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From free face painting at Trinity Walk and listening to a DJ at The Ridings, to creating lanterns at Wakefield Museum and viewing exhibitions at The Art House – this year’s Light Up Festival has a whole host of Fringe activity to enjoy!
Light Up @ Wakefield Museum
Kaleidoscope! Colour and light for under 5s
Friday 15 November, 10:30am – 12pm
Ages 2-5
Free and no booking required
Bright colours and pretty lights for little ones! Get cosy in our Front Room with a range of magical multisensory activities for under 5s. Make amazing artwork together using light panels and colour. Follow a toddler-sized colourful trail around the museum. Create a lovely lantern to take home and light up your toddler’s space. You can also tick off the following on your 50 Things to Do Before You’re 5: #4 Make your Mark, #11 Making Connections & #40 Happy History.
Family Fun: Lanterns & Lamplight
Saturday 16 November, 11am – 3pm
Free and no booking required
How did the people of Wakefield brighten up their dark nights in the past? Find out and make your own light installations at the museum! Get hands on with light themed objects from our collections. Experiment with different materials to create your own light art. Make a colourful lantern to take home.
Museum by Torchlight
Wakefield Museum
Friday 15th November, 5pm – 8pm
Free and no booking required
See Wakefield Museum in a completely new light, by torchlight! Bring your torch, or borrow one of ours. Follow our torchlit Spotters trail – can you find everything in the dark? Explore the museum out of hours, in this special event as part of Light Up 2024. What will you discover after dark?
Light Up @ Castleford Museum
Light Up: Shadow Puppets
Tuesday 19 November, 3:30pm – 5:30pm
Free and no booking required
We’re celebrating Light Up Castleford with a special evening of family activities! Discover the age-old activity of shadow puppets. Learn how to shapeshift your hands into a whole range of characters. Make fantastic shadow puppets to take with you and put on a show at home! We’ll also have a range of magical museum objects exploring how people lit up their homes in the past
Light Up @ Pontefract Museum
Family Fun: Lighting Up The Past
Saturday 23 November, 11am – 3pm
Free and no booking required
How did the people of Pontefract brighten up their dark nights in the past? Get hands-on with a range of amazing objects from throughout history. Make your own medieval-style torch to light up your own castle!
Light Up @ The Art House
Zarah Hussain: Paradise Carpet
Friday 15 November, 4pm-8pm
Saturday 16 November, 9:30am–8pm
Free and no booking required
The Art House is delighted to announce its winter exhibition, Paradise Carpet by artist Zarah Hussain. Opening on Friday 15 Nov, from 4pm to coincide with Light Up, this brand-new immersive and innovative light installation explores how heritage, spirituality, geometry, technology, and contemporary art intersect.
In the main gallery, overhead projectors weave intricate, colourful, ever-changing patterns onto a soft floor. Visitors can sit, walk, pray or meditate while being bathed in soft coloured light. Hussain’s calming, spiritual and contemplative project is accompanied by a specially commissioned ambient soundtrack to create a warm, welcoming and sensually enveloping space for everyone, displayed alongside other light sculptures and digital murals by the artist.
The Art House Late – for Light Up 2024
Friday 15 – Saturday 16, 4pm–8pm
Free and no booking required
Join us for for your chance to view our new light and projection exhibition by Zarah Hussain after hours, alongside many exciting activities for Light Up.
Events across the evening include Neon Henna & Body Art Painting and Glow in the Dark Family Activities, and lantern making.
You will have the opportunity to shop our Makers Wonderland, and have a warming winter drink or a glowing cocktail. It’s going to be a great night, and we hope to see you there! It is free entry and everyone is welcome.
Light Up @ Trinity Walk
Friday 15 November, 3pm to 7pm
Saturday 16 November, 11am to 3pm
Sunday 17 November, 11am-3pm
Free and no booking required
Get into the festive spirit at Trinity Walk and meet Santa in his grotto, see the mischievous Grinch and get your face painted plus much more!
Light Up @ The Hepworth
Family Workshop: Bright Light Sculptures
Friday 15 November, 4pm – 7pm
Saturday 16 November, 11am – 7pm
Sunday 17 November, 11am – 4pm
Free and no booking required
Celebrate Light Up Wakefield at The Hepworth Wakefield in this multi-sensory creative workshop for children of all ages. Be inspired by surreal works of art in our Still Lives exhibition and play with patterns, texture, layers and colours on light boxes and make your own light catcher to take home. hepworthwakefield.org
Light Up @ The Ridings
Friday 15 November , 2pm-6pm
Saturday 16 November, 10am-6pm
Sunday 17 November, 2pm – 6pm
Pop into The Ridings throughout Light Up Wakefield for a range of fun activities including a live DJ spinning classic tunes and requests, free face painting and much more!
Light Up @ Wakefield Library
Saturday 16 November, 10am-3pm
Start your Christmas shopping at Wakefield Library’s craft market!
Light Up @ Castleford Library
Tuesday 19 November, 3pm-6:30pm
Come along to Castleford Library and meet Santa! Tickets are available prior to the event from the main library desk. There will also be fun, festive craft activities and craft stalls.
Light Up @ Ossett Library
Saturday 30 November, 3pm-6:30pm
The newly refurbished library will be open with lots of fun, festive family crafts available.
This year’s Light Up is part of Our Year Wakefield District 2024, a year-long programme of breath-taking spectacles, unique festivals and community-led activities that celebrate all the Wakefield district has to offer.
12:00 - 21:00 
