'Love letter to Leeds' projection on Queens Hotel to take centre stage as Light Night returns
A moving projection mapping five decades of memories onto The Queens Hotel will headline Light Night Leeds next week as the UK’s largest light festival returns during half term
A spectacular visual and musical "love letter to Leeds" is set to captivate hundreds of thousands of festivalgoers next week as Light Night Leeds transforms the city centre.
Returning on October 28 and 29 - and taking place during October half term for the very first time - this year’s two-night extravaganza centres around the theme ‘A City Speaks....‘
The theme explores the people, places, and stories that have shaped Leeds over the past four centuries as part of the wider Leeds 400 celebrations, marking 400 years since King Charles I granted the city its first Royal Charter.
Taking centre stage as one of the festival's flagship installations is ‘Call My Name, Call Me Home’, a dramatic projection mapped onto the façade of The Queens Hotel in City Square.
Created by Leeds-founded digital storytellers imitating the dog alongside local musicians Hope & Social, the piece weaves music, song, and story together to chart five decades of memories - showcasing how the city's homes, bars, and streets change across a lifetime.
'A Narrative With Heart'
Simon Wainwright, from imitating the dog, said: “We worked closely with Hope & Social, and the lyrics and music actually came first for this piece, with the visuals and animation taking inspiration from the finished song.
“We’re storytellers, and so our main focus is on creating a narrative with heart that everyone in Leeds can hopefully resonate with.”
Supported by Markel and The Queens Hotel, the artwork blends shifting architectural backdrops with lyrics reflecting the shared experiences of living in Leeds.
Beyond City Square, the festival footprint features dozens of immersive art installations celebrating the city's heritage - artist Lou Chapelle brings three glowing owls inspired by the historic Leeds city crest to life inside the museum.
Appearing almost close enough to touch, the 3D holograms are accompanied by a meditative habitat soundscape.
Bright neon installations suspended above Cookridge Street showcase drawings created by children in care depicting activities they love doing with their foster carers, produced in partnership with Foster4Leeds.
Visitors can also step inside 17th-century manuscripts, rare maps, football fanzines, newspapers, and historic photographs through an interactive virtual reality workshop bringing the city's archives into the digital age.
Last year's festival welcomed more than 200,000 visitors to the city centre across two nights.
Organised and delivered by Leeds City Council with support from Arts Council England and local sponsors, Light Night remains one of the largest free annual culture events in the UK.
Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, said: “Light Night is a major event in our calendar every year and we are really looking forward to the wide variety of projections and performances that are on offer for this year’s festival.
“It’s great to have this opportunity to really celebrate Leeds and bring people together to explore the stories and the people who make the city what it is.”
To explore the full festival map, download venue schedules, and plan your family route across the light zones, visit the official website at lightnightleeds.co.uk.