Sea creatures light up fields for magical festival

THOUSANDS of spectators turned up for a magical celebration of light in Newbridge Fields.

More than 2,000 people celebrated the Carnegie House Festival of Light on Friday night.

The event included a magical lantern parade, with hundreds of willow and paper lanterns made in workshops at Ysgol Bro Ogwr, Oldcastle School, Westward and Wildmill Community Centres, and a week of workshops inCarnegie House itself.

With the theme of The Year of the Sea, spectators were treated to an enchanting array of illuminated sea creatures including seahorses, sharks, a moving octopus and a giant, colour-changing cuttlefish!

The event was led by a fireeater, stilt-walker and the Carnegie House Samba Band, who had everyone dancing to their addictive grooves.

The grand finale was a spectacular fire show performed by Organised Kaos, where fire jugglers, acrobats and contortionists wowed the crowds against the backdrop of the Gorsedd stone circle.

Event manager Karen Steadman said: “We are so proud of our amazing team of artists who have gone the extra mile to make sure this event was a resounding success. We were still working on the cuttlefish at midnight the night before the event!”

The event was organised by Bridgend Town Council as the culmination of an Arts Council of Wales-funded project at Carnegie House, which included free and accessible workshops for the whole community.