Bristol's jam-packed events calendar will welcome a new addition next year, with the launch of an exciting new light festival in the city centre.
Launching in February 2020, Bristol Light Festival will be a celebration of local and international talent, bringing plenty of colour, light and play to Bristol city centre's public spaces at a typically quiet and dark time of the year.
The event, organised by the Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID), will aim to make the city centre a 'more welcoming home for its residents' and attract visitors from far and wide.
Two Bristol-based creative directors with international experience have been appointed and will soon begin planning for the festival's first year.
Newly appointed creative co-directors Katherine Jewkes and Vashti Waite have a combined four decades' experience creating award-winning work around the globe.
They last worked together in Bristol for the Watershed in 2014 to stage The Rooms, which took over the old Fire Station, Police Station and Magistrates Courts in the city centre with a series of immersive installations designed to showcase local talent and inspire local audiences.
'Thrilled by the opportunity'
Over the next three years, Katherine and Vashti plan to build the festival into an internationally recognised event with broader partnerships outside of the city.
Building on Bristol's reputation and leadership around green energy and new technologies, they are particularly interested in exploring sustainable light art and interactive playful environments.
Katherine said: "We are thrilled by the opportunity to work alongside the rich and varied talents of Bristol's unique cultural sector and city centre businesses to create a new Light Festival for the people of Bristol and beyond."
Event will 'spread a little wonder' beyond Christmas
The City Centre BID has built a partnership including Bristol City Council and the University of the West of England (UWE)'s Digital Cultures Research Centre to bring this to life and to evaluate the benefit of introducing some light and fun into the city in winter.
Keith Rundle, Operations Director at Bristol City Centre BID, said: "January and February can be dark and difficult months of the year for many of us, and indeed for cities, their communities, businesses and retailers.
"So we're hugely excited to be working together to inject some light and fun into the city centre and spread a little wonder beyond Christmas and into the New Year.
"Both Katherine and Vashti are incredibly well-established festival and event curators, with exciting connections to an international network of artists and collaborators.
"It is fantastic to be have them both working together in Bristol to deliver an innovative, contemporary and completely new event for the city."
