The winter cultural spectacular, which includes a series of special events, is taking place across the city from 12 to 15 February.
The Light Festival will return to transform city spaces into a dazzling open-air gallery with a programme of spectacular light installations and special events set to brighten dark winter nights.
For the Festival’s second year, brand new temporary illuminated artworks will take over the streets, squares and public spaces in Birmingham, giving festival-goers new opportunities to fall in love with the city to coincide with Valentine’s weekend.
Bullring presents FORGED, produced by Birmingham Hippodrome, a high-energy live experience set to transform Bullring with fire performances.
Set to a live soundtrack of spoken word and original music from one the city’s most exciting metal bands, Insurgent, FORGED is inspired by the sparks, steel and relentless rhythm that shaped Birmingham.
Having ignited the night, a wander down to 1000 Trades Square will take visitors to the home of Reunion, by Kumquat Lab.
My Heart Belongs in Birmingham, by NeonCow, brings illuminated neon hearts to Lower Temple Street - a love note to the city, perfect for selfies and sharing the love as visitors carry on exploring.
Back by popular demand and building on the theme of love, Our Beating Heart, by Studio Vertigo, will be taking up residence at Mailbox.
Voted the favourite installation from the inaugural Birmingham Light Festival, the silent disco returns, taking the form of a classic party game, The Silly Statues x Silent Disco by festival producers, Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces (OPUS), will transform Victoria Square into a giant game of musical statues, with disco host Madame Freeze rewarding the silliest frozen poses.
Over in the Jewellery Quarter, Firefly Field by Studio Toer will bring a delicate glow to the green space of St. Paul’s Churchyard.
Along the canal path, in Oozells Square at Brindleyplace, The Heartbeat of Brindleyplace, by idontloveyouanymore, will see a collection of softly glowing boxes of light arrive, each one connected to, and powered by, live Brummie hearts.
Part of a nationwide project, Matters of the Heart, the installation will share the stories of real people from Birmingham, connecting them to their light boxes by monitors which will pulse along with each heartbeat in real-time, wherever they are.
As the festival journey winds east into Edgbaston, a powerful installation invites festival-goers into the Birmingham Botanical Gardens as Tipping Point, by international artist Luke Jerram.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens will also be hosting Climate Conversations, creating a space to reflect and initiate discussions around climate change
Alongside the temporary artworks, completing the Birmingham Light Festival journey will be 4 legacy installations, three of which remained in situ after last year’s festival.
A new installation, Where the Trees Begin, by Birmingham-based mural artist Richard O’Gorman, will see Edgbaston Village creatively illuminated with artwork inspired by the ancient forests that once shaped Birmingham’s landscape.
Edgbaston Village Night Market will give visitors the chance to explore Greenfield Crescent and discover new independent makers, while the CBSO and Canal and River Trust will be bringing back their Bringing the Light Lantern Procession following last year’s success.
City curator Alex Nicholson-Evans, said: “We are so excited to be able to reveal the full programme for Birmingham Light Festival 2026.
“We have some truly remarkable artworks lined up and are delighted to be able to showcase thought-provoking, internationally renowned works alongside original creations from incredibly talented local artists.
“Once again our fantastic founding partners, forward-thinking festival supporters and a whole host of incredible organisations from across the city have come together to make sure that Birmingham has something really wonderful to look forward to in this particularly dark and cold winter. The countdown is officially on!”
