Birmingham Light Festival's 50 event line-up includes lantern parade and animated butterflies
A dazzling light festival will transform the centre of Birmingham for four days in February with a schedule of more than 50 events and 11 illuminated art installations revealed.
Birmingham Light Festival, which is set to become an annual attraction, will take place from Wednesday, February 19 to Saturday, February 22. Organisers who brought a huge glitterball heart to Snow Hill last March have now released a full-programme of events for this year's celebration.
Locations across the city centre will be lit up from 6pm to 10pm daily, with artwork popping up in Birmingham's streets, squares and public spaces. The line-up includes a mesmerising display of dancing light beams in Snow Hill Square, a silent disco in Centenary Square, animated butterflies in Hippodrome Square and a lantern procession along the canals.
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A 'roof of stars' will be installed on Thorp Street and restaurants and bars throughout the city will be hosting events or introducing special menus for the occasion.
City curator Alex Nicholson Evans said: "We're so proud of the way that our city has come together to deliver what is shaping up to be a truly spectacular festival. It's thanks to our incredible partners, artists, and businesses across Birmingham and beyond, that we have an amazing line-up of artworks and events that will give people so many opportunities to see our city in a different light.
"The events we've shared above are a small selection of the fantastic programme that visitors will be treated to from February 19 to 22. I’m also so pleased that some of the magic of the festival will continue beyond February, with some of the artworks staying where they are, to bring more light to Birmingham throughout the year."
Caroline Davis, managing director of Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces (OPUS) and executive producer of the Birmingham Light Festival, said: "We're so full of joy to be announcing our full programme today. Across the city centre, our public spaces will come alive with beautiful artwork and fun events for absolutely everyone to enjoy, we can’t wait to watch visitor's faces light up too.
"We hope that we’ll get to see visitors from near and far enjoying the programme, there's definitely enough on there to warrant a couple of city centre visits. February is going to be quite a lot brighter."
Round-up of Birmingham Light Festival 2025 events and installations
Flux - by French design studio Collectif Scale. A display of dancing light beams and exciting electronic music in Snow Hill Square
Floor is LAVA x Silent Disco - Centenary Square will become a space for play, hosting several participatory artworks including Floor is LAVA x Silent Disco. Funded by United By 2022 and created by Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces, the ultimate silent disco experience will encourage festival goers to dance along to their favourite party tunes until they hear the Floor is LAVA track, when they'll need to avoid the lights
Twist & Shine - Centenary Square will host a collection of interactive light prisms that can be twisted into thousands of shapes
Night Badmington - Ahead of the Yonex All England Open, Badminton England will be challenging visitors to a game of Night Badminton in Centenary Square
Mycelium Network by Stevie Thompson - in the Jewellery Quarter's St Paul's Square, Stevie Thompson uses fibre-optic lighting to recreate the underground fungal networks that help plants to grow, celebrating the hidden energy of the Earth
Positive Spin by Liz Harry - a five-metre-high interactive artwork that's part fortune teller, part fruit machine, generating tarot readings, along with animated illustrations of the spinner's fortunes. Positive Spin will be situated at The Mailbox.
Un-Reel Access by Kappa - a mysterious glowing locked door, will appear at New Street Station, provoking curiosity at what lies beyond
Peace Poem by Emergency Exit Arts - Hippodrome Square will be the home of an illumination of the beautiful words of poet Robert Montgomery. The message of peace from Birmingham to the world will come to life with breathtaking butterflies at points throughout the night, which have been animated by Birmingham-based performers
Three legacy artworks will stay in situ after the festival ends in a bid to brighten up the city centre spaces, thanks to funding from UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Alright Bab!, a collaboration between Colmore BID, local merchandise business Brumbox and Midlands based production company, Taylex Group, pays homage to this iconic Brummie greeting
Ideas Happen Here - a collaboration between local agency Rough Diamond, The Whitmore Collection, RAWLS, Taylex Group and Jewellery Quarter BID. Ideas Happen Here will take the form of an abstract and free-form light bulb, speaking to the remarkable historical achievements of the Jewellery Quarter in innovation, manufacturing and design
Roof of Stars - inspired by the stars who pass through the Hippodrome's Stage Door, an overhead light display will be installed on Thorp Street, delivered through a partnership between Birmingham Hippodrome and Southside District
Run The Lights - The Goodsyard Run Club will take keen joggers on a free 5km run, taking in all of the illuminations
Neon Paddle - Roundhouse Birmingham is taking over the waterways to host a Neon Paddle, a guided night-time kayak tour through the canals for £40pp
Paws of Light - furry festivalgoers won't be left out as Cuddle Paws asks dog-owners to don their best light-up gear and join a dog walk from the Jewellery Quarter to take in the artworks in return for a £2 donation to Birmingham Dogs Home
Culinary Light Trail - £48pp in The Mailbox. Guests will embark on a journey between three restaurants - Bazar, Indico and The Mayan - for exclusive light-themed snacks and cocktails
Three-course dinner by candlelight - at Otto in the Jewellery Quarter. Includes an exclusive festival cocktail for £45pp
Cocktail lovers can enjoy exclusively priced, themed cocktails at both Aluna in The Mailbox and Isaac's Restaurant in The Grand Hotel
Bringing the Light - CBSO and the Canal and River Trust are teaming up to present a lantern procession along the canals from Roundhouse Birmingham to the CBSO Centre. Light will wind through the city on a heritage narrowboat, accompanied by music from the CBSO Chorus and harp player, Katherine Thomas
Dance the night away under neon lights at Snobs and Rosie's nightclubs, featuring glow bubble machines, UV face painting, games and a glow-in-the-dark confetti cannon
Clipping the Ikon - Ikon Gallery will be marking the setting sun, bringing back a centuries-old tradition to celebrate a sacred place and Clipping the Ikon by inviting communities together to form a human chain around the building. Workshops will take place during the day, including lantern making, ahead of the procession to encircle the gallery
You Light Up My Life - Quartermasters is asking ‘who lights up your life?’ and will be personally engraving over 350 gold ingots and displaying them in the Jewellery Quarter. Nominations can be submitted between January 14 and 31 via the Quartermasters website
Artsy Party are inviting budding artists to create their own masterpieces using glow in the dark paints and neon lights, either at a family friendly session in the afternoon, or at the 80s Sip and Paint Party in the evening for the grown-ups
A Birmingham Light Festival map is available for download from the festival website, which includes a mystery surprise in the Colmore area which promises to be picture perfect. All artworks are fully accessible, with step-free access and an audio description tour running on the Thursday evening.
Alongside the illuminated artworks, a programme of over 50 events will be running, staged by organisations and venues across Birmingham.