Down the rabbit hole

This year’s Illuminating York event is set to be stranger than fiction.

Imagine the Museum Gardens transformed into a wonderland: trees lit up with incredible effects that make them come to life, huge surreal art projections and bizarre creatures roaming through the night. Add Vic Reeves, and you've got the main installation at this year's Illuminating York event.

The installation, taking place from 31^st October-3^rd November, is set to be three times bigger than last year's affair, as the Museum Gardens is transformed into a magical, mystical and frankly bizarre 'Wonderland'. Vic Reeves, madcap comedian famous for Shooting Stars and also a surreal artist, will be creating the characters that will populate this weird and wonderful world. The projections, special effects and lighting will be provided by innovative local design company Bright White Ltd, plus architectural and engineering gurus Arup and Chetwoods, with help from the illumination experts at Blackpool Council. On the opening night, which is Halloween, visitors are encouraged to dress up according to the 'truth is stranger than fiction' theme to create a city wide flash mob. To put it simply, you'll kick yourself if you miss it.

 

Curiouser and curiouser…

Alongside the main commission at Museum Gardens, there will also be lots of fringe events that are worth going to see, as attractions open their doors after hours for special performances, light installations and art exhibitions. Highlights include a walk-in orb inside the Minster that will allow visitors to play with lighting on the stained glass windows, and the results of the National Railway Museum's challenge to local colleges to light their trains in an imaginative way.

 

Into the night

As this is the biggest Illuminating York project yet - over £500,000 worth of lighting technology will be used - the event will be ticketed this year, but the team have endeavoured not to put it out of the reach of families. Under fives can visit for free, children ages six to 16 pay just a pound and adults pay a fiver each - so a whole family can visit for as little as a tenner. Plus, you can stay in the Wonderland for as long as you wish, and several bars, restaurants and cafes in the city centre will be offering meal deals and discounts, making it cheaper for you to enjoy a whole evening out.

The festival runs from 31^st Oct-3^rd Nov from 6.30pm-10.30pm each evening. For tickets, visit www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or call 623568. For further information, visit www.illuminatingyork.org

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