News Story
Bolton will be shining bright this festive season with the return of the free festival, Put Big Light On coming to the town from Thu 5 – Sun 8 December.
Last year’s event attracted over 50,000 visitors, all coming to experience the light art trail, and 2024 will celebrate Bolton being named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture 2024.
Curated by Things That Go On Things, the festival will include a sensational display of light art installations from internationally renowned artists.
Events will take place at various venues and outdoor locations across Bolton town centre, including the Octagon.
The Octagon will host The Stars Come Out at Nightin their Studio, a touring illuminated artwork by Stellar Projects. This striking installation captures the beauty and wonder of the night sky, bringing a glimmer of starlight right down to earth. The large, sculptural piece slowly rotates to reveal beautiful star patterns on the surrounding landscape, and when it revolves, internal lighting creates a mesmerising temporary universe of stars which dance across the ground for visitors, capturing the magic of a sky full of stars.
The Octagon will also be running free storytelling sessions as part of their StoryMakers series during the festival. There will be two sessions each day on Fri 6 – Sun 8 December. Young people and their families can enjoy star gazing whilst taking part in the interactive and immersive storytelling. These sessions are FREE but places must be pre-booked here.
Other highlights across the festival include:
A huge art installation by NOVAK, which will be YARN: a stunning large-scale projection onto Bolton’s iconic Town Hall, featuring music by Ed Carter. This installation will transform the building into a series of captivating scenes filled with vibrant colour, dynamic motion, and immersive sound.
The artwork honours 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.
It highlights the vibrant production of the town’s mills and the work of its renowned designers, while also showcasing some of Bolton’s most cherished landmarks and its current role as Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture.
GAIA created by UK artist Luke Jerram who brought the Museum of the Moon to last year's festival. 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.
Bolton Museum will launch a new exhibition, Bright Ideas, showcasing the fantastic glass neon signs of local company, Neon Creations. The exhibition, which opens on Sat 30 November and runs until Sun 23 February 2025, will include some of the company’s most stunning creations as well as specially commissioned pieces.
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.”
The festival will also include street entertainment and lots of family activities in the run-up to and during the festival.
