Just when you thought there wasn’t a corner of the city left to illuminate, along comes Rialto Aglow – a brand new winter lights festival featuring large-scale installations, public artworks, live performances and tasty bites.
Running for ten days from July 19-29, the event will completely transform the Rialto Piazza (the public entertainment and retail precinct at the base of the Rialto Towers) into a kaleidoscopic world of neon-lit beauty.
Highlights include two enormous works by acclaimed arts studio Amigo and Amigo: Accordion and Lunar Lamp Posts. The first is a multi-sensory installation inspired by the traditional instrument of the same name. The piece comprises six vibrant archways, each with an interactive pad that can be jumped on to create waves of colour, light and music. Lunar Lamp Posts has been designed in a circular pattern to represent the moon's cycles and features more than 40 musical sounds and interactive lighting animations.
“The Rialto Piazza has so many wonderful bars, restaurants and retailers, which have proven to be vibrant destinations for city visitors and office workers,” said Sarah Herbert, general manager of Rialto. “We are excited to celebrate how the Piazza activates at night with this inspiring and playful new winter festival, creating a sense of illumination and connection in our corner of the city.”
Alongside these dazzling public art displays, there will also be nightly live music from 6pm onwards, and festival-themed cocktails and food to ensure you don’t go hungry or thirsty. Oh, and did we mention it’s free? What’s not to love about that? For more information, head to the website.