We’re already looking forward to Christmas, and there’s arguably no better place to be for the festivities than Greater Manchester. Whether it’s Christmas lights switch-ons, decking the halls (and streets), or events for all the family, every town and borough has something to offer. The great town of Bolton is no different, and headlining this year’s Christmas festivities is a mesmerising free festival of light, aptly named ‘Put Big Light On‘, taking place across Bolton town centre from Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 December.
The first festival of its kind for the town last year attracted over 50,000 visitors, who came to see the light art trail, and this year features a huge art installation by NOVAK called YARN: a stunning large-scale projection onto Bolton’s iconic Town Hall, featuring music by Ed Carter. The installation will transform the building into a series of captivating scenes filled with vibrant colour, dynamic motion, and immersive sound, honouring Bolton’s rich history, tracing its journey from a small rural market town to a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution, transforming working practices across the globe.
Put Big Light On Festival this year celebrates Bolton being Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture 2024, with the year-long Bolton Town Of Culture celebrations seeing culture and community organisations come together to bring creative, family-friendly art for the borough.
This year’s festival line-up across Bolton Town Centre will feature magical creations from a diverse range of artists, including:
- GAIA: measuring six metres in diameter, Gaia features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface (compiled from the Visible Earth series) and provides the opportunity to see our planet on this scale, floating in three dimensions.
- Bright Ideas: Bolton Museum will launch a new exhibition showcasing the fantastic glass neon signs of local company, Neon Creations. The exhibition, which opens on Saturday 30 November, will include some of the company’s most stunning creations as well as specially commissioned pieces.
One of the new commissions will recreate the large neon sign that once hung outside the Ritzy Night Club in Bolton, and the museum would love to hear from anyone who remembers clubbing at the iconic venue in the 1980s and 1990s.
- The Stars Come Out at Night: a touring illuminated artwork by Stellar Projects in the Studio Theatre at the Octagon Theatre, capturing the beauty and wonder of the night sky, bringing a glimmer of starlight right down to earth.
- Luminosi Tree: A large-scale, nature-inspired, immersive installation. Music inspired by the Fibonacci sequence of spiralling growth triggers patterns of light and colour up and around four massive sculptures.
- ROCK ON: Things That Go On Things invites the audience to be part of the piece by stepping on stage and unleashing their inner Rock God! Headbanging fun for all the family through the power of posing!
- The Dancing Fountain: Conceived by engineer and kinetic artist, Alexis Richter, The Dancing Fountain visualises sound in liquid form – the Fountain transforms music in real-time into a self-choreographed water dance.
- Spin Me a Yarn: Created by Studio Vertigo and to be based on Newport Street, this will showcase an oversized ball of yarn with a long trail that interacts with its surrounding area.
Put Big Light On will also offer plenty of street entertainment, including:
- Spark!: The drumming sensations will be performing once again with their new show, featuring local performers, FireFlies.
- The Lips: A big puppet singalong show, The Lips reanimate our favourite songs, celebrate our shared love of popular music, and uphold our freedom to speak out through a luminous pop-puppetry, lip-sync performance.
- Show Globes: The Mystic Mirror Globe is a magical world of mirrors that spin and crack open at the press of a button. You can also meet the ornately decorated Snow Queen in the Living Snow Globe, encapsulated within her winter realm.
- The Living Lamp Posts: An enchanting and illuminating act from Theatre Illumiere standing at over ten feet tall.
- Winter Wonderland Birds: Magical giant birds with stunning fanned tails change colour depending on their mood!
- eBublio: Bubbles galore! Marvel at the most magical bubble creations and how they glow and interact with the backdrop of the festival’s light displays.
Commenting on this year’s event, Cllr Nadeem Ayub, Executive Cabinet Member for Culture said: “We are delighted to bring back the Put Big Light On Festival this year, especially having won Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture. This event proved to be a highlight of Bolton’s arts and cultural calendar, and it offers a fantastic family-friendly attraction for the winter season.
“This year’s festival will showcase stunning light installations that invite everyone to explore our town in a new and exciting way. We encourage residents and visitors to join us for this free event and experience the magic of light art.”
Put Big Light On events in Bolton are free and no tickets are needed. You can find the full schedule and more information here.