Light installations and illuminations of iconic landmarks are among the attractions as the ‘Scarborough Lights’ festival returns from 12 November – 20 December.
Highlights from this year’s programme include Scarborough: 400 Years and Beyond, at St Mary’s Church. Featuring a series of animated projections showing aspects of Scarborough’s history. It includes handmade illuminations and lanterns on themes chosen by the public.
The finale event – Glow in the Park – promises magical circus acts in Falsgrave Park on 20 December. Aerial acrobats, underwater mermaids, LED jugglers and hula-hoopers will entertain visitors. The acts will be dotted around the park, with a designated route along tarmac paths to follow.
Astro Dog will host an Aurora Experience at St Columba’s Church from 16-22 November (not 19 November) with atmospheric lighting, timelapse footage, film screenings, astrophotography exhibition and a science and discovery area.
You can go Stargazing at Scarborough Castle from 11-13 December. Have a laser-guided sky tour and learn constellation navigation in the open skies of the Castle headland.
Catherine Goble, Festival Manager, said:
“We have 28 activities and illuminations as part of this year’s Scarborough Lights programme with a wide variety of events on offer from UV mini-mini golf at Jam Jar Wine and Pinball Lounge and a UV art exhibition in the Market Vaults, to a community-created miniature market light display on the Market mezzanine and the ever-popular dino-bouts on Vernon Road.
“The creativity in this town never fails to astound me, with some wonderful ideas and enthusiasm coming together to create a winter festival of light.”
There will also be three different walking trails in the town centre. Choose Your Own Scarborough takes the methodology of Choose Your Own Adventure books and translates it to an interactive illuminated trail across various locations through the town. A Christmas Carol tells the Dickens story through silhouettes in business windows and an installation of the three ghosts in Scarborough Market Vaults, while Sherbatella’s Seaside Sparkle will see illuminated fairies popping up and a live character appearing in participating businesses.
There will be free street entertainment on Westborough on the afternoons of 5, 12 and 19 December.
Countdown to Christmas is supported by David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, and funded by the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.
More information on all these events, and others, plus links to get tickets, can be found at www.scarboroughfair.uk/events.
