Watch: River of Light makes a spectacular return to Liverpool’s world famous waterfront

One of Liverpool's most popular events is back to light up the city centre.

River of Light is illuminating the waterfront across 17 nights until Sunday, November 6, showcasing ten artworks from a host of local, national and international artists along a 2km route.

The theme of this year's event is Unexpected Twist, in a nod to the World Gymnastics Championships 2022.

Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy, Councillor Harry Doyle, said: "The great thing about River of Light this year is it is coinciding with, The World Gymnastics Championships and the Turner Prize at Tate Liverpool as well. There are lots of things going on in the city at the moment.

“It's a free event for people to come and experience. It's absolutely fantastic for families that want to come out and just have a lovely evening and enjoy the lights. I know a lot of people in Liverpool, including myself as well, go over to Blackpool and experience their illuminations, now, this is on another level, of course, but it brings families and people together. That's exactly what the River of Light is all about.

“We really want people to come out and experience them, and of course, it's really important for our visitor economy."

A huge success for the city

November 2021's River of Light event was hailed as the most successful to date, with around 150,000 visitors enjoying the festival.

City centre restaurants and shops saw an increase in demand, and at the time, Liverpool BID Company recorded its highest footfall rates since the start of the pandemic, with 1.5 million people visiting the retail area during the October half term 2021.

Liverpool ONE also benefitted, with 15% more diners at its restaurants than in 2019. And there was also a retail boost with a 44 per cent increase in sales.

Local artists create Light Looper

The Kazimier, a local collective, have created Light Looper, an interactive artwork, as part of the trail. Venya Krutikov from The Kazimier said: "We've been lucky to be part of River of Light every single year it's been on. It's great because it brings the whole city centre alive.

“There's a fantastic range of international artists on show this year, the scale is incredible, and I think the quality of the finish is really high. The fact it's on for two weeks is just great."

Michael Lill from The Kazimier said: "We've done a few pieces for River of Light before. We just wanted to make something that was a bit more engaging. Last year we made something that people stood and watched for a while and got absorbed, but this time we wanted to bring people together so that you would potentially start to play with someone that you didn't know. It's a way to connect."

The installations include a mix of brand-new, never-before-seen commissions and existing artworks that haven't been on display in the city before.