The full programme for Robin Hood Energy Light Night on Friday 10 February is now available and features a wide range of mainly free activities for all ages and interests.

Amazing artworks, UV sports, music, dancing, stories, puppets and Star Wars-themed lightsabres will all feature in the popular event, which is celebrating its tenth year.  Around 50 venues will be taking part, including churches, the former fire station, pubs, museums and several places further afield.  New venues inviting people to ‘Do something different on a Friday Night in Nottingham’ include the Arboretum, which will be transformed into a garden of delights with many installations and roaming puppets.

There is an emphasis on candlelight this year, with two opportunities for people to add a clean glass jar to a glow installation at the Arboretum or ‘Rainbow at Night’ on Albert Street.  A candle-lit tour of the William Booth Birthplace Museum is a new event this year.

The Wheel of Nottingham in the Old Market Square will be transformed into the Wheel of Light with a special light show consisting of complex patterns created with 75,000 bulbs. There will be free entry to Nottingham Castle and Brewhouse Yard.  Other activities and events will include art exhibitions, light projections, a climbing wall, poetry, crafts, theatre and meditation.  There will also be markets, delicious food and warming drinks at several family-friendly venues both indoors and out.

The programme is available from Nottingham Tourism Centre, Central Library and participating venues, which can be identified by a Light Night poster or sticker in the window.  It can also be downloaded from www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/lightnight and last-minute amendments and updates will be added to this website.  People are invited to post their Light Night pictures on this website to be in with a chance of winning a prize.

The programme and website include a voucher for a £2 Eventrider ticket giving discounted all-day travel on any Nottingham City Transport bus.  Group tickets are also available for buses and trams.  People can use the tram to travel between Light Night venues at Station Street, the Lace Market, the Old Market Square and the Arboretum and will even get to hear Light Night musicians on the tram.

 

The annual event is organised by Nottingham City Council in partnership with community groups and city venues, with funding from Arts Council England.  The council is looking for volunteers to give directions, assist artists or sell the Light Night badges that help fund the event.  They should be 18 or over and available for at least three hours during the evening.  Anyone who would like to help should send their contact details to arts@nottinghamcity.gov.uk.  The flashing badges will be on sale at Nottingham Tourism Centre for £2.

Light Night started in 2008 and has become increasingly popular, last year attracting over 50,000 people to the city.  It will, again, be sponsored by Robin Hood Energy, a not-for-profit company that offers low tariffs to help tackle fuel poverty and make energy more affordable for all households in England, Scotland and Wales.

Councillor Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture, said: “We’re looking forward to a fantastic tenth Light Night, with a wide range of organisations and venues taking part, offering something for everyone.  We expect thousands of people to come into the city centre so are encouraging them to take advantage of the discounted travel on the bus or tram.  Anyone who has not already switched to Robin Hood Energy should also make a point of visiting their stall to see how much money they could save on their energy bills.”

Robin Hood Energy’s CEO Gail Scholes said: “With thousands of visitors coming to the city, Robin Hood Energy is looking forward to a fun-filled night across the city.  Our staff will be based at the Brian Clough statue, ready to answer any energy questions people may have and give families the chance to meet our very own Robin Hood character.  Light Night is a great opportunity to see Nottingham at its most creative and innovative, and Robin Hood energy is particularly proud to be sponsoring this year’s Light Night.  Nottingham is a city that’s pioneering change in the energy market through the creation of its own energy company that puts people back at the heart of energy supply.”