Bradford Council, in partnership with Bradford BID and Bradford 2025, present Bradford is #LiT, a district-wide festival of light which will culminate on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 November 2021 in Bradford city centre. Working with a select group of local and national artists, the festival will bring Bradford to life with an outstanding programme of unique light installations, and the city centre event will provide a fun, free, alternative family offer this Bonfire Night weekend.
Bradford is #LiT promises to transform the city using art and light to celebrate Bradford’s rich cultural heritage and unique architecture, whilst inspiring joy and wonder. The festival will see nine bespoke commissions take over the streets of Bradford, alongside two nationally recognised commissions that will visit Yorkshire for the first time.
On Friday 5 and Saturday 6 November, from 5pm – 10pm, visit City Park and be transported to a Nordic wonder-land by Borealis, a mesmerising artwork created by artist Dan Acher, which brings the magic of the Northern Lights to Bradford in an incredible display that will light up the night sky. The historic Wool Exchange will also be transformed, with a captivating projection-artwork by Illuminos, entrancing audiences with a colourful winter-themed show titled When the Clocks Go Back, Count Sheep. Bradford Cathedral will be re-imagined with Light Organ, by artist Akeelah Bertram, as the Cathedral’s electronic organ is transformed by a stunning visual and sound experience which will take visitors on a playful journey through one of the region’s most beautiful buildings. Local artists Cecil Green Arts will bring the streets to life with their giant, light-up puppets and Mythical Beasts, which will move through the city centre, bringing light to unusual spaces.
As well as the city centre programme, Bradford is #LiT will present a series of pop-up installations across the wider district through the winter months, including: Al Asma Ul Husna by the Muslim Women’s Council and The Leap, whose light creations will illuminate Leeds Road; Spin Me a Yarn by Lucy McDonnell, a large, luminous ball of wool which will appear in Haworth and is inspired by Bradford’s heritage as the ‘Wool Capital of the World’; There Are Brighter Days Ahead by Bradford-born artist
Nathan Evans, which will light up the windows of Keighley Creative with a typography installation designed to inspire optimism and bring a calming moment to the world.
