Illuminate Festival
Illuminate Festival 2025
Saturday 22 February 2025, Illuminate Light Night, free across Oldham Town Centre, Gallery Oldham and Oldham Library.
Sunday 23 February 2025, ‘Into the Future’, Northern Roots Urban Farm and Eco Park.
See Oldham in a new light as Illuminate Light Night returns for its eighth year.
Experience Light Art in the Dark inspired by our 2025 theme of ‘Illuminating the everyday’ as you explore the illuminated townscape of installations, exhibitions and performances by local, national and international light artists over two incredible nights.
Don’t miss the Illuminate parade on Saturday where hundreds of community lanterns create a river of light through the town centre to the Old Town Hall, for the opening show.
Then join us on Sunday 23 February from 6:30 – 9:30PM at Northern Roots Ecopark.
What will a future of tantalizing technology, robots and AI look like? What will the future look like if we love and protect our natural world? Let Global Grooves and intergalactic snail riders Sleepy Pete, Rosemary Ripple and Gastro Flash take you on an illuminated journey into the future at Northern Roots.
Light Artists
Oldham Library
The DOME
Short for Digitally Operated iMmersive Environment, is a 360° immersive projection experience, where students from Manchester Metropolitan University have worked alongside SODA co-Lab, Imperial War Museum North and NW Film Archives, exploring themes of Empire, Colonialism and Identities through
the stories and memories of ordinary people.
MAPP – Alex P
MAPP, an abbreviation of Mapping At Private Properties, is an interactive, mobile, point-andshoot video-mapping system, with which imagery is projected from an old-fashioned stroller onto a
wall. Step into the light to be scanned. Then, within seconds of stepping away, you become part of a colourful projected work of art.
Don’t forget to bring a camera to capture all the picture-perfect moments.
Gallery Oldham and Oldham Library, 6–9pm
Light Up Art and Crafts – Oldham Play Action Group
Come create your very own bright, light-up, crafty artworks inspired by ‘Illuminating the Everyday’.
Light Painting – Tim Simpson
Returning by popular demand, our hugely successful Light Painting workshops. Play with light sources and paint a stunning piece of art in the dark.
Exhibitions late night viewing – Gallery Oldham
Don’t miss this opportunity to see this season’s exhibitions at Gallery Oldham.
The Lights – The Grundy, Blackpool
A curated selection of light art pieces on loan from The Grundy Art Gallery Blackpool, THE LIGHTS takes its title from the shorthand for how the Blackpool Illuminations are referred to locally and will be on display at Gallery Oldham, as part of Illuminate 2025.
Solar Maximum
Amber Queally & The Stupid
Astronomer
Minute to Midnight
Rebecca Chensey, Antony Hall,
Mishka Henner, Adele Jordan
and Rae Story
The Egyptian Room
Illuminate Live
Listen to a whole host of great live musicians, in conjunction with Oldham Music Network and The Egyptian Room.
Rock Neon – Things That Go On Things
Ever wanted to be in a band? Grab your friends and get a selfie with your very own neon rock band.
Commissioned by Barnsley Bright Nights and
Things That Go On Things
Old Town Hall, 6–9pm
Harmony Hall – Illuminos and Oldham Theatre Workshop
Bringing together specially commissioned projection visuals mapped onto the Old Town Hall, alongside a seamless music and theatre performance centred around a musical journey through time across four generations of a family.
Oldham Parish Church & Gardens, 6–9pm
Crypt Tours
Take a guided tour of the Oldham Parish Church crypt, burial home of the famous Oldham Giant.
This is a ticketed event, please go to Eventbrite or scan the QR code to book (tickets are limited).
Reflect – Emma Gasson
An interactive light installation which uses a giant tank of water to create reflections that appear to sync perfectly with sound. Trail your hands through water, generating ripples which are reflected inside an atmospheric space. The installation is guided by an ambient soundtrack and the overall effect is hypnotic and mesmerising.
SHINE Emerging Artist Programme,
commissioned by Light Up The North
The Matter of the Heart – idontloveyouanymore
A collection of Oldham hearts: 100 people and their real-time heart beats. Wherever they are now, together or apart, far away or near the artwork, their hearts will remain in this space, flashing together, in perfect time with their real-life heartbeat.
The curation of a community, expressed purely through the live heart-beat data of Oldham residents. It is an expression of a city’s societal networks, and a demonstration of the collective power of community. As an audience member you’re invited to walk among the flashing hearts, like a graveyard of the living, to allow the interconnectivity of Oldham to light your path.
Co-commissioned with: Light Up Lancaster, Barnsley Bright
Nights, Salford Lightwaves, and Illuminate Oldham
Our Town – Stars in the sky ceremonies
Walk through our Oldham townscape compromising community made lanterns of places that are special to the people of Oldham, also featuring specially commissioned Oldham landmark lanterns
from Global Grooves.
…And Breathe – Pif-Paf
A new sound and light installation from Pif-Paf exploring breath, breathing alone and breathing together, mixing science and the raw joy playing together. A tactile piece that encourages interaction and mindfulness, take a moment and…breathe
The High Street, 6–9pm
Illuminate the street
Don’t miss out on the incredible illuminated strolling performers and fantastic music across the Illuminate trail, including Global Grooves puppets, and performances from an array of Oldham’s
amazing community led bands and performing arts organisations.
Jubacana
Look out for Jubacana the Oldham based youth-led, fusion project for those aged 8 to 18, combining Brazilian percussion with vibrant dance choreographies.
Dancing Diyas
Dancers from the Indian Association
Oldham will be performing their newly commissioned dance piece for Illuminate 2025.
Queen Elizabeth Hall, 6–9pm
Somnius – Illumaphonium
A mesmerising installation, which recreates a sky of light and sound that dances in response to your every movement, reminding us of our ongoing relationship with the cosmos, nature and each other.
Co-commissioned through Light Up The North (LUTN)
with partners LightPool Festival Blackpool, Light Up Lancaster,
Light Night Wigan, Lightwaves Salford and Illuminate Oldham.
Albion Street, 6–9pm
This is the Place – Emergency Exit Arts
Artists at EEA have created illuminative LED neon murals which communicate themes of home, belonging and migration.
The interactive installation effectively casts a rainbow spectacular all over its surrounding environment.
Would you like to take part in Illuminate 2025?
We’re always happy to talk to light artists and potential festival partners. If you would like to discuss a project for Illuminate, please get in touch with Rachel.Wood@Oldham.gov.uk
