Lumiere Festival

Lumiere, the UK’s flagship light-art biennial, returns in November 2025 with a breathtaking line-up of installations, commissions, and community artworks illuminating Durham and Shildon. Produced and curated by Artichoke, in partnership with Durham County Council, this ninth edition transforms the city into a luminous, immersive gallery — blending grandeur with reflection, spectacle with intimacy.

Over three nights, audiences can wander through glowing forests, walk beneath suspended sculptures, experience immersive light & sound, and explore themes of nature, resilience, freedom, and connectivity. Alongside major works by international and UK artists, the festival highlights local collaboration through lantern-making and community contributions.