Today we announced that this year’s Lumiere will be the final edition in Durham. The UK’s landmark light art biennial will illuminate the city one last time.  

Lumiere’s impact has been far reaching and includes having:  

• Welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors 

• Contributed more than £43 million to the local economy 

• Inspired over 14,000 local residents and schoolchildren through Learning and Participation projects 

• Engagement of hundreds of local businesses, institutions and supporters whose backing has been central to Lumiere’s success 

 

 “We have today announced that Lumiere 2025 will be the last that Artichoke will produce in Durham. 

The decision to end Lumiere in Durham has not been taken lightly. Lumiere is unique in Artichoke’s portfolio as a regularly recurring event and has been made possible through remarkable partnerships with Durham County Council, Arts Council England, and for the first time this year, the Northeast Combined Authority. From the very first Lumiere, the commitment of local businesses, institutions and individuals has helped us to light up the city. But to sustain a festival of this scale and ambition requires investment and commitment at a level that is increasingly difficult to secure. Rather than diminish what makes Lumiere extraordinary, we have chosen to close this chapter with celebration.  

As we return this November, Lumiere will be a love letter to Durham. A fitting farewell that reminds us of the power of public art to bring people together and imagine different futures.” Helen Marriage, Artistic Director and CEO of Artichoke