LightNight, Liverpool’s one-night arts festival returns to illuminate the city for a seventh consecutive year on Friday 13 May 2016. Tens of thousands of visitors explore, experiment and celebrate the city’s world-class cultural offer across galleries, museums and city streets late into the night.
This year the festival is themed ‘Experiment’, and will offer audiences of all ages a unique opportunity to see a side of the city they may not have experienced before.
The programme of over 100 free events includes interactive light projections, enthralling street performances, science demonstrations, live music, hands-on art workshops and much more as museums, galleries and arts spaces across the city centre showcase their amazing arts and cultural offer.
Travel around LightNight in style as Merseyside Transport Trust’s beautiful vintage double decker buses will once again loop the city to transport visitors from venue to venue.
Order your festival guide now for delivery straight to your door from www.lightnightliverpool.co.uk
From 8 April you can also purchase festival guides for just £1 from selected venues including Liverpool Everyman, St George’s Hall, 92 Degrees Coffee, Tate Liverpool, St John’s Beacon, The Bluecoat, Anglican Cathedral, FACT, News from Nowhere Bookshop, Victoria Gallery & Museum, Central Library, Baltic Bakehouse, the Tourist information at Albert Dock and Furrow café on Allerton Road.
Some of the festival highlights for 2016:
- Experience a special new musical work No Worst, There Is None composed by Bill Ryder-Jones at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral – specially commissioned by Ad Hoc Creative, with an immersive light and audio-visual environment created live
- Be one of the first people to see unique new exhibition Afro Supa Hero at the International Slavery Museum on the day it opens, where everyone can enjoy guided tours by the creative director as well as make their own comic masterpiece and badges
- Sing your heart out at The Big Sing Ting at the Town Hall with some of the city’s finest singers and choirs and be part of an interactive mass vocal jam
- Explore LJMU as they open the doors to three of their buildings – John Lennon Art and Design Building, Redmonds Building and Aldham Robarts Library late into the night with experimental film, live music, talks, hands-on light installations, workshops, Fascinating demonstrations and more
- Dance the night away with STÎTK and and Shush! Silent Disco in the incredible surroundings of the Picton Reading Room in Liverpool Central Library
- Experience the birth and death of stars at a late-night opening of FACT’s latest experimental exhibition unfold by Ryoichi Kurokawa
- Follow the experimental weather-ship Météo-Dock; launching from the Kathleen and May schooner, this promenade performance sees an 8-strong crew create a processional performance with responses to meteorological conditions, specially commissioned by Albert Dock Liverpool for LightNight
- Take a special after-hours look at blockbuster Walker Art Gallery exhibition Pre-Raphaelites: Beauty and Rebellion
- As the sun sets see the 80-strong Katumba drummers bring Brazil to Liverpool with a big performance of unique beats along with boisterous moves from Capoeria for All at the Pier Head
- Explore the body, it’s place in the world and our connections with other human beings with MDI in The Art of Making Dance a big dance workshop at the Anglican Cathedral
- Hear the first collaboration between La Bomba Drum Ensemble and Up for Arts Community Choir, joining them in a journey of Voice and Rhythm in the atrium at the Open Eye Gallery
- See three exhibiting artists from Open 2: Pieces of You at Open Eye Gallery perform and develop their work live throughout the evening
- Take part in an international dance mash up as as Movema and Gallimaufry create a Bollywood and Ceilidh dance fusion at St Georges Hall
- Experiment with science, art and crafts, explore galleries, listen to live music and maybe even win prizes at the Fete at the Tate
- Keep the party going at the first official LightNight after party at Constellations with light projections, pop up performances and music from some of Liverpool’s foremost DJs including Abandon Silence resident Andrew Hill, No Fakin’ DJs and Faux Queens
Organisations large and small across the city are participating in this year’s festival, including Baltic Clay, FACT, Tate Liverpool, 24 Kitchen Street, the Bluecoat, the new Music Room at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, St George’s Hall, the Biennial, Road Studios, Open Eye Gallery, Nordic Church, Central Library, the Anglican Cathedral, dot art, Liverpool Small Cinema, Launch 22, 92 Degrees, Garstang Museum, Walker Art Gallery, St John’s Beacon, Zap Graffiti, Merseyside Maritime Museum, Baltic Creative and more.
A 2015 LightNight audience member said: “What a fantastic night. So much to see and do! I can’t put into words how marvellous it was – something for everyone.’
Christina Grogan, Director of Open Culture (Festival producers) said: “LightNight is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Liverpool’s year-round arts offer and 2016 is no different, with the theme of ‘Experiment’ ensuring our audience is guaranteed to experience something incredible. We work hard with all our partners, including our Principal Sponsor LJMU, to ensure the programme gets better and better every year. We can’t wait to share it.”
LJMU Pro-Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement), Dr Edward Harcourt, commented: “For one glorious evening in our European capital of culture, and for citizens of primary school age to pensioners, most of the arts and educational organisations in Liverpool open their doors as part of the LightNight festival. Staff and students at the University contribute to the festival in many ways and for the third year running LJMU is proud to be Principal Sponsor of this exceptional event.”
For all the information visit www.lightnightliverpool.co.uk
