Thornton Heath is set to host elements of the London Lumiere lighting festival on Saturday 27 January.
For one day only Trumble Gardens on Brigstock Road will be transformed into an illuminated wonderland at the first Thornton Heath Festival of Light, with pieces on display that will previously have been a part of the famous Lumiere event. Performances on the evening will include spoken word, dance, and music.
“This is a major coup for Croydon. It’s the first time parts of Lumiere London will be travelling to an outer-London borough and we expect it to attract thousands of people to Thornton Heath to see the lighting spectacular. We have also just submitted our bid to be London’s first Borough of Culture, and this festival comes just before the announcement of the winners, so we know there will be a real sense of excitement about the prospect because Croydon is one of the strongest contenders for the award.”
Councillor Timothy Godfrey, cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport
The last Lumiere event in central London saw light installations in Piccadilly, King’s Cross and Trafalgar Square attracting an estimated 1.3 million visitors.
For 2018 it returns over four nights between 18 and 21 January with works exhibited both north and south of the Thames. This time Covent Garden, Victoria, South Bank, and Waterloo have been added as new destinations – with Thornton Heath the final stop for parts of the show.
When Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced the light festival would be returning to the capital, he said: ”I’m particularly pleased that this year we are organising community projects in outer London boroughs to ensure as many Londoners as possible can get involved with this world-class event”.
The Thornton Heath light festival will also give Londoners a further opportunity to see a version of Leicester Square’s extraordinary Nightlife commission. This is being created by Jo Pocock and the Lantern Company for Leicester Square Gardens, and is supported by Croydon Council. It will celebrate the wonders of the natural world, creating a wild space in the heart of the city.
Lanterns from this work will transfer to the Thornton Heath light festival, including foxes, badgers, robins and squirrels alongside butterflies and giant flowers. In addition, the Croydon Partnership is backing a series of illuminated festoons made from recycled bottles that will form another part of the overall London spectacle before being brought home to Croydon.
The event will coincide with the second CR7 market, featuring arts & crafts along with food and drink stalls.
Festoons and other lighting will be used to decorate Thornton Heath on the weekend and huge mobile bird puppets will perform outside Ambassador House on the evening of 27th and in Croydon town centre on Friday 26th to help promote the event.
For more information about Lumiere London visit: www.visitlondon.com/lumiere/about
For more information about Croydon’s bid for the 2019 Borough of Culture title visit: www.croydon2019.london
