Lumiere Event FAQs

Lumiere is the UK’s light art biennial. It is a free-to-attend, three-day event that transforms the historic city of Durham every other year in November into a giant outdoor art exhibition of spectacular light installations. For Lumiere 2025, tickets will be required to enter the controlled zone in the centre of Durham City (booking fee applies). Over half the installations are outside the ticketed zone and can be visited without a ticket.

The programme features artworks by local and international artists and year-round Learning and Participation projects.

Since the first Lumiere in 2009, the event in Durham has attracted more than one million visitors and stands as a landmark event in the cultural calendar of the North East.

Lumiere  is produced by Artichoke, a registered charity and the UK’s largest artistic production company presenting work in the public realm.

Lumiere  in Durham is commissioned by Durham County Council and supported by Arts Council England, the North East Combined Authority and a raft of other sponsors and supporters.

Lumiere returns to Durham from Thursday 13 to Saturday 15 November 2025. It will take place over three nights, between 17:00 and 22:00 each night.

Please subscribe to the Lumiere newsletter to receive further information.

There’s still time to be part of the incredible Lumiere journey. Get in touch with Artichoke’s Development Director, Ma’ayan Plane (Ma’[email protected]), to help Lumiere shine even brighter in 2025.

Artichoke is committed to addressing climate injustice and reducing the environmental impacts of all the work it produces. We work with industry experts, A Greener Future, who will assess our carbon impact and advise on reducing emissions.

Lumiere  artists pledge to support this work through the design of artworks, making responsible use of materials and ensuring works produced contribute to the circular economy through future touring.

All Lumiere  installations are made as energy-efficient as they can be. Where possible we use mains or battery power and many of the works use low-energy LEDs. Street lights are switched off or reduced, saving power and reducing light pollution.

Key technical suppliers are chosen based on their sustainability commitments and work together with Artichoke to challenge established practices and plan the operational aspects of Lumiere  as sustainably as possible.

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