Bristol Light Festival is set to return to Bristol for 10 days of dazzling light-based artworks in 2025. Hoping to brighten up the darkest nights, and lift your spirits during the winter months, the festival’s 2025 edition will run from Friday, January 31 to Sunday, February 9 – its fifth iteration to Bristol’s city centre.
The first three artworks have already been announced, with a whimsical world premiere of The Whilers, the return of Illumaphonium with a South West debut, and the delightfully kitsch spectacle of Ramandu’s Table. The internationally renowned artist, Bruce Munro is even a Bristol graduate and is returning to the city with a flock of pink flamingos in tow…
Back in February of this year, 275,000 visitors turned out for Bristol Light Festival and brought a huge £8.7m of additional revenue to the area. The award-winning festival was recently shortlisted in the Tourism Event/Festival of the Year category in the Bristol Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards too.
Katherine Jewkes, Creative Director of Bristol Light Festival, said: “We’re thrilled to be announcing the first three installations heading to Bristol for the festival’s 2025 edition. Air Giants, Illumaphonium and Bruce Munro all have strong connections to Bristol and celebrate the broad and varied talent which is nurtured in the south west and celebrated around the globe.
“We can’t wait to see visitors creating illuminating soundscapes with Somnius, frolicking among the flamingos with Ramandu’s Table and keeping magical creatures company along their journey with The Whilers! It’s always an honour to showcase such incredible talent, and this year is certainly no exception.”
What’s on at Bristol Light Festival 2025?
The Whilers by Air Giants
Experts in interactive soft robotics, Air Giants will wow crowds with their pneumatically-controlled robotic creations. The Whilers are otherworldly creatures on a journey into the unknown who are stopping briefly in Bristol to interact with its residents and each other. Air Giants is a Bristol-based team with experience in theatre design, software development and access and inclusion.
Emma Powell of Air Giants, said: “Bristol is a city of such community and connection, and that is exactly what we want to capture with these creatures. Although they are just passing by, their ability to connect with audiences due to their sensors detecting human movement will make their stay an impactful and memorable experience.”
Ramandu’s Table by Bruce Munro
Taking inspiration from the original plastic pink flamingo creator, Don Featherstone, and from CS Lewis’ literature, Ramandu’s Table showcases nature in a whole new light. The installation, a flock of white flamingos, illuminated with continually changing dawn hues, brings a new layer to the traditional flamingo statue and is a vibrant depiction of nature’s most flamboyant creatures.
Bruce Munro, artist, said: “I have many warm memories of my time at the faculty of Art and Design, Bristol Polytechnic where I completed a Fine Arts degree in 1982 and just scraped through with a third-class honours! I never thought I would be lucky enough to make a living as an artist, so it feels like a full-circle moment to come back and show this piece of work here!”
Somnius by Illumaphonium
Following a double offering with Continuum and Halo in 2023, Illumaphonium returns to Bristol Light Festival with the South West debut of Somnius. A cosmic blend of light and sound, the installation responds to every movement of the audience. As participation grows, so does its soundscape and reactive illuminations, putting crowds in control of their experience.
Gemma Mills of Illumaphonium said: “We know the people of Bristol love to come together and participate and that’s a really important part of this piece; the more people engage with the installation, the more of an experience it is. This is our most ambitious project to date, combining a quarter of a million light pixels and 970 sound bars, all of which have been soldered by hand.”