Cultural programming

‘Light Night at the University of Leeds brought our campus to life in the most spectacular way this year... More than 13,000 visitors – local residents, families, students and staff – experienced a welcoming atmosphere filled with light, design, artmaking and performance and showcasing the power of culture to bring people together in a joyful way.’ Dean of Cultural Engagement, Professor Ben Walmsley, 2024.

Light Night Leeds is the UK’s largest annual arts and light festival that transforms the city into a vibrant, illuminated arts and culture experience. Held in October, it features light-based art installations, performances, and interactive exhibits.   

Since 2016, we have worked with cultural producers across the University to coordinate on-campus events, installations, and commissions as part of this multi-arts festival. 2024 saw the largest campus involvement to date, with over 15 installations hosted on- site, featuring works from students, local artists and on-campus producers.

If you would like to learn about our future plans, please contact culturalinstitute@leeds.ac.uk, we’d love to hear from you.

In January 2024, we launched a partnership with Smeaton300, a national programme by Foxglove, celebrating the 300th anniversary of John Smeaton, the first civil engineer in the UK. Throughout the year, we organised cultural activities inspired by interdisciplinary research for staff, students and the public. This initiative, in collaboration with the School of Civil Engineering and Foxglove, supported activities across various departments, including the: 

• School of Music
• Public Engagement Team
• stage@leeds
• Leeds University Library Galleries
• Poetry Centre. 

The Smeaton300 partnership highlights our commitment to developing a unique campus cultural offer that enhances student opportunities, research, and promotes public engagement. Student activities included a Biomimicry Design Competition and the “Navigating Home” app developed by Liberal Arts students as a wayfinding tool, part of an in-curricular programme. Additionally, eight student commissions were featured in Light Night 2024. 

Research activities were also a significant part of the programme. Leeds Creative Labs facilitated a creative research residency for five artists and five Civil Engineering academics. The Public Engagement team hosted workshops at Leeds Industrial Museum, attracting over 250 visitors. Light Night featured artistic work inspired by research in various disciplines, including Music, Mathematics and Social Sciences. 

Inspired by Bragg brought together minds and ideas from across the University of Leeds and beyond to celebrate Sir William Henry Bragg - a former professor at Leeds who was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915. 

We commemorated this legacy in a programme of inspiring activities, and the launch of a £96m research and teaching facility that bears his name. 

We collaborated with colleagues across campus to develop a series of cultural events throughout the year, and towards the lead- up to the opening of the building. 

Find out more on our Inspired by Bragg Spotlight.