Liverpool’s famous River of Light exhibition is back!

The River of Light is a magical free event which takes place around Liverpool’s iconic waterfront - a 2 kilometre loop filled with interactive art installations.

Last year, the event attracted an estimated 250,000 people, and is expected to be an even bigger success this time around. 

Twelve installations have been set up for the occasion, with the theme this year being ‘Play’. They include a giant chessboard, inflatable gnomes, dancing fireflies, an interactive piano walk, and an enormous tarot-predicting fruit machine!

These have all been designed by famous light artists both local and international, with a few being Olivier Landreville, Koros Design group, and Amigo and Amigo.

The aim of the exhibition is to spread joy and playfulness, whilst also presenting questions about what the word ‘play’ means to different people. 

I was lucky enough to attend the exclusive Press Night ahead of the official launch, and was taken on a guided tour of the pieces. The installations stand out against Liverpool’s darkened landmarks, creating a fun experience for all ages.

Having had this sneaky peek of the fantastic installations, I am certain that tonight’s opening night will be a huge success.

Some of the artists of the displayed pieces also attended last night, including Murugiah and two of the creators behind Amigo and Amigo. 

I was able to speak to Murugiah - the creator of ‘Rangoli Mirrored Cosmos’. In creating this sculpture, he wanted “to represent the duality of [his] cultural backgrounds”. 

Murugiah shares how he “grew up in a British society with English and Welsh school friends, but at home we lived a partial Sri Lankan life”.

The artist describes the work as being “very poppy colourful modern shapes… that make up most of the sculpture and come from a western design sensibility. To surround them, I created these 2D Mandala graphics which are drawn from Sri Lankan traditional patterns”. 

(Image: Charlotte Salim-White) When asked what impact Murugiah was looking for by putting Rangoli Mirrored Cosmos in the River of Light, he stated “to celebrate togetherness and positivity with public artwork that invites audience members to play and be happy.” Fittingly, additional activities will take place near Murugiah’s installation to mark Diwali on 1st November.

The 2024 River of Light will take place between Friday 25th October and Tuesday 5th November - from 5pm to 9pm on each of those nights. 

The official trail starts near Princes Dock, parallel to the River, looping round the waterfront to finish on Chapel Street. However, the exhibitions can be viewed in any order.

The map and list of installations is available on the Visit Liverpool website, or using the link https://www.visitliverpool.com/riveroflight/.