Winterlight 2016

On the 11th December Winterlight returns to Sowerby Bridge for its 5th year, promising to be bigger and better than ever!

The event will start at dusk with a parade over County Bridge and down to the festival site on Hollins Mill Lane. This parade will be led by the huge puppets of The Mortal Orchestra and will kick up a flurry of feathers with a gathering of geese. Children from local schools will proudly wield their Winterlight lanterns amongst much drama, fire and theatre.

At the festival site, there will be fantastic music from such luminous musicians as Hope & Social, Fire Beneath the Sea and Mr Wilson’s Second Liners. Headlining will be Hope & Social, a six-piece rock band based in Leeds (according to Q magazine: “a big sound from this impressive outfit…inspired, anthemic, great.”) Welcomed back are Fire Beneath the Sea, an 11 piece Liverpool band leaping between genres such as Hip Hop/Funk/Jazz/Ska/DnB/Afro Beat and much more. Mr Wilson’s Second Liners need no introduction to many of you, a fabulous street band welcomed back for a second year.

The Fire & Water buildings on Hollins Mill Lane will again play host to much of the event, with a stage being assembled in The Old Fire Station and various exhibitions, light sculptures and projections being wound through other areas. Internationally-acclaimed projectionist Andy McKeown returns for a second year, this time to transfer the many heads of Sowerby Bridge onto the buildings along with other images and film. These are head-and-shoulder shots of the many characters in Sowerby Bridge. Be sure to submit your selfie or portrait as soon as possible, by uploading to Instagram and tagging it #winterheads2016 in order to be included.
Street theatre from Artizani, Curious Cargo and the ever-popular Granny Turismo will entertain the crowds amongst good food, mulled wine and wintery merriment. As always, the public are invited to come in illuminated costumes. This year, it would be great to see some exceptional efforts as it really does add to the flavour of the carnival when the crowd join in. Parents accompanying children on the parade and the children themselves are especially invited to dress up and to make the parade eye-catching and interesting. The Finale will be a phenomenal firework display by the wonderful local pyrotechnics firm Skyblazers.

Behind the scenes, Winterlight have been working with various primary and secondary schools, colleges, and community groups and have been able to do all this inspiring work through funding from the Big Lottery “Celebration” Fund. The event is also going ahead with assistance from The Arts Council of England, Calderdale Council and Sowerby Bridge Ward Forum Fund.

Winterlight is the events arm of Fire & Water Ltd. If you are not yet familiar with this project, please keep an eye out for information on the night and get involved. Check out our Facebook page and Twitter for further information and turn out to support this fabulous local event!