Wednesday, 17 January 2024

Light Up

Event description

The University of Manchester will be celebrating the start of its 200^th year with a special evening of light, poetry and performance on 17 January 2024.

From 6.24pm (18:24 representing the University's founding year), a pathway of light will illuminate iconic places and spaces on campus and beyond in its signature colour: purple.

All – staff, students, alumni and the local community – are invited to wrap up warm for an evening stroll, taking in the lights along the route from Engineering Building A, up Oxford Road to Whitworth Hall (with, perhaps, a few surprises along the way).

Visitors looking to experience the best view of the illuminations are encouraged to make their way to the top of Bridgford Street or Coupland Street, where there will be delicious street food and hot drinks available.

The pathway will lead to Manchester Museum, which is opening its doors for a free, light-filled 'Museum Late' between 5pm and 9pm, featuring curated tours, hands-on experiences, uplifting poetry readings and illuminating music.

Performances will include a recital of a specially commissioned bicentenary poem by its writer, alumna Rebecca Hurst, as well as an experiential set by alumnus David McFarlane and associated musicians, who use music and light to visualise the experience of chromesthesia – a condition where sound evokes an experience of colour, shape and movement.

This event is in-person, free and open to all.