The Festival of Light is to go ahead - but on a smaller scale.

St George’s Square’s iconic buildings will be illuminated as part of this year’s reduced Festival.

The unique light show is being created for a smaller Festival of Light that will have its own fringe show, dubbed Huddersfield Hat.

Kirklees Council is working with James Bawn - the light extraordinaire behind the popular Tour de France illumination of Emley Moor Mast - for November’s Festival.

Click below to see images from the festival over the years.

 

The main show on Saturday, November 29 includes:

Illumination of the Railway Station, Britannia Buildings, George Hotel and Lion buildings.

Sing-along films including Frozen, with characters in the film attending,

An illuminated winter garden which is being created by 10 schools, Armitages Garden Centre and artist Fabric Lenny.

Video Loading

Street performances in and around the Square plus food, drink and market stalls

A brass band concert and fireworks finale.

The three-day Huddersfield Hat features live music, plus the Festival coincides with the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (HCMF).

Clr Peter O’Neill, Cabinet member for Communities, said: “2014 has been a huge year for culture and events in Kirklees, with amazing events like Hypervelocity having a phenomenal impact.

“Festival of Light this year will still be a major event, but the main show will only take place on the Saturday.

“That is not to say however that the weekend will not be full – with the fringe events of Huddersfield Hat throughout the town, the contemporary music festival and community led events, it will be just as special.

“The busy year and reduced budgets have meant that we have had to be more creative and engage with more people to provide the Festival. For the first time we have a schools engagement programme that has resulted in young people taking part, we have engaged with Kirklees College, and with the businesses in the town centre to make sure that Huddersfield is still the place to be on Festival of Light weekend.”

Video Loading

Kath Davies, Kirklees Council’s creative communities manager, added: “We recognise that it will be smaller than in previous years, but it will still be an amazing experience. The Huddersfield Hat will encourage people into the town with events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for people to enjoy.”

Kirklees Council is currently consulting on its spending plans for the next three years and funding for the Festival at Light is uncertain until councillors decide the budget next year. The council hopes participation of the business community with the fringe event will mean the Festival will continue in future years.

Helen Gorton, festival co-ordinator, said of the main Festival day: “The full programme is still being planned. We expect events in the Square to get underway from 10am and the concert and fireworks will be from 4.30pm to 6pm, to allow people to enjoy the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival on the Saturday night.

“We’ve really taken the opportunity to link the Festival in with the other arts events, so it remains one weekend of a celebration of art and culture in the town.”

Elisa Rohde, festival co-ordinator, says the Packhorse Gallery is staging a special art exhibition, plus there is with live music already planned for Byram Arcade, Coffee Evolution and Vinyl Tap.

A full programme is being developed and details will be updated to www.kirklees.gov.uk/festival in the coming weeks.