Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that Battersea Power Station is generating power again. By which we mean it’s been open again for the best part of a year and a half as a space to welcome visitors in the thousands to hang out, drink, eat, shop, and enjoy lots of different events.
One event that has long been a feature of the site, even when it was shut, is the Battersea Power Station Light Festival, an annual free event that douses the area in bright colour in a bid to kick away the cobwebs of the wintry nights. The light festival returned yesterday (January 25), which is perfect timing, given that nights are still long and morale can be a little low at this time of year. It’s around until the end of February, and we’ll be basking in the glow all through the next month.
What light installations can I expect to see?
The Battersea Power Station Light Festival features seven spectacular installations on display from both British and internationally renowned artists, with three UK debuts and two London debuts on the cards this year!
Saunter up towards the Grade II* listed power station and you’ll greeted by a sea of light. There’s an installation that allows you to simultaneously play with a piano and with light (LightPiano by Arion de Munck and Mark Ridder), and even a display that encourages a cycling competition between two lights, with the winner graced by a flood of light (Lightbattle III by Venividimultiplex). It’s a bright and colourful display, sure to distract you from the cold and the dark of the early winter months.
Even if you’ve been to the lights festival at Battersea Power Station before, it’s worth checking out this year’s roster, given every single one is different from the lineup last year!
Here’s a full list of all the light displays running at Battersea Power Station over the next month:
- Butterfly Effect by Masamichi Shimada
- Singularity by Squidsoup
- C/C by Angela Chong (UK debut)
- Lightbattle III by Venividimultiplex (London debut)
- Cloudy Lanterns by Mad Rhizome (UK debut)
- LightPiano by Arion de Munck and Mark Ridder (London debut)
- Large Diamond by Freerk Wilbers (UK debut)
And here’s a peek at what we saw when we visited last year!
Checking out Battersea Power Station
After being bowled over by all the lights, you can traipse around the revamped Power Station, pop in to see a film during Oscar Season at the cinema, ride the giant glass lift, take advantage of the early year sales at the shops and, of course, have a bite to eat at favourites including Roti King, Queen Of Crepes, Street Pizza and many more (including at the giant Arcade Food Hall).
The light festival will stick around until February 25, taking us through the winter until it’s nearly time for the clocks to go forward. Read more about the free light festival here.