The details of the huge outdoor light show in Greater Manchester have been revealed as Lightwaves Festival prepares for its ninth year.
Installations this winter will include a huge, glowing slinky tumbling off the landmarks in Salford Quays, as well as fire sculptures, a giant heart-shaped glitterball, and a kaleidoscope of butterflies.
Lightwaves will take place across MediaCity and Salford Quays, transforming the waterways and spaces with dramatic light artworks.
The completely free event will take place this week and showcase both local and national artists.
The headline installation is audio-visual Navvies by Matthew Rosier, presented on the actual water and accompanied by an orchestral composition.
ADVERTISEMENT
Visitors will also be able to ‘walk’ through the waters of a digital river that will flow over the bridge, created by Manchester studio idontloveyouanymore, with the virtual water reacting to the movement of people.
LightstreamOnce We Were WaterButterfly ClusterMicroCosmic
The giant neon slinky (called End Over End) comes from Studio Vertigo, who will also create Our Beating Heart, a heart-shaped mirror ball made with more than 11,000 tiles that will slowly rotate.
ADVERTISEMENT
Garden of the Deep, by Diane Watson, will turn single-use plastic bottles into 1000 flowers, made with the help of local schools and community groups.
Local legends Walk the Plank will be back again with Roost, creating nature-based fire sculptures in the MediaCity garden.
Kin Visual
Lightstream by Flora Litchfield is going to use sound and colour to draw focus to water’s energy, and MicroCosmic by Paul Miller (a collaboration with the University of Salford) is an installation of video, sound and projection-mapped sculpture.
ADVERTISEMENT
Anne Bennett’s Butter Cluster will create a flock (or technically, a kaleidoscope) of butterflies in the night sky above your heads.
There’ll be retro-futuristic design with Normal, an ‘interactive light and sound installation with attitude’ by Monomatic.
The Royal Horticultural Society will get stuck in too, with RSH Bridgewater bringing a taste of its RHS Glow to Salford Quays with Connections.
Then there’s a permanent artwork too by Liz West – THROUGH No.4 will be a six-metre-long wak-through triangular corridor of light and colour.
Lightwaves Festival is totally free to visit with no tickets required.
ADVERTISEMENT
There’ll be the Quayside Festive Market running alongside too outside The Lowry.
Featured image: Supplied
Art & Culture
Gig Review | Mika shines at the AO Arena in Manchester on the first night of his world tour
Aimee Woodcock
Mika’s Manchester stop on his ‘Spinning Out’ global tour was a vibrant, high-energy celebration of all things pop.
Not happy with just walking on stage – this is Mika we’re talking about – he made his entrance on a spinning hamster wheel, bathing the AO Arena in kaleidoscopic lights.
Opening with ‘Modern Times’ and ‘Eleven’ from his latest discography before leaning into one of the classics, ‘Relax, Take it Easy’, the atmosphere inside the packed arena felt charged.
His stamina was something that stood out from the get-go, delivering every track with that signature Mika flair, accompanied by choreography and a live band that matched his energy – no mean feat.
The production leaned heavily into colour and movement, with swirling visuals and playful stage design that mirrored the tour’s theme of motion and momentum with nods to themes of LGBTQ+ rights.
Working through this current album, and after a quick outfit change, we were treated to an a cappella intro to another classic, ‘Lollipop’ with Mika dressed in a full pink suit (and shoes).
Between songs, Mika’s easy rapport with the crowd added warmth and intimacy to the arena-sized performance.
He shared anecdotes and playful banter, encouraging the crowd to sing along, uniting the fans.
Highlights included a rendition of ‘Grace Kelly’, which sparked one of the loudest reactions of the night, and a heartfelt performance of his more reflective ‘Happy Ending’ offered a welcome contrast to the glittering pop anthems.
Based on the highly successful film of the same name, seen by more than 12 million people across five continents, and the recipient of over 80 awards internationally – including 10 Tony Awards and five Olivier Awards – Billy Elliot The Musical is heading back out on tour this year, and making its long-awaited return to one of Manchester‘s most legendary stages.
If you’re unfamiliar with the musical, the show is set in a northern mining town against the background of the 1984/85 miners’ strike and follows Billy’s journey from the boxing ring to the ballet class where he discovers a passion for dance that inspires his family and whole community and changes his life forever.
Billy Elliot The Musical is returning to Manchester this Christmas / Credit: Supplied
Since its debut on stage all the way back in 2006, the show has been massively acclaimed by audiences and critics alike – with 125 boys having now played the iconic title role on stage worldwide.
The upcoming Manchester production will be brought to life by the multiple award-winning creative team behind the film, including writer Lee Hall (book and lyrics), director Stephen Daldry, choreographer Peter Darling, and of course, they’ll be joined by Elton John who composed the show’s score.
“Creating Billy Elliot the Musical was one of the most joyous and inspiring moments of our careers, so to bring the show back for a UK tour and a season in the West End for the first time in over a decade is both incredibly emotional and exciting,” commented Elton John and Stephen Daldry.
Tickets officially go on sale early next month / Credit: Supplied
“It’s bold, it’s British, it’s full of heart and the story feels more relevant than ever. We can’t wait for a whole new generation to experience it.”
Billy Elliot The Musical is taking to the Manchester Palace Theatre stage from 2 December 2026 through to 9 January 2027, before it does a run in the West End shortly after, and tickets officially go on sale in early March.
Daisy Jackson -
29th November 2022 
