This weekend: Nottingham Light Night

Fri 2 & Sat 3 February
City Centre

Light Night begins today at 5pm! Plan your visit to ensure you don't miss out on the amazing installations and family-friendly fun.

We've included some of the main highlights below but there's so much more to discover. You'll find free events and installations across the city centre on both Friday and Saturday night, from 5pm-10pm. It's best to check by downloading the free It's in Nottingham app or picking up a printed event guide.*

The Nottingham Tourism Centre will be open until 8pm on both nights for up to date information, to collect an event guide, or to get help downloading the app.

Plus, the Light Night Market will be on Smithy Row from 11am-10pm, featuring a hand-picked selection of street food and independent traders.

Read more

*Times and locations are subject to change.

How to get to Light Night

Despite the planned East Midlands Railway strike on Saturday, it's still easy to get into the city centre. Or, if you want to travel by train, why not consider visiting tonight?

Broad Marsh Car Park
Park for £8 between 5pm-2am each evening.

NET Tram
The tram group ticket is £8.50 (1 or 2 adults and up to 3 children). Applies Monday-Friday after 4pm and at weekends.

Nottingham City Transport buses
Adult single fare is £2 one way. The £8 Grouprider covers up to 5 people (min 1 adult, max 2 adults) for unlimited travel on the NCT network within Nottingham.

Trentbarton buses
Adult single fare is £2 one way.

Old Market Square

Our Beating Heart

Our Beating Heart has thousands of mirror fragments reflecting tiny dapples of light far into the distance. As the sculpture slowly rotates, urban spaces come alive. The light dances and shifts, transforming buildings and streets, making each surrounding surface appear to blend into the other.

The installation will accompany a beating heart soundtrack and mash-up of heart-themed songs produced by local DJs Jez Prince X HAZE, with additional lighting designed by Luminism.

Sneinton Market

Geist & Un-Reel Access

This is Loop – who brought PULSE to last year’s event – have created Geist, a brand-new large-scale light installation inspired by the elusive neutrino, or ‘ghost particle’. Geist made its international debut at London's Canary Wharf before coming to Sneinton Market Square.

Un-Reel Access is an elegant light installation: a sealed door from which a white light emerges, symbolising hope and, at first, seemingly unreachable dreams. Inspired by the journey of its creators, Patrick and Kaori Jones, Un-Reel Access is at Sneinton Market Avenues.

Nottingham Castle

Neon Dreams On Their Way To You & Art Matters

See a collection of neon lights created by Chila Kumari Burman, whose work has recently been shown in Manchester, Brighton, and London’s Tate Britain. Since the mid-1980s, Chila has been exploring the experiences and aesthetics of Asian femininity in her art.

At the Robin Hood Statue, artwork created by Bluecoat Aspley Academy students will be projected onto the castle walls. The exhibition represents young people’s views about identity, migration, memories, and mental health.

Sussex Street

The World Has Gone Pear Shaped & Pop-Up Carnival Performances

The World Has Gone Pear Shaped is a six-metre-tall inflatable light sculpture. Using NASA’s high-resolution 3D images, the illuminated project highlights how humankind is altering the earth and is a playful take on the dystopias of our time.

Nearby, outside the Nottingham Central Library, City Arts presents a selection of pop-up carnival performances, bringing colour and energy to the city’s new civic space.

Nottingham Contemporary

Tom Dale Company presents UBX: SUCCESSION
Performances at 6pm, 7pm & 8pm

An audio-visual, genre-breaking immersive performance. Collaborating with Tom Dale Company's professional dancers are: The Dance Studios, Redhill Academy, Flying High Expressive Arts and Reset Youth Dance Company.

With exclusive new music from British music producer ITAL TEK, SUCCESSION will have audiences immersed in a state-of-the-art, 360° digital landscape. Performed in the round, you will get thrillingly close to the dancers.

This free event is now fully booked but walk-ups may be available depending on capacity.

Read more 

Binks Yard

Music Stage & Waterfall of Lights

The Binks Yard music stage will be hosting an incredible line-up of local artists, including: United Voices Choir, Fun Chorus, belly dancing, Nottingham Clarion Choir, Nottingham Ukulele Concert Band and Ashly Song.

The stage will be illuminated by the Canal & River Trust's Waterfall of Lights cascading down from the roof.

Nottingham Cathedral

Pugin Illuminated

Visit one of Nottingham's unknown treasures: a Gothic revival masterpiece by celebrated architect A.W.N Pugin, who helped design the Houses of Parliament. 

Visitors can follow a colourful illuminated trail around the building, and hear about Pugin's medieval vision. Musical accompaniment will be provided by the Cathedral's prestigious choirs. There will also be a children's lantern-making workshop nearby at Nottingham Playhouse.

St Mary's Church

Standing Ground

An immersive light and sound experience that explores our relationship with the natural world. 

Through exploration and play, field recordings have created a soundscape expressing sounds of the forest, while AI has been used to create evolving image sequences following the study of ancient veteran trees and archival photographs.

Light Night is an all-ages, predominantly outdoor event. Installations may include lighting and sound effects - including flashing and use of smoke effects.

Light Night is produced by Nottingham City Council and It’s in Nottingham – the city’s business improvement district. The event is funded by It’s in Nottingham, the National Lottery through Arts Council England, and the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Cultural organisations across the city also support the event.