The Mayor of London has welcomed the news that the first Lumiere light festival will be launched in the city this January, taking place over four nights from 14th-17th January 2016. Lumiere London will be a free-to-attend event, produced by Artichoke and supported by the Mayor of London and VisitLondon.com, with founding support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Heart of London Business Alliance and King’s Cross, and additional support from a raft of partners and sponsors.
Lumiere London will be the first major light festival in the city, an event to rival international festivals such as Vivid Sydney, Berlin’s Festival of Lights and Fête de Lumières in Lyon. It will take place over four evenings across more than 20 landmark locations in London’s West End and King’s Cross.
Artichoke, one of the UK’s leading creative companies, has produced a biennial Lumiere festival in Durham since 2009, but this is the first time the company has brought the concept to London. Pioneering international artists have been commissioned to create works for Lumiere London, giving visitors and Londoners the opportunity to see the city in a new light.
Designed as an antidote to the post-holiday blues, Lumiere London will appeal to tourists and Londoners alike. This ground-breaking new festival will reinforce London’s global reputation as a leader in culture and the arts and is expected to draw visitors to the capital from the UK and around the world at a traditionally quieter time of year.
The sites for the installations will include some of the city’s most iconic buildings and locations. As with all Artichoke projects, an element of surprise will be integral to the experience and the exact locations will remain under wraps until closer to the time.
Lumiere London will be a journey of discovery, weaving a nocturnal art trail and inviting people to explore the city in new ways. The four artists revealed today give a flavour of the programme.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Lumiere London will be a dazzling new festival for the capital, designed to expel the post-Christmas blues and bring a much needed fillip for businesses and the public during dark and dreary January. It’s another example of our city’s creativity and its unrivalled cultural riches, which draw visitors from around the world and bring billions to our economy.”
Further details about Lumiere London are available on the dedicated website created by lead media partner London & Partners: www.visitlondon.com/lumiere. More details on the festival and artists involved will be announced in November. #LumiereLDN.
