Everything you need to know about Bristol Light Festival 2026, including locations and events
Everything you need to know about the Bristol Light Festival 2026, the locations involved and events to expect.
The much-loved Bristol Light Festival is due to return to the city for it’s biggest edition to date from February 19 to 28 from 5pm to 9.30pm.
The event is produced by Bristol BID and curated by multi award-winning Creative Director Katherine Jewkes, and plays a vital role in supporting the evening economy while offering free, joyful experiences for residents and visitors alike.
The free festival coincides with the first weekend of half term, transforming Bristol at a traditionally dark time of year.
It will be expanding across the city from Redcliffe to Cabot Circus, Park Street, Spike Island and Portland Square, and transforming the city into a glowing playground of light, colour and imagination.
Katherine Jewkes, Creative Director of Bristol Light Festival, said, “Bristol Light Festival is about transforming the city through light, creativity and play.
“This year’s programme invites audiences to explore familiar spaces in completely new ways, from caves and car parks to gardens and harboursides.
“Each artwork has been carefully curated to offer a different emotional response, whether that’s reflection, curiosity or joy. We can’t wait to see the city come alive after dark.”
Anna Farthing, Interim Head of Place at Bristol BID, said: “Bristol Light Festival is a powerful example of how culture can support placemaking and drive real impact for our city centre.
“Alongside the installations, BLF Events and BLF Plus create even more reasons for people to stay longer, explore further and engage with Bristol’s brilliant businesses.
“By extending activity across a wider footprint and into more spaces, and by partnering with charitable organisations across culture and health, this year’s festival not only delivers a vibrant experience for residents and visitors, but also supports the local businesses that make Bristol the fantastic city it is.”
For a full list of ways to travel to Bristol Light Festival 2026 and travel offers available, click here.
Here’s everything you need to know, including locations of installations and additional events happening during the festival:
Bristol Light Festival 2026 Installations and Locations
The Lite Series by Cameron Balloons & Bristol Light Festival
Location: College Green
Set on College Green, the installation will feature a cluster of illuminated, sculptural hot air balloons, each between 5 and 5.5 metres high.
Visitors are invited to take part by pulling a simple cord to 'fire' each balloon, triggering a bust of glowing colour and a whoosh inspired by a real balloon burner.
Our Colour & Our Colour Reflection by Liz West
Location: Cabot Circus Car Park, Level 7
Our Colour, will return to the city for the first time since its 2016 premiere at Bristol Biennial - this time twice the size.
Using coloured theatre gels, the installation saturates the space in a radiant spectrum of shifting hues, inviting audiences to walk through colour as if it were tangible.
It offers an intimate moment of stillness and awe amid the festival’s energy - a chromatic experience that speaks to perception, emotion and sensory delight.
While, in Our Colour Reflection, over 765 mirrored acrylic discs, in 15 vivid hues and arranged at different heights, will form a reflective landscape that bathes visitors in shifting light, echoing colour across concrete and steel.
The Cat That Slept For A Thousand Years by Air Giants
Location: Cascade Steps
Over at Cascade Steps, visitors can meet a gentle giant: The Cat That Slept For A Thousand Years by pioneering soft-robotics studio Air Giants.
Stretching 10 metres from ear to tail, the huge inflatable cat subtly responds to people nearby, breathing softly, twitching and purring, creating a moment of calm and wonder, while also prompting reflection on care, responsibility and the long-term future of the planet.
Jacob’s Wall by Parker Heyl
Location: Redcliffe Caves
The underground tunnels of Redcliffe Caves will be hosting artist-engineer’s Parker Heyl’s Jacob’s Wall, a hypnotic artwork inspired by the folk toy Jacob’s Ladder.
Hundreds of wooden tiles flip between mirrored and timber surfaces, scattering light into ever-changing cascades.
The piece transforms one of Bristol’s most atmospheric underground locations, giving visitors a rare opportunity to explore the space in an entirely new way.
The Electrical Age by Illuminos
Location: Clockwise Generator Building
Illuminos’ The Electrical Age will be projected onto the Grade II-listed Clockwise Generator Building, bringing to life Bristol’s electrifying history.
The site will become a canvas for the story of Bristol’s journey from early power grids to renewable futures, including the Electrical Association for Women, a pioneering group who helped power that change.
Swing Song by Bristol Light Festival
Location: Portland Square
The much-loved Swing Song will be making a return for 2026, this time at Portland Square.
The interactive set of light-and-sound-controlled swings has been rebuilt and refreshed for 2026, inviting audiences of all ages to play, connect and co-create their own illuminated symphony.
Jellymonsters by Rob Hodgson
Location: Finzels Reach
Set on the waterside, the installation introduces mysterious, wobbly creatures said to live beneath the surface of the River Avon.
Normally hidden from view and surviving on pie crumbs, the Jellymonsters are lured out by the sounds of passers-by, listening, reacting and playing along as visitors whisper, clap, sing or make noise, triggering responses through colour, light and movement.
Midnight Ballet by Will Budgett
Location: Royal Fort Gardens
University of Bristol’s Royal Fort Gardens will be transformed by Will Budgett’s The Midnight Ballet - seven illuminated steel and light sculptures gather to create an immersive play of light and shadow, each precisely lit form casts the silhouette of a ballerina, with elegant, larger-than-life dancers emerging from the darkness.
Bell Jar Fairies by Studio McGuire
Location: Royal West of England Academy
At Royal West of England Academy (RWA), visitors will be able to marvel at Studio Mcguire’s Bell Jar Fairies - a collection of 13 tiny glowing fairies displayed inside bell jars, each inspires by Bristol’s landscapes, wildlife and hidden corners.
Additional activities and Events happening during Bristol Light Festival 2026:
This year’s programme will include a wide array of events and supporting experiences which will take place alongside the festival.
BLF Plus expands the festival footprint with a city-wide map of light-based highlights that can be enjoyed throughout the festival run, including illuminated landmarks, glowing window displays and unexpected encounters after dark.
Locations include displays of heritage, light and creativity, illuminating the city throughout the festival at the Ken Stradling Collection, Sparks Bristol, the John Sebastian Lightship, Puppet Place and the Watershed.
While BLF Events offers a vibrant schedule of bookable performances, workshops and one-off experiences hosted by Bristol’s leading cultural organisations, from circus and cabaret to community celebrations and skills activities.
The centrepiece of the BLF Events Programme will see Bristol’s world-renowned contemporary circus school, Circomedia, bring nightly activity to Portland Square, this year’s home to the ever-popular festival installation Swing Song.
Here’s the list of confirmed events:
BLF Events
- Lantern Making Craft Cafe Sessions at St George’s Bristol - February 19 to 28
- Circus in the Square at Portland Square - February 19 to 21
- Variety Bungalow Cabaret at Circomedia- February 19 to 21
- Cocktails in the Dark at Lost & Found Bristol - February 19, 25 and 26
- Kids Neon Rave at Bambalan - February 20
- Phytogram Printing Workshop at Bristol Folk House - February 21
- Community Celebration at Arnolfini - February 21
- Make Your Own Tealight Holder at Cass Art- February 21
- Bristol Light Festival After Party Hosted by Fluff at After Dark - February 21
- Lantern Making Workshops with Craft with Clare at St George’s- February 22
- Songs by Lanternlight at St George’s Bristol- February 22
- Keeping it Light at The Gaffe - February 22
- Flying Trapeze Sessions at Circomedia - February 22 to 28
- Dark Humour at The Gaffe- February 22
- Moments of Light: Celebrating Life with St Peter’s Hospice at Bristol Beacon - February 23
- Photography Walk around select installations- February 24 and 26
- Dinner in the Dark: Blindfolded Dinner Experience at Lost & Found Bristol - February 24
- Lighting Futures: Spotlight on Skills and Careers at Bristol Beacon - February 25
- Sunset Yoga at Assembly Building - February 25
- Bristol in Light: Draw a landscape on a lampshade at The Stradling Collection - February 25
- Switched On: Curators Tour of The Stradling Collection at The Stradling Collection - February 27
- Bristol Samba Performance at College Green - February 28
BLF Plus
- Switched On: Showcasing Mid-Century Lighting at Ken Stradling Collection- February 18 to March 4
- Lighting Up the Basin: The Historic John Sebastian Lightship at The John Sebastian Lightship - February 19 to 28
- Mauretania Neon Landmark at Mauretania - February 19 to 28
- Oceana Gromit Sculpture Illuminated at Rise Technical- February 19 to 28
- Street Food Market at Harbourside Market - February 19 to 28
- Shoal of Light at Puppet Place - February 19 to 23
- Crafting Hope display at Sparks- February 23 to March 1
- Window Wanderland display at Watershed- February 23 to March 1
Full listings, timings and booking details for all BLF Events and BLF Plus experiences are available at bristollightfestival.org/events
Where to Stay in Bristol during Bristol Light Festival 2026
A number of hotels and and accomodations will be offering exclusive discounts for festival goers.
These include:
- Doubletree by Hilton: 15% discount
- Future Inn: 15% discount
- Hilton Garden Inn: 15% discount
- The Bristol Hotel: 15% discount and complimentary English Breakfast
- Urban Apartments: 15% discount
For more information, click here.
Follow @bristol_light_fest on Instagram and Facebook for programme updates, artist stories and behind-the-scenes content.