There’s always something to see or do in Durham, and one of our favourite times of the year is when the city lights up for the annual Lumiere Festival.
First founded in 2009, the festival is set to illuminate the city yet again this year from 18th-21st November, and we can’t wait to see which installations are going to be on display. We’ve even created a two-night break especially for the festival that includes welcome bubbly, flasks and torches for exploring the festival with, breakfast in The Dining Room, and full use of our award-winning spa facilities.
In the meantime, we’ve put together a list of our top 5 favourite installations from over the last few years.
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I LOVE DURHAM
Back in 2019, the intensely debated local landmark – the statue of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry’s statue – was playfully transformed into a snowglobe. Known to generations of locals as “the man on the horse”, this installation definitely holds a place in our hearts.
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Spirit
Beautiful and evocative, this flickering installation illuminated Durham Cathedral as part of 2019’s festival. Compagnie Carabosse, the artists behind the piece, were also responsible for Stonehenge’s fiery transformation as part of the 2012 London Olympics and are renowned for their dramatic work.
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Know Thyself
Taking inspiration from an ancient proverb and some 17th-century images, this strikingly simple piece illuminated the Count’s House with a beating red heart that pulsated with life. Following the low beat of a heart, the light grew dimmer and dimmer, before becoming brighter again.
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CLOUD
A celebration of what we can accomplish as a group, this installation invited the audience to interact with it and each other. By pulling the chains that hung from the cloud, viewers could illuminate the 6,000 incandescent light bulbs that made up the structure.
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What Matters
This striking piece was built using thousands of hand-blown glass pieces, each carefully positioned to reflect light in a specific way. The idea behind this installation was to imitate the possible scattering of light that occurred immediately after the big bang.
For more information about this year’s Lumiere Festival, click here, or book our exclusive Lumiere Package here.
