See Oldham in a new light at the Illuminate Festival 2020

The Illuminate Festival returns to Oldham this Friday

The Illuminate Festival returns to Oldham this Friday (21st February)  with your chance to see Oldham town centre in a new light.

There's opportunity to witness some mesmerising installations and dazzling performances this year. You can find the full programme here but the highlights include:

Illuminate Parade, 6pm
The evening starts with a carnival procession of light from Gallery Oldham to the Old Town Hall, this year led by Illuminated Robots and a sea of handmade community lanterns. If you want to take part in the procession then come along and join the free Family Lantern Making Sessions. These are taking place at Gallery Oldham on Saturday 15 and Thursday 20 February between 10am–4pm. No need to book but places are limited.

Museum of the Moon, 6–9pm
The Moon has always inspired humanity, reflecting the ideas and beliefs of all people around the world. And for one night only it will be appearing in the Gallery Oldham gardens. Created by artist Luke Jerram and measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.

Magic Lantern Show, 7pm and 8pm
Join local photographer Ian Beesley as he showcases some of the hundreds of fascinating treasured lantern slides from the Gallery Oldham collections.

The Naked Bean Cafe will be staying open until 9pm, featuring some local music as well as the usual range of warming drinks. And all Oldham Council car parks will be free between 3pm and midnight.

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