From 12th to 23rd February, the e-Luminate festival illiminated the streets and buildings of Cambridge. The annual festival attempts to raise awareness about low-carbon energy with a celebration of light.

Buildings and spaces around the city were creatively lit-up, including St John’s Chapel, shining far and wide in pink, and the eastern facade of Senate House having the marvelous Planet of Light projected onto it, which collated the drawings of local children and transformed them into a mesmerising installation. King’s College’s screen was illuminated in a particularly startling way, alternating between an ever-changing rainbow to vivid pink and blue stripes, with the change triggered by the movement of passers-by. A giant game of noughts and crosses filled the windows of the Guildhall, whilst the Grafton Centre, venue for the spectacular opening event, was host to a plethora of innovative lighting solutions. 

Spectacular, one-off events were put on, from The Dowsing Sound Collective presenting an “intimate, unplugged and mesmerising set” in Trinity College Chapel for Valentine’s Day, to half-term treats for the younger generation, including an eco treasure hunt and recycling workshops.

With next year designated as the United Nations Year of Light, Alessandra Caggiano, e-Luminate’s managing director, hopes to build on the success of this year and “help make Cambridge an international arts destination as well as being a scientific and academic centre”.

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