Bristol Light Festival returns with a bang for 2022

The strapped-for-cash new year days and cold winter nights don’t have to be all doom and gloom anymore – Bristol Light Festival is coming back.

Taking a brief hiatus last year due to the pandemic, the event that brings explosions of colour and talent to the city is returning from March 1-6.

This year’s festival will feature six world premiere works, making their debut in carefully selected locations across the city, including some unexpected spots.

The event is once again organised by Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID), working in partnership with Redcliffe and Temple BID, Arts Council England and Cabot Circus. It has been curated by the festival’s creative director, Katherine Jewkes.

The hope is that the show will bring with it a resurgence for Bristol’s hospitality and retail sectors, aiding the gradual recovery from the detrimental effects of the several lockdowns which occurred within the festival’s break.

Bristol Light Festival will bring explosions of colour and talent to the city in March – photo by Andre Pattenden

Vicky Lee, head of Bristol City Centre BID said: “The festival is a key part of the recovery programme to help support businesses back to full strength after the challenging last two years.

“We have selected locations to respond to key challenges in the city centre and will be using innovative ways to reduce anti-social behaviour and transform the streets into playful spaces for all. The event will showcase Bristol as the vibrant, playful and creative city that we know and love.”

And with the wealth of installations coming to dazzle some of the well-known landmarks around Park Street, Queen Square, Cabot Circus, and the harbourside (to name but a few), residents and visitors to the city will be spoilt by the very best of Bristol and UK-based talent.

In order to make the event as accessible as possible, the organisers have been successful with a grant application to Arts Council England, which will enable a selection of daylight and green energy installations.

These can be enjoyed throughout the day, and are promised to be just as mesmerising as the works which will light up between 5pm and 10pm in the evenings.

Speaking about this year’s festival, Katherine said: “We have curated a programme that is reflective of Bristol’s creative spirit – we want to make space for people to dance, play and explore all that Bristol has to offer. Many pieces in the programme this year are completely new works which will have their worldwide debut in Bristol.  We are thrilled to be showcasing a mix of homegrown talent, artists from the South West who have never been shown on this scale in the city before, alongside some of the most exciting artists in the UK today.

“We know that it’s been a difficult few years for many since our last edition at the start of 2020, and hope that our return shines a hopeful new light on the year to come”.

Toy Studio’s ‘Circle of Light’ will be installed in Queen Square – photo by Sean Pollock

One of the daylight installations will come from the creative minds of lighting designers Toy Studio who, with their ‘Circle of Light’ piece, will make the sun an active partner in their vision as coloured shadows will extend and contract around Queen Square depending on the time of day.

This crowd-pleaser can also be enjoyed during the night hours when it will bathe the square in vivid light.

A new commission this year comes from Squidsoup, a group that has received worldwide acclaim for their craft, which can be seen in the form of a waterfall of light. ‘Cascade’ is a fountain of energy, colour, and sound that will hang down Left Handed Giant brewpub and cascade into the river below.

Cabot Circus will also display two light installations from Lucid Creates, a multi-disciplinary design studio also making its Bristol debut. Visitors can enjoy a spot of shopping and dining with views of the incredible ‘Exponential’, a gravity-defying, kaleidoscopic cube that is accompanied by ambient music and light galore. Alongside this, Lucid Creates will also exhibit ‘Crossroads’, a similar media-mashup experience that involves illusions and explorations into perceptions of consciousness.

Kathy Hinde presents two light displays that also combine sight and sound – photo by Kathy Hinde

And for the nature-lovers, there will be bird-spotting at St George’s Bristol and Temple Gardens as internationally-renowned artist Kathy Hinde presents two light displays that also combine sight and sound. ‘Chirp & Drift’ creates the illusion of a flock of birds among the trees, and Kathy adds a new dimension by having them chatter in morse-code messages.

People will be able to walk underneath these creations and admire the ‘Luminous Birds’ display in Temple Gardens. Here, visitors can see origami-style birds suspended thoughtfully overhead with the backdrop of an immersive soundtrack.

Organisers say Covid measures are being put in place throughout the event. These include social distancing, the inclusion of artworks that can be seen from a distance, and an extended event duration to distribute visitor numbers.

Find out more information about the event via www.bristollightfestival.org.

Main photo by Andre Pattenden

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