Barnsley’s dazzling Bright Nights Festival returns to the town centre this November with two nights of free family entertainment.
The fun starts from 5pm on Friday 22 November with "The Barnsley Carol".
The frontage of Cineworld will be transformed with a huge projected story show by artists Illuminos alongside a live Christmas choir from the Barnsley Singers in The Glass Works Square. Performances will take place every 30 minutes so you won’t miss a thing.
On Saturday 23 November, watch the Illuminated Parade starring the amazing inflatable Strobilophones from 6:30pm.
Starting in Midland Street, the procession will weave its way down Eldon Street and end in The Glass Works Square. Alongside the Strobilophones you can enjoy disco bike dancers, RSPB Birds of Play, the mythical Eldon Street Beast as well as a host of community groups journeying through the town centre.
Families can join free lantern-making sessions at The Glass Works on Saturday 9, Sunday 10, and Saturday 16 November to be a part of the illuminated display. Tickets must be booked via the Visit Barnsley website.
Visitors can also follow the Light Art Trail across both nights from 5pm to 8.30pm with incredible visual installations at various town centre locations.
Don’t miss ‘Happy as the Day is Long’, a giant mirrorball and pop-up silent disco at Barnsley College where you can also explore a host of activities at the student-led Bright Nights Bazaar.
Elsewhere, the Alhambra Shopping Centre will be home to a gigantic illuminated slinky toy and ‘The Matter of the Heart’ in which real-time heartbeats light up the artwork.
Lumen Array will be entertaining crowds at Barnsley Civic with a spectacular light show featuring circus, dance, and music and you can hold holographic butterflies ‘In a City of Flowers’ at the Cooper Gallery.
Councillor Robin Franklin said: “Barnsley Bright Nights is a special event for our town. It brings colour and creativity to our streets and unites our community. It’s wonderful to see everyone celebrating Barnsley through light and art.
“Events like this are important for our local economy and culture. They attract visitors from far and wide and show Barnsley as the vibrant and welcoming place it is.”
For more information, head to visitbarnsley.co.uk/brightnights or follow @VisitBarnsley on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Participating Bright Nights venues include: The Glass Works, St Mary’s Church, Barnsley Civic, Barnsley College Old Mill Lane Campus, Experience Barnsley, The Cooper Gallery, Library @ The Lightbox and the Alhambra Shopping Centre.
Barnsley Bright Nights is a member of Light Up the North, a network of light festivals taking place across the North of England. The event has received funding from Arts Council England.