Northern Lights are coming to Bolton

This winter you’ll get to experience the mysterious Northern Lights over Victoria Square, see the moon up close and immerse yourself in a world of colourful and interactive artwork.

The free art trail, created by artists from around the world, includes Borealis by Dan Acher, Museum of the Moon by Luke Jerram and Evanescent by Atelier Sisu.

Borealis- Dan Acher

Borealis brings the magical mystery of the Northern Lights to any city, using layers of light and particle clouds to create the illusion.

Museum of the Moon- Luke Jerram

Measuring six metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.

Evanescent- Atelier Sisu

Evanescent is a multi-award winning artwork that has been exhibited in 24 different cities in 18 different countries. Evanescent bridges the gap between art and architecture, existing within the realm of ‘art-chitecture’.

Sound Intervention, Projector Bikes- Dan Fox Sound

Intervention’s amazing interactive off-grid audio visual machines will be illuminating the town centre streets during this year’s festival. These electric trikes travel along projecting colourful animations with accompanying soundscapes.

Spectral Vision – Liz West

Internationally acclaimed artist Liz West brings a major work from her back catalogue to The Vaults in Bolton. Our Spectral Vision creates a vivid immersive environment that mixes luminous colour and radiant light using a mixture of LED lamps and dichroic glass in the form of seven prisms.

The work explores our individual relationship with colour and our understanding of how we see it.

Aqualux on tour with Fox Bros. Peterbilt

Aqualux is an eye-opening art installation with an educational twist, an 8m by 3m creative lighting installation composed of 48 unfilled water containers, which typically hold 1,000 litres of water each, specially adapted to create a stunning, transportable and eco-friendly light feature to raise the importance of water.

Depending on what takes your fancy, there are two different types of atmosphere on offer, take your pick or come and experience both – no need to book.

Thursday 30 November – Saturday 2 December will present a more chilled, calm and uplifting experience featuring:

Thursday 7 December – Saturday 9 December will feature a more vibrant and celebratory vibe with:

In addition to the packed programme, from 10 – 21 December, the Museum of the Moon will be on display from 2-8pm.

In the lead up to the light festival creative workshops with artist, Hannah Fox, will be taking place at Bolton Museum.

Come and create a colourful cast of characters then see your fun creations light up on the night as they take a walk around the town as part of the festival.

Join the free half term activities on Saturday 4 November from 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm.  No need to book, just turn up.

From 30 Nov- 2 Dec and 7-9 Dec, round off your day with some live Christmas music featuring singers, musicians and choirs and a bite to eat in the wonderful Albert Bar in the Albert Halls complex- our Festival Bar for this year.

Bolton Council’s Director of Corporate Resources, Lee Fallows, said:

“I’m thrilled that we have managed to deliver such a fantastic light festival for our residents and visitors.

“It’s a great way to celebrate Christmas and provide free and accessible activities for families in Bolton throughout December.

“This forms part of our long-term cultural strategy where we are committed to breathing life back into the town centre and making Bolton an attractive place to live, work, study, visit and invest.”

Look out for more announcements of activities including Octagon Theatre storytelling shows, yoga sessions, sound baths and exciting talks by the Astronomical Society (some may be chargeable).

Visit www.visitbolton.com/lightfestival for more information.                                                                                                                

Follow socials @putbiglightonfestival2023 to keep up to date with announcements.

Put Big Light On is curated by Things That Go On Things

This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.