Bright ideas to keep the little ones busy on Leeds' Light Night

Hackspace Cubed at Leeds City Museum during Light Night 2014. Image - David Lindsay

Intrepid youngsters can battle space aliens, dance at a silent disco, and discover a hidden forest as they explore the city centre during this year's fantastic Light Night Leeds.

This year’s annual arts spectacular is set to include more events to fire the imaginations of younger visitors than ever before, with family friendly activities including drop in arts and crafts at The Tetley and St John’s Centre taking place on both October 5 and 6.

Thursday evening will see Light Night Leeds launch with an illuminated parade through the city centre, led by Leeds West Indian Carnival and joined by Cirque Bijou’s LED Umbrellas and Spark! drummers.

At Kirkgate Market, children and young people can play in a life-sized, interactive game zone inspired by classic arcade games including Space Invaders and Tetris.

The Spark! drummers who will take part in this yea's Light Night parade. Credit Dan Brady.

The exciting Actual Reality Arcade will challenge them to use their bodies and brains to take on 12 games and activities, which will also include tandem skiing and Marble Madness.

Leeds’s famous Playbox, a shipping container filled with colourful fun, will land on Bond Court, on both evenings.

And Thought Bubble will be transforming the crypt underneath Leeds Town Hall into a mysterious, enchanted forest where explorers can find their way around using flashlights and cryptic messages.

Leeds City Museum will also be opening up for Light Night on Friday October 6, giving visitors another chance to see the beautiful Hackspace Cubed.

Originally commissioned for the hugely successful Light Night 2014, the giant, 3D illuminated cube responds to people’s individual movements as it looks to explore the relationship between the physical and the digital. The piece will be in place from 6pm until 11pm.

Natalie Haigh, Leeds City Museum’s learning and access officer, said: “Light Night is a fantastic opportunity for young people to engage with culture and the arts and explore some familiar places in a totally different way.

“The museum is a very unique and atmospheric place at night and it’s great to see people of all ages seeing our collections in a whole new light.”

Light Night Leeds will see more than 60 illuminated events and installations transform the city centre, with this year’s event celebrating the people of Leeds.

On Friday, Oct 6, Brewery Place will also host a Silent Disco with illuminated LED headphones featuring young DJs from Leeds based DJ School and interactive artwork Sand.

Other highlights of Light Night Leeds will include a series of giant lamps along Briggate, presented in association with LeedsBid, and a magnificent projection ‘Out of the Aire’ on Leeds Civic Hall.

Councillor Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “Light Night Leeds is one the biggest, best and brightest occasions on our city’s calendar and brings together 80,000 people to experience something truly unique and unforgettable. It also makes a powerful statement about what culture means to Leeds and how much a successful bid to be European Capital of Culture has the capacity to unlock even more of Leeds’s vast cultural potential.”

Details on more installations will be released in the coming weeks.

For more details on Light Night Leeds, including how to plan your evening, please visit: http://whatson.leeds.gov.uk/lightnight