Lumiere Festival plan to light up historic city’s landmarks again
two years, built upon the positiveimpactofthecouncil’ssustained investment in cultural activities, boosting the economy by £11.5million and creatingunforgettableexperiences.
While extreme weather conditionsaffectedtheattendance numbers, turnout was still high at about 165,000 visitors.Thisincludestheone-millionth visitor since the launch of the biennial event in 2009.
Feedbackfromvisitorswas onceagainpositive,with87%of thosesurveyedratingthefestival as either good or very good and96%tstatingitwasgoodfor County Durham’s image.
Nextyear’sfestivallooksset tobeequallyinspiring,withArtichokeplanningaspectacular programmeofartworksandinstallations.
Highly experienced in producingoutdoorevents,thearts charity will make sure appropriate measures are in place to ensureaudiencescanenjoythe festival safely in accordance with any coronavirus guidelines in place.
CllrSimonHenig,Leaderof Durham County Council, said: “This year has been incredibly difficult for people in County Durham and across the world. The impact of coronavirus on ourcommunitieshasbeenprofound and I think we are all in need of something to look forward to at the moment.
"By announcing Lumiere’s return next year, we hope to spread a message of hope and show there is light at the end of the tunnel in these difficult times.
“As the evaluation of last year’s festival demonstrates, Lumiere also provides a significant boost to our economy, as well as supporting artists and creative businesses from the UK and beyond. The most complete recent figures show creativeindustriescontributed more than £11billion to the UK economyin2018andweexpect the arts will play a crucial role in our region’s recovery from the pandemic.
"Lumiere will be a major part of that and I’m delighted to announce its return.”
Since 2009, more than 10,000 local people, including thousands of schoolchildren, have benefited from the festival’s learning and participationprogrammes,aswellasthe manyvolunteeringopportunities on offer.