Winter Lights Festival 2024
Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce is delighted to have provided fanancial support to Sidmouth's first Winter Lights Festival.
Sidmouth’s first Winter Lights Festival – Sidmouth on Sea – Save Our Seas
Friday 9th & Saturday 10th February and Thursday 15th, Friday 16th and Saturday 17th February 2024 from 5.30pm to 8.00pm.
This new sustainable, low carbon event provides a welcome opportunity to step outside, socialise and get inspired to act local and think global!
The Winter Lights Festival will feature 14 installations starting at Sidmouth Wallspace – the public gallery billboard overlooking the Ham carpark, and will continue the trail along the Ham border into the Sensory Garden, Riverside Walkway and to the end of the Ham.
Curated by lighting artist Zac Greening, the installations are the artists responses to the festival theme Save Our Seas.
Each artwork is inspired by the challenges faced by climate change and aims to encourage conversations and connections and empower actions that can be taken both individually and collectively.
Sidmouth School of Art has been working with students from Sidmouth College and Sidmouth Primary School to ensure the voice of young people as the future are represented in the exhibition.
A creative sculpture made by Sidmouth Repair Café will also feature, located in the Sensory Garden. Sidmouth School of Art invited their collaboration because it is initiatives like repair cafés that get us thinking about our throwaway habits and more-sustainable ways to reuse and recycle our waste.
The festival will also feature installations from Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub and Sidmouth School of Art including the Clamship - a kinetic sculpture made from recycled boats and a truck, inspired by the bi -valve molluscs that filter, cleaning and supporting the marine ecosystem.
The festival is a new sustainable cultural event timed to coincide with local schools half-term, the perfect activity for children, friends and family.
The event is free and festival goers will be able to stop and chat and get a drink at the Fishermen’s Shed Bar, hot drinks and cakes at Daisy Blue Delights, and a warming bite to eat at Sea Sides and Tacos with Fish and Chips by Sidmouth Trawlers in the Fishermen’s Yard.
Louise Cole, Sidmouth School of Art: “We are really excited to be bringing a new event to the Sidmouth calendar out of the high season – as part of our ethos to support Sidmouth to thrive 365. The focus is well and truly on the environment and community wellbeing. We were inspired by the Scandinavian concept of stepping outside whatever the weather and connecting with nature and others, emerging from the depths of winter as Spring approaches
