Leeds Light Night 2026 as art comes alive on city landmarks - dates, times and buildings

Artists took inspiration from the ideas of Leeds primary school children

Leeds Light Night will be returning once again this year, this time telling the tale of the city’s history through fantasy art.

Every year, landmarks and buildings in Leeds city centre are lit up with large-scale projections for Leeds Light Night. For the first time, this year, the festival will take place during half term, on October 28 and 29. As the clocks will have gone back an hour early, the previous week, it should be dark by around 6pm.

With the theme ‘A City Speaks’, this year's Light Night will form part of Leeds 400, marking 400 years since Leeds was granted its first Royal Charter by King Charles I. Through contemporary art, the festival will explore the stories, people and places that have shaped Leeds over the past four centuries while looking towards the city's future.

It’s been an annual event in the city since 2005, modelled after Nuit Blanche which was founded in Paris. The first year was far more elaborate and saw live performances in the city with a string quartet performing at Town Hall clocktower and a 200-audience member treasure hunt.

Bradford, Sheffield, York and Hull followed on with their own Light Nights in 2006, before becoming even more widespread across Birmingham, Belfast, Liverpool and Nottingham, in following years.

This year, it will feature over 40 artworks by artists working in Leeds, the UK and internationally. Leeds City Council announced ‘Far, Far Away’ as one of this year’s installations.

With Leeds history in mind, artists commissioned by British Library, took inspiration from the ideas of Leeds primary schoolchildren about what they think a fairy tale should contain.

Kenn Taylor, Senior Culture Manager at the British Library said: 'We are delighted to be back at Light Night Leeds. 'Far, Far Away' is a beautiful project and we are excited for the audiences to experience the joy and wonder of fairy tales through Lightspray's work. We were thrilled to see them take inspiration from the Library’s collection as well as the ideas of schoolchildren - and the result is truly magical.

“Our collaboration with Light Night Leeds is part of our wider commitment to engage with local people and partners in the city and beyond - and to open our collection to everyone in the region through events and activations."

Another key projection will be on the Civic Hall and is a collaboration with City of Maths, which Leeds is the first to have been anointed for 2026-27. The two-year celebration aims to transform how people feel about maths and let them discover its more creative side.

For the artwork, Belgian artists Nele Fack and Niels Blondeel were inspired by the mathematical idea of duality, and the piece explores how two apparently different things can be alternative expressions of the same underlying form.

With shapes dividing, overlapping and reconnecting across the building, the bold and rhythmic projection invites audiences to see difference in a new way and discover the hidden structures that connect the world around us.

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, said: “Each year, Light Night Leeds brings thousands of people together to view impressive light projections and immersive experiences.

“This year it will be a true celebration of our city and plays a huge role in supporting our local businesses and economy, raising the profile of Leeds as a cultural destination.

“We’re thrilled to be working with British Library and City of Maths on these two key projections and can’t wait to see them transform our city in October.”