Light Night Leeds brings two free nights to half term

Light Night Leeds 2026 will illuminate streets and buildings across Leeds on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October. The free citywide festival will run from 6pm to 9.30pm on both evenings, with families and visitors of all ages invited to explore more than 40 artworks at various locations.

Leeds City Council has confirmed that the festival will fall during October half term for the first time. With the clocks going back during the previous weekend, darkness will arrive early enough for projections and immersive installations to begin alongside the rest of the programme at 6pm.

Two evenings of free art across Leeds

Light Night Leeds is spread across familiar streets and buildings rather than confined to a single venue. Entry to the festival is free, giving visitors two evenings to encounter work by artists from Leeds, elsewhere in the UK and around the world.

The event has transformed parts of the city through light and art since 2005. Last year’s edition attracted more than 200,000 visitors across its two nights, placing it among the UK’s largest light festivals.

Organised and delivered by Leeds City Council, the 2026 festival also receives additional funding from Arts Council England and support from sponsors, trusts and foundations in Leeds, the wider UK and overseas.

More than 40 artworks will tell the city’s story

This year’s theme, “A City Speaks…”, connects the festival with Leeds 400, the year-long celebration of four centuries since the city received its first Royal Charter. King Charles I granted that charter on 13 July 1626.

Artists will use light, projection, performance and immersive experiences to examine the stories, people and places that have shaped Leeds during those four centuries. The programme will also look forward, using contemporary work to offer different views of the city’s future and identity.

Large-scale projections are among the confirmed highlights, but individual artworks and their locations have not yet been revealed. The full programme is scheduled to be announced at the end of September.

Half-term timing opens the festival to more families

Moving the event into the school holiday is intended to make attendance easier for families. Both festival dates fall in the middle of the week, with the programme finishing at 9.30pm each night.

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, said the darker evenings and time away from school should allow more families to experience the projections and installations. She also described the festival as a way of bringing people together and making art accessible across the city.

The timing gives Light Night Leeds a prominent place within the Leeds 400 programme. Its theme ties the anniversary’s historical focus to the festival’s established use of contemporary creativity, connecting the city’s past with ideas about what comes next.

Programme details are still to come

The confirmed information covers the dates, nightly opening hours, free entry and citywide setting. The announcement does not yet provide individual artwork locations, transport guidance, accessibility arrangements or information about food and stalls.

It also does not say whether any individual experience will require advance reservation, although the festival itself is described as completely free. Visitors will be able to review the detailed programme when it is released at the end of September through the event’s official website and social media channels.

Source: Leeds City Council