuk.co.uk/visit-us/

* Have your phone fully charged, you’re going to want to take LOTS of photos!

* Don’t forget to have a little browse of the Christmas Makers Market outside Lowry - full of delicious offerings and unique gift ideas

* There’s loads of food and drink options around MediaCity – with new winter pop-up Grub On The Docks from and favourites like Nells

* Over at Quayside pop into KARGO MKT .mkt Salford’s waterside hub of 20 authentic global flavours!

* Lightwaves Salford runs from 4pm to 10pm each day – the busiest times tend to be 5-7pm

* Every artwork will have a Lightwaves coordinator in a high vis vest nearby. They will be happy to chat about the artworks or take your photo!

Most importantly - have fun and share your photos with us!

🌟VISITOR INFORMATION (everything you need to know!) 🌟Whether you're a regular or visiting Lightwaves Salford for the fir...
04/12/2025

🌟VISITOR INFORMATION (everything you need to know!) 🌟

Whether you're a regular or visiting Lightwaves Salford for the first time we thought you might appreciate some top tips to get the most of our your visit:
* Download the app so you can find the installations easily
* Have a look at the map in advance so you can plan your route - in total it’s around 1.5 km and takes around an hour
* Each artwork is unique and by a different artist - there's information on the signs at each one or chat to the coordinator to find out more (the artist themselves may be close by too!)
* Be prepared for cold, wet weather and wrap up warm
* Hop on the tram to MediaCity rather than driving then you don’t have to worry about parking (Download the app to plan your route)
*Parking: Quayside car park can get VERY congested. There’s another car park at MediaCity which would recommend. Full information here: https://www.mediacityuk.co.uk/visit-us/
* Have your phone fully charged, you’re going to want to take LOTS of photos!
* Don’t forget to have a little browse of the Christmas Makers Market outside Lowry - full of delicious offerings and unique gift ideas
* There’s loads of food and drink options around MediaCity – with new winter pop-up Grub On The Docks from and favourites like Nells
* Over at Quayside pop into KARGO MKT .mkt Salford's waterside hub of 20 authentic global flavours!
* Lightwaves Salford runs from 4pm to 10pm each day – the busiest times tend to be 5-7pm
* Every artwork will have a Lightwaves coordinator in a high vis vest nearby. They will be happy to chat about the artworks or take your photo!
Most importantly - have fun and share your photos with us!

Address

The Lowry, Pier 8
Salford
M503AZ

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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