London's Winter Light Festivals 2025
January usually sees a flurry of winter light festivals in London, featuring creative displays by local and international artists. From Battersea Power Station to Canary Wharf, here is our guide to key ones to look out for in London this month.
Battersea Power Station's Light Festival
Spin me a Yarn by Studio Vertigo.
#FLODown: Battersea Power Station’s Light Festival returns for its fifth year from 23 January 2025. The free event will feature eight light art installations by British and international artists, including four UK debuts and a bespoke creation designed for the Power Station. Installations will be displayed both inside and outside the Grade II listed building. To mark the festival’s launch, special roaming performances will take place on 23, 25, and 26 January in Power Station Park and Electric Boulevard.
Installations on display: Aurora by James Glancy Design, Spin me a Yarn by Studio Vertigo (London debut), Tornado by UxU Studio (UK debut), In Bloom by Kumquat Lab (London debut), Spider by Groupe LAPS (UK debut), Atlas by Jon Voss (UK debut), Parabolic Lightcloud by Amigo & Amigo (London debut), Never Ends by Luigi Console & Valentina Novembre (UK debut).
Date: 23 January - 23 February 2025. Time: 8am - 11pm. Location: Battersea Power Station. Website: batterseapowerstation.co.uk.
Click here for a visual preview.
Canary Wharf Winter Lights
Sign by Vendel & De Wolf (Netherlands), Westferry Circus. Canary Wharf. Winter Lights 2024.
#FLODown: Canary Wharf’s Winter Lights festival returns for its ninth edition from 21 January 2025, showcasing 12 new light artworks by acclaimed artists from around the world. The free event will include two new commissions and four UK debuts, alongside the area’s permanent light displays. Highlights include a towering stack of illuminated bathtubs, a tornado of lights orbiting a pylon, a UK-first illuminated bird in flight, and a larger-than-life portal in Wood Wharf. The commissioned works include Mirage, a piece exploring the illusions of social media, and Stitching Light, which tells the stories of Bangladeshi women in Tower Hamlets through sound and light.
Installations on display: Aj Vana Be by Benedikt Tolar, Circa by Limbic Cinema, Error by Vendel and De Wolf, Wave by Squidsoup, Evanescent Droplets by Atelier Sisu, Stitching Light by Emergency Exit Arts with Ruhul Abdin and Oitij-jo, Artificial Humans by Atelier Haute Cuisine, Mirage by Atelier Sisu, Bird Passing By by Luminariste with Benjamin Nesme and Marc Sicard, Portal by Lucid Creates, Positive Spin by Liz Harry and Kazimier Productions, Illusion Hole by UxU Studio.
Date: 21 January - 1 February 2025. Time: 5-10pm. Location: Canary Wharf. Website: canarywharf.com.
Click here for a visual preview.
Here We Glow
Evanescent by Atelier Sisu.
#FLODown: Westfield London will unveil its first-ever light art trail, Here We Glow, featuring stunning light-based installations by internationally acclaimed artists. This free, family-friendly event will showcase eight captivating installations, including giant interactive bubbles, a unique kaleidoscopic artwork exclusive to Westfield, and The Anooki – two larger-than-life characters spotlighting environmental fragility, which have previously been seen worldwide before debuting in the UK at Westfield London.
Installations on display: The Anooki by French artists David Passegand and Moetu Batller (UK debut), Liz West’s Visible Light, Evanescent by Atelier Sisu, Tessellis by Angelo Bonello, Shifting Visions by Adam Povey Lighting LTD.
Date: 23 January - 2 March 2025. Location: Ariel Way Shepherds Bush, London, W12 7GF. Price: Free. westfield.com.
Winter Light
Jakob Kvist, Dichoic Sphere (2020).
#FLODown: Winter Lights returns to the Southbank Centre from 7 January to 2 February 2025, featuring free outdoor artworks that explore themes of identity, the environment, and technology. Highlights include We Rise By Lifting Others by Marinella Senatore, focusing on community, and Jakob Kvist’s Dichroic Sphere, a geodesic dome lit by a single energy-efficient bulb. The exhibition also features works by Sophia Al-Maria, David Batchelor, and others.
Artist on show: Sophia Al-Maria, David Batchelor, Mat Collishaw, Aoife Dunne, Jakob Kvist, Nathaniel Rackowe, Marinella Senatore, Erlend Tait, Fred Tschida, Squire & Partners with Oasis Academy Johanna and Denman+Gould with Maeve Polkinhorn.
Date: 7 January – 2 February 2025.Location: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo, London, SE1. Price: Free. southbankcentre.co.uk.
