Leicester’s Illuminated Festival Set for 2025 Return After Three-Year Hiatus

A complimentary festival, featuring performances and a route of illuminated installations, is scheduled to return to Leicester, marking its first appearance in three years. According to the city council, the Light Up Leicester festival attracted over 80,000 attendees when it was last held in 2022. The event is now slated to recommence from 12-15 March 2025. Over the course of the four evenings, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of activities and performances, as well as follow a light trail designed to “transform dark winter evenings”. Leicester City Council stated that the festival is set to showcase installations from some of the world’s “leading ‘light’ artists” and confirmed its commission of five new works by local artists. Vi Dempster, the authority’s assistant city mayor, commented that the festival is expected to “give a welcome boost to Leicester’s night time economy”. The council also expresses a desire for increased community involvement in the 2025 event, with plans to collaborate with schools and local communities in the period leading up to the festival. Light Up Leicester will receive funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England, which awarded a £100,000 grant to the festival. The authority indicated that a comprehensive programme of events is anticipated to be released by the council in January, while the deadline for artist submissions is 1 December.