New Art Festival Comes to London This Month

Lumiere LondonThe program for London’s first Lumiere light festival has been released. The new event was developed by creative producers Artichoke and supported by the Mayor of London. The event will run on January 14 to 17 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Lumiere, which will be free to attend, will turn famous outdoor areas, including King’s Cross, Mayfair and Grosvenor Square, Piccadilly, Regent Street, Leicester Square and St James’s and Trafalgar Square and Westminster into open galleries.

The festival aims to attract Londoners and tourists alike to the city center during the quiet month of January. The best way to see the 30 exhibits is on foot. 

The suggested walking routes include: From Leicester Square through to Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey; from Piccadilly Circus to Grosvenor Square via Piccadilly Arcade and St James’s; along Regent Street via Carnaby to Oxford Circus and from Euston Road to King’s Cross, Granary Square and beyond.

Along the way look for these highlights: 

King’s Cross has Light Graffiti, Floating Pictures (Sweden) in collaboration with Digital Art Center (Stockholm University) and Pew Square. An interactive installation that encourages the audience to use light sources on their phones to see their surroundings. 

London’s West End is showing Elephantastic by Catherine Garret/Top’la Design (France). Here a life-like elephant travels through the archway on Air Street between Piccadilly and Regent Street, bringing the sounds of the jungle to London. This is in partnership with Regent Street Association and The Crown Estate.    

A festival map is available to download here