Lumiere London organisers rule out re-run of event next year

Bright-eyed: Crowds gathered to catch sight of one installation, 'Les Lumineoles' by artist Porte Par Le Vent, in Piccadilly
AP
Jamie Bullen30 January 2016

Organisers of the "enormously successful" Lumiere London festival have dashed hopes of a repeat of the event next year.

More than a million people flocked to central London as 30 light displays illuminated the West End and King’s Cross over four nights earlier this month.

But the "unprecedented" interest in the event meant some displays had to be switched off amid crowd control fears.

The demand means organisers have said any future events will need to have extra displays installed in other areas of central London to ease overcrowding.

Helen Marriage, director of events company Artichoke, which organised the festival, said: “These events take a long time to plan.

Lumiere London 2016

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“Work started on Lumiere London 2016 in the summer of 2013, and although a second version wouldn’t take quite so long to put together, there are currently no plans for a similar event in 2017.”

She added: "If there were to be another edition of Lumiere London, it’s likely that the footprint and the number of installations would have to be increased in order to spread the audience more widely.”

Organisers described the four-day spectacle as an "enormous success".

Mayor Boris Johnson said: “It was a dazzling showcase of creativity that brought a wonderful burst of imagination, wit and colour to the streets of central London, underpinning the capital’s status as a great world city for culture.

“In the middle of cold, dark January, we were astounded by the crowds, which exceeded all our expectations and brought a boost to the West End and King’s Cross.”

Displays included a 3D elephant, giant fish, stars and humans floating in the sky.

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