A series of events and promotions have been organised by local Carlisle businesses in support of Carlisle: City of Lights (Wednesday 12 and Saturday 15 February).
Brewdog and Great Guided Tours have both organised their own promotional activities to coincide with the City of Lights programme, and local retailers are supporting the event with lighting displays – these include Citadel Barbers, Pig in the Poke cafe, Newcastle Building Society, House of Fraser, Primark, Top Shop and The Lanes.
Lynn Candlish, Manager of Brewdog Carlisle said: “Brewdog Carlisle is delighted host an event for the Carlisle City of Lights. To celebrate we are hosting an ‘80’s Upside Down Disco’ – THINK Stranger Things, 80’s synth, Neon, Lasers and Glow Sticks & team that with our superb sourdough pizzas and epic selection of beers, you are assured of an awesome night! Open from 12noon and DJ Black Foliage on the decks from 8pm.”
Robert Dixon General Manager of the Hallmark Hotel said: “Love Carlisle, City of Lights is a great initiative and is one that the Hallmark Hotel is proud to be part of. Putting a ‘spotlight’ on this great city will be great for both businesses and residents and we at the Hallmark Hotel are committed to working closely with Carlisle City and Cumbria County Councils to ensure that it is a success this year and for years to come.”
Great Guided Tours has arranged a Touching History event at Carlisle Citadel between Tuesday 18 and Friday 21 February. The tours will be held at 1pm and 3pm on each day. Find out more by contacting the Carlisle Tourist Information Centre by calling 01228 598596.
The centrepiece of the first ever City of Lights programme will be a stunning visual spectacle in Carlisle Cathedral between Wednesday 12 and Friday 14 February. The Cathedral will host ‘The Great Exhibition – SPACE: God, the Universe and Everything,’ inspired by the 1969 Moon landings. Created by the award-winning Luxmuralis artistic collaboration, it will take people on a walking journey through the Cathedral, revealing the universe, galaxies, space, creation, and light through a variety of sound and light installations that will transform the internal space of the Cathedral. The event has previously been staged in Lichfield Cathedral and St Albans Cathedral.
Tickets are selling quick for a stunning and illuminating Carlisle event that will be hosted for the first time in the north of England. More than 3,000 tickets have been sold so far. Tickets for all the Carlisle Cathedral sessions must be bought in advance from Carlisle Tourist Information Centre at the Old Town Hall or from discovercarlisle.co.uk priced at £5 for adults and £4 for children under 16.
An exciting line up of events, displays and installations is being planned for the City of Lights programme in Carlisle. The four-day event will take place between Wednesday 12 and Saturday 15 February 2020.
The project is a partnership between Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council alongside a range of local partners including Story Contracting and the Railway Heritage Trust. It will be delivered under the ‘Love Carlisle’ brand. The aim of Love Carlisle is to organise and promote events, opportunities and activities that raise the profile of Carlisle and celebrate the variety of cultural and creative talent in the city.
The City of Lights event will also see numerous buildings and local landmarks in the Court Square and Citadels area of the city illuminated with coloured lights and projections. Visitors will be guided via a map through Court Square where they will see the Griffin Pub, The Hallmark Hotel, Carlisle Railway Station and the Citadels in a very different light. Walking through the city centre towards the Old Town Hall, visitors will find projected images in the town hall windows brought to life. The Market Cross and public areas of the city will also be illuminated with eye-catching displays.
Cllr Stephen Higgs, Carlisle City Council Portfolio holder for Culture, Heritage and Leisure, said: “The SPACE event at Carlisle Cathedral will be the first time the award-winning Luxmuralis exhibition has been staged in the North and will be a spectacular and unmissable experience. Tickets are going fast, so we urge residents and visitors to book their place soon. Don’t leave it until the last minute as tickets are only available in advance. Later sessions are quieter for those who want to escape the crowds.”
Cllr Cyril Weber, Chair of the county council’s local committee for Carlisle, added: “It’s great to see local businesses coming together and supporting this fantastic event. I am excited to see our city to life brought to life in a new and imaginative way through the SPACE event at the Cathedral – a first for the city – and the various lighting installations in the city centre. City of Lights is a fantastic opportunity to showcase and celebrate the city, and I am confident we can build on it in future years.”
