Barnsley Bright Nights to illuminate town centre

Barnsley town centre is set to be transformed as the highly anticipated Bright Nights festival returns on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 November.

This year’s event, themed ‘Grow’, will celebrate the natural world and the collective growth of Barnsley’s vibrant communities, offering an immersive experience for residents and visitors alike.

The Glass Works Square will host the UK premiere of ‘Supernova’, a series of four illuminated sculptures, featuring an impressive eight-metre-high centrepiece, previously only seen all together in Australia.

Accompanied by dynamic lighting, atmospheric effects, and a NASA-inspired soundtrack, this installation will mark the start of the festive season in Barnsley. 

Throughout the town centre, attendees will encounter a diverse range of light art installations and live illuminated performances between 5pm and 8.30pm on both nights.

Highlights include celestial stilt walkers, arctic fox puppets, and illuminated drummers and dancers, many of whom have collaborated with local community groups to create new costumes and routines for the event.

Interactive activities will also be available at the Library @ the Lightbox, while Barnsley College will host the Dancing Fountain—a unique fusion of water, light, and sound.

Additional attractions include the Molecular Clouds large-scale projection and lantern-making workshops at Base71 Barnsley Youth Zone and Neon Garden, a dazzling large-scale landscape, in Mandela Gardens.

The festival is free to attend, family-friendly, and fully accessible, which remains a core value of the event. Sensory backpacks and a British Sign Language guided tour will be available to ensure an inclusive experience for all participants.

Councillor Robin Franklin, Cabinet Spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture at Barnsley Council, said: “Barnsley Bright Nights is a special event for our town.

“It brings colour and creativity to our streets and unites our community. It’s wonderful to see everyone celebrating Barnsley through art.

“Events like this are important for our local economy and culture. They attract visitors from far and wide and show Barnsley as the vibrant and welcoming place it is.

“We hope visitors will enjoy our wonderful restaurants and leisure attractions whilst they explore Barnsley Bright Nights.”

Barnsley Bright Nights is presented by Barnsley Arts & Events and supported by brsk. The festival is a proud member of Light Up the North, a network of light festivals across the North of England and is made possible through the collaboration of local partners, artists, and volunteers and funding from Arts Council England.

For further information, event updates, and accessibility details, please head to visitbarnsley.co.uk/brightnights or follow @VisitBarnsley on Facebook and Instagram.