Illuminate Festival Oldham 2026
Illuminate, the Illuminated Festival is back in Oldham for 2026 for its ninth year, offering an evening of light, colour and creativity.
This much-loved free festival transforms the town’s streets, squares and public spaces with glowing installations, illuminated performances and a lively parade that families won’t want to miss.
- 📍 Oldham Town Centre
- 📅 Saturday 21st February 2026
- ⏰ 6:00pm to 9:00pm
- 👪 Family-friendly
- 💰 Free
What is Illuminate Light Night?
Illuminate Festival Oldham is a relaxed, family-friendly way to explore the town after dark, with incredible light art, performances and hands-on activities created by artists from the UK and beyond. Everything is free, suitable for all ages and fully accessible.
Activities run from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Simply turn up, follow the illuminated route and enjoy the atmosphere. Use the event map on the night to find venues and see the parade route.
Each year, Illuminate delights audiences, and 2026 is no exception.
Where It Takes Place
Illuminate Light Night is spread across Oldham Town Centre, with installations and activities popping up around familiar landmarks including Oldham Civic Centre, Gallery Oldham, Oldham Library, Parliament Square and Old Town Hall.
The festival layout encourages visitors to wander at their own pace, following the light trail and discovering new artworks as they go.
Illuminate Parade
6.00 pm
The evening begins with the Illuminate Parade at 6:00 pm, starting at the Oldham Civic Centre and travelling through the town centre to the Old Town Hall. Expect glowing lanterns, illuminated costumes and creative community artwork lighting the way as the parade sets the tone for the night ahead.
Light Installations and Experiences
Sentinel – Studio Vertigo
A striking, wing-like light sculpture that appears to shift shape as you move around it. Gentle flowing light travels through the structure, inviting visitors to pause, walk beneath it and experience a moment of calm amid the festival buzz.
Illumaphonium
A huge interactive musical sculpture made up of over a hundred illuminated chime bars. Touch the bars to create ripples of light and sound, encouraging spontaneous music-making together. A festival favourite enjoyed by millions worldwide.
The Relic of Mirchwood Forest
A magical illuminated terrarium housing the last living remnants of a mythical forest. Through light, sound and stop-motion animation, this enchanting piece tells a story of nature, memory and hope.
Eternal Ensemble – ONYVA! Studio
An immersive projection and spatial audio experience featuring a repeating cello performance. The looping visuals and sound create a shared yet deeply personal moment of stillness and connection.
Strands
Inspired by Greater Manchester’s textile heritage, this collaborative light and sound installation explores the idea of ‘home’. Glowing houses and gentle soundscapes combine community stories, textile art and voices from across Oldham.
Things That Light Up
A softly glowing installation made from recycled plastic bottles. Designed to guide visitors through the festival route, this sustainable artwork creates a calm and welcoming atmosphere as you explore.
POLAR – Gemma Wood
Life-sized illuminated polar bears highlight the fragility of the natural world. Made using recycled materials, the sculptures combine beauty and environmental storytelling in a powerful visual statement.
A Dance of Bee and Bird – Illuminos
A large-scale projection transforming the Town Hall into a vivid story of bees, birds and ancient myth. Rich colours and movement bring this poetic tale of balance, labour and survival to life.
Colour Rush – Liz West
A bold, vibrant beacon of colour that encourages exploration from every angle. As you move around it, reflections and colour combinations shift, turning visitors into part of the artwork.
Love Oldham
A joyful illuminated collaboration with Blackpool Illuminations, celebrating everything that makes Oldham special.
Happy as the Day is Long – Stellar Creates
A dazzling mirrorball installation transforming Red Swing Bridge into a magical space. Thousands of reflections shimmer while a pop-up silent disco invites families to dance along to uplifting playlists.
Hero Shot Frame
Step inside the illuminated frame and capture your own festival photo moment.
Creative Activities and Workshops
Light Painting
Popular light painting workshops return, giving visitors the chance to create glowing artwork in the dark using light sources and movement.
Light Up Arts and Crafts
Drop-in craft sessions where children can create their own bright, light-up artworks to take home.
Gallery Oldham Exhibitions
Don’t miss the exhibitions at Gallery Oldham, open during Illuminate:
- Oldham Stories – objects and collections telling the story of Oldham and its communities.
- Women Portraits: Trades and Professions – celebrating women’s working lives from the late 1800s to today.
- Connecting Threads 2 – embroidered works exploring what it means to be human.
- 150 Years of Oldham Rugby League Football Club – memorabilia celebrating a proud sporting legacy.
Pop-Up Performances on the High Street
Throughout the evening, expect roaming performances including Star Bears, Roller Bird, Dancing Diyas, Saddleworth Women’s Morris & Clog, Jubacana, Owl, Hare, Ollie & Millie and more.
Performances take place at intervals between 6:00pm and 9:00pm, creating surprise moments as you explore the route.
- 18:00 – Star Bears
- 18:45 – Roller Bird
- 19:00 – Dancing Diyas | Owl
- 19:15 – Ollie & Millie | Star Bears | Saddleworth Women’s Morris & Clog
- 19:30 – Jubacana (at Gallery Oldham)
- 20:00 – Owl | Dancing Diyas | Hare
- 20:30 – Saddleworth Women’s Morris & Clog | Star Bears | Ollie & Millie
Happy as the Day is Long – Stellar Creates
One of the standout moments of Illuminate Festival Oldham 2026, Happy as the Day is Long is a bold, larger-than-life mirrorball installation transforming Library Gardens into an immersive world of light, colour and reflection.
Made from a kaleidoscope of brightly coloured mirrored pieces, the giant mirrorball fills the space with thousands of shimmering reflections as it slowly turns, creating a truly magical atmosphere for all ages.
At the heart of the installation is a pop-up silent disco. Visitors can grab a pair of headphones and step into a joyful, feel-good environment beneath the glow of the mirrorball, dancing along to uplifting music as the lights sparkle around them.
Become a Virtual DJ
Oldham residents are invited to help shape the soundtrack by nominating songs that bring them joy. Selected tracks will form a community-created Happy Playlist, played throughout the silent disco during the event — making this artwork a celebration created by the people of Oldham themselves.
Happy as the Day is Long invites families to slow down, dance, smile and experience the shared joy of music and light in motion.
Why We Love Illuminate Festival Oldham
Illuminate Festival Oldham is one of those rare events that truly has something for everyone. It’s creative without being overwhelming, exciting without being stressful, and completely free. Wrap up warm, bring the kids and enjoy a magical night discovering Oldham in a whole new light.
As you explore Oldham Town Centre, you’ll encounter a variety of light-based artworks and performances. Highlights include large-scale installations, colourful projections and moments of surprise tucked into unexpected corners of the town.
One of this year’s standout installations is a giant mirrorball experience in Library Gardens, creating an immersive world of reflection and light. This installation also hosts a pop-up silent disco, where visitors can dance beneath the glowing mirrorball using provided headphones.
Lantern-Making Workshops
In the lead-up to the event, free lantern-making workshops take place across Oldham. These sessions give families the chance to create their own lanterns and be part of the parade on the night. Workshops are free to attend, but booking is usually required as spaces can fill quickly.
Tips for Visiting with Kids
- Arrive early to enjoy the parade and avoid queues.
- Wrap up warm and wear comfortable shoes for walking.
- Allow plenty of time to explore the full light trail.
- Bring a camera or phone – there are lots of great photo opportunities.
Illuminate Light Night is one of Oldham’s most magical free family events, offering a memorable evening out filled with creativity, colour and community spirit.
For the latest updates and workshop bookings, visit:
More >>> Illuminate Oldham
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