Light Night started in Leeds back in 2005, but Notts quickly jumped on the bandwagon and bagged it for oursens. Since 2008, we've been treated to a whole load of installations, family workshops and other luminous entertainment, and this year is set to be no different. In our February magazine, we mistakenly said that the Arboretum would be decked out in twinkly galore for another year – we're giving the ducks a break this time around. However, there' still plenty to be gerrin' on with for this year's event on Friday 23 February...
Old Market Square
The heart of the city should be first place on your Light Night checklist. For the 2018 festivities, the council have partnered with BID Nottingham, who'll be providing a number of light installations across the city, including the one that’s set to appear in Old Market Square. This will also be home to the StarFlyer ride, where you can see all the sights of the city as you soar through the sky. Don’t forget to tek a selfie a send it to @itsinnottingham to let ‘em know how much you dig this year's event.
6pm – late.
Nottingham Castle and Robin Hood Statue
A wildlife-themed silent disco? Well we never. As soon as the sprogs get a whiff of this one, they’ll be dancing until dawn, so mek sure their racoon costume includes some comfortable shoes. If you take a walk around the castle grounds, you’ll discover more of this year's light installations, as well as workshops by family favourites The Physics Buskers and English Combat in Dunkirk. They’ll be on the lookout for volunteers soon, so don’t be afraid to get stuck in.
6pm – 10pm
Enchanted Water
A series of installations, projections and storytelling will reveal the history of this section of the city’s canal, documenting the change from its industrial past. Funded by the Arts Council, a waterfall installation named StarGate will sit outside Magistrates Court and will feature some familiar faces… yours. If you wanna see your gob cascading dahn the canal, upload a selfie to Instagram with the hashtag #NLN2018me by February 20. Dead magical.
6pm – 9.30pm
Outdoor Spin Class and Fun Run
Even Light Night isn’t a good enough excuse to take a day off from the gym. Ditch your boring daily workout and add a sparkle to your skip by attending one of these instead. Get your spin on in Trinity Square with an outdoor spin class extravaganza with a YMCA instructor or, if your legs can’t hack that, join the fun run around the city and let's hope the twinkling lights will be enough to distract yer from how outta breath you are.
Spin class: 5.30pm – 6.20pm
Fun run: Leaving YMCA at 6.30pm
Nottingham Contemporary
The ‘Tempreh has been home to some interesting art collections over the years, and things will be no different this Light Night. Pop along and have a play around with two interactive pieces of multi-sensory work. Ooo-er. Illumaphonium by Michael Davis will get yer tinkering abaht with a multi-player musical sculpture consisting of more than a hundred illuminated chime bars, or you can find new ways to Play around with Light and Sound with Jim Brouwer’s installation.
Illumaphonium: 6pm – 9pm
Play around with Light and Sound: 5pm – 9pm
Sneinton Market
The festivities head down into LeftLion's home, in Sneinton Market. Everyone rahnd our ends is dead excited, and we’ve got plenty to be getting on with. There’ll be window installations, street-food vendors, an outdoor bar, fire eaters and an illuminated carnival parade and walkabout, to name a few. We’ve told you before and we’ll tell you again… Sneinton Market don’t mess abaht.
Carnival parade: 7pm – 7.30pm
Carnival walkabout: 7.30pm – 9pm
Live Music on the Streets
You won’t be able to escape the sounds of Dhol drummers and Samba as you tek a wander around the Light Night attractions. However, they’re all dead good so it’s much more of a blessing than a curse. The Dhol Players and Band Baja will be performing everything from traditional Gujarati to Punjabi beats, and the Nottingham School of Samba will no doubt have everyone up on their feet, all over the city.
6pm – 8.30pm
Nottingham Churches
This year sees four city centre churches gerrin' involved with Light Night, as they transform into havens of the finest musical and artistic talent. St Peter’s church will be kicking things off with local choirs and the much loved ukulele orchestra, or you can head to St Nic’s acoustic cafe where they’ll be blasting out everything from Disney classics to jazz. As well as a candlelit performance from their choir, St Mary’s will be filled with art installations from local artists for you lot to gawp at, and St Andrew’s will be the place to go for a refreshment stop. It’s all kicking off.
St Andrew’s: 6pm – 10pm
St Peter’s: 6.15pm – 9.30pm
St Mary’s: 6pm – 10pm
St Nic's: 7pm – 9.30pm
William Booth Birthplace Museum
The whole family can put their craft skills to the test as they get involved in the lantern-making workshops at this Sneinton museum. As well as musical performances, other craft activities and light installations, you can discover more about the founder of the Salvation army as you take a candlelit tour around his birthplace. Just keep an eye out for any weird goings-on, you might not be alone in there…
4pm – 8.30pm
To book your place on a museum tour, contact 0115 979 3464.
The Meadows
We can’t get enough of learning about Nottingham’s histreh. Don your best Victorian dress and join a guided tour of Queens Walk, where you’ll hear stories of each area you pass. Don’t worry if your wardrobe is lacking in Victorian attire, just whack on any old fancy dress and get in the spirit of things. And most importantly, don’t forget to bring along a jam jar so you can add to the illuminated installation yoursens.
5.30pm – 8pm
Light Night is brought to us by Nottingham City Council in partnership with It's In Nottingham. This year's event will take place on Friday 23 February 2018.
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