• Swindon & Wiltshire Events
• Wednesday May 20 2026

Bristol Light Festival announces dates for 2027

We might be heading into summer, but city economy promoters Bristol BID are dreaming of the long, cold nights of February.

Bristol Light Festival will return to the city from half term week of Thursday, February 18 Saturday, February 27.

Bristol Light Festival has become one of the UK’s leading free light festivals, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors into the city during the winter months and showcasing Bristol’s reputation as a world-leading creative city.

In February 2026 Bristol Light Festival welcomed an estimated 200,000 visitors across ten days and generated an economic impact in excess of £11 million.

The sixth edition of the festival featured ten large-scale installations across the city, including illuminated replica hot air balloons celebrating Bristol’s ballooning heritage, a giant, interactive cat sculpture, an immersive underground artwork in Redcliffe Caves and large-scale projection mapping celebrating Bristol’s electrical history.

Audience feedback from the 2026 festival highlighted the event’s growing impact across the city, with 78 per cent of visitors saying they specifically travelled into Bristol city centre for the festival, a three per cent increase from 2025.

Almost 50 per cent of visitors also visited local restaurants, bars or shops during their trip.

Visitors expressed exceptionally high satisfaction ratings, with 88 per cent rating their experience positively, cementing the festival as a staple in Bristol’s event calendar.

Katherine Jewkes, creative director of Bristol Light Festival, said: “Each year Bristol Light Festival continues to grow in ambition, creativity and scale and we’re incredibly excited to begin shaping the 2027 programme.

“We’re looking for artists and creatives with bold ideas that can transform spaces, surprise audiences and create unforgettable moments across the city.

“Bristol is such a creatively rich and collaborative place and we can’t wait to see the ideas that emerge for next year’s festival.”

Anna Farthing, interim head of place at Bristol BID, said: “Bristol Light Festival has become a hugely important winter moment, connecting people through creativity, supporting local businesses and encouraging visitors to experience the city in new and unexpected ways.

“Following a highly successful 2026 festival, we’re excited to see the ideas and suggestions that artists put forward for 2027 as we continue to grow the festival’s ambition, creativity and positive economic impact across the city.”