Leicester to 'come alive with light' in free festival

Leicester city centre is to host a spectacular four-day free festival of light and colour. This year will mark the third time Light Up Leicester has come to the city since 2020. The free

festival will feature local, national and international artists, as well as members of the community, including 300-plus schoolchildren in a parade inspired by the Leicester's diversity

and the historic discovery of King Richard III's remains in a council car park. Other standouts performers include a dance Nupur Arts inspired by the Hindu festival of Holi, an

illuminated bicycle ride, and a performance by French street theatre company Compagnie des Quidams featuring giant illuminated horses. Visitors will be able to follow a trail of illuminated

artworks, which will be on show throughout the festival. A display of giant glowing bubbles, called Evanescent by Australian artists Atelier Sisu will be another highlight, Leicester City

Council said. READ MORE: Bongo's Bingo announces new Leicester shows including '80's special' Leicester Cathedral is taking part too by becoming the backdrop for a

mixture of projection, animation and audio called Cathedral, Culture and Crown, which has been created for Light Up Leicester by award-winning artists MBD. The Very Revd Karen Rooms, Dean of

Leicester, said: “The chance to showcase the cathedral and the recent work done here and to highlight the 10 year anniversary of the reinterment of Richard III makes it a particularly

special year for Light Up Leicester and this amazing city.” City centre businesses are being invited to get involved by offering space in their window displays for a photographic exhibition

created by artist collective Urban Canvas and local schools. Paul Steele, CEO of Art Reach, said: “Young people will create dynamic photographs that capture their light paintings under the

theme of ‘My Leicester’ and ‘Future Stories’. "We will be working with young people and community groups across Leicester to create these paintings in the lead up to the event in March.

We can’t wait to see what they produce and look forward to seeing their work across business and shop windows during the festival.” Assistant city mayor Councillor Vi Dempster said: “For

four nights in March, Leicester will come alive with light and colour, with extraordinary performances and installations by international artists that people will be able to enjoy free of

charge. Schools and communities are getting involved too, with our partners at Inspirate and Art Reach working with local groups across the city on projects that will celebrate the city’s

diversity and bring an extra dimension to the festival. “More than 80,000 people enjoyed the stunning installations that Light Up Leicester brought to the city back in 2022. Thanks to the

generous support of our funders and sponsors, this free festival will be back in March to brighten up the dark winter nights for many thousands more.” Light Up Leicester will take place

between Wednesday, March 12 and Saturday, March 15. More information can be found online. We are now bringing you the latest updates on WhatsApp first