Art / News
New set of installations announced for Bristol Light Festival 2026
A new wave of installations have been announced for the upcoming Bristol Light Festival.
The event invites people to slow down, look again and get involved in new work by Bristol artists and renowned studios.
Katherine Jewkes, creative director of the festival, said: “Bristol Light Festival is about giving artists permission to imagine boldly and play at scale.”
Among the newly announced artworks, soft-robotics studio Air Giants will be displaying a huge inflatable cat at the Cascade Steps.
‘The Cat That Slept For A Thousand Years’ stretches 10m from ear to tail and purrs at nearby visitors.
Air Giants create huge, emotionally expressive soft robotic creatures – photo: Air Giants
At the docks, visitors can find ‘Jellymonsters’ by Bristol-based illustrator Rob Hodgson.
This installation features mysterious, wobbly creatures said to live beneath the river’s surface.
Activated by sound, ‘Jellymonsters’ can be lured out of the water by visitors clapping, singing or making noise.
From here visitors can head up Park Street, where the Royal West of England Academy will be home to 13 tiny glowing fairies.
‘Bell Jar Fairies’ by Studio Mcguire displays these figures inside bell jars, each inspired by Bristol’s landscapes and wildlife.
Visitors will be encouraged to spot the fairies all around the Clifton gallery – photo: Studio Mcguire
In the University of Bristol’s Royal Fort Gardens, ‘The Midnight Ballerina’ by Will Budgett features seven illuminated steel and light sculptures.
Each of these structures are precisely lit to cast the silhouette of a ballerina in an immersive display of light and shadow.
Will Budgett transforms the landscape after dark with his seven elegant dancers – photo: Will Budgett
Founded by Bristol Business Improvement District (BID), Bristol Light Festival aims to create free, high-quality cultural experiences in public space and to light up the streets during winter.
Anna Farthing, interim head of place at Bristol BID, said: “It’s a brilliant opportunity for families to explore Bristol together during the school holidays, enjoying more corners of the city centre after dark and supporting local businesses along the way.”
Bristol Light Festival 2026 will run nightly from 5pm-9.30pm from February 19-28. For more information, visit bristollightfestival.org.
Main photo: Air Giants
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