Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2025

Canary Wharf Winter Lights Festival has returned for its ninth year. This year the trail will take you for an unreal journey through time and space.

 

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[BLOG POST IN BIO ] Canary Wharf Winter Lights Festival has returned for its ninth year. This year the trail will take you for an unreal journey through time and space 💫@Canary Wharf #canarywharf #winterlights #lightfestival #londonlife🇬🇧 #londonblogger #CapCut

♬ night vibe – skyfall beats

Canary Wharf Winter Lights

 

Canary Wharf Winter Lights

Photo: Urban Adventurer

  

Gorgeous lit-up light installations have taken over Canary Wharf to be enjoyed by everyone for free.

 

The spectacular Canary Wharf Winter Lights have returned to fill the long and dull January nights with beautiful illuminations.

 

There are 12 temporary light installations scattered around Canary Wharf waiting to be discovered, showcasing some of the most innovative light artists across the globe.

 

The festival is free to visit from 5pm – 10pm daily and you can download the trail map from the official website of Canary Wharf or get one for free from one of the friendly stewards on the spot.

 

If you can’t find an installation, don’t worry, a steward is standing on literally every corner, happy to give you assistance.

 

Here are some of the highlights:

 

Wave by Squidsoup – UK

 

Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2025 - Wave by Squidsoup – UK

Photo: Urban Adventurer

 

 This installation consists of 500 individually suspended orbs. The orbs are brought to life through light and sound, creating a spectacular audio-visual experience, a “cleansing wave of renewal”.

 

Evanescent Droplets by Atelier Sisu – Australia/Peru

 

Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2025 - Evanescent Droplets by Atelier Sisu – Australia-Peru

Photo: Urban Adventurer

 

These huge colourful bubbles are floating in the fountain at Cabot Square. The aim of this installation is to capture the ephemerality in a tangible form.

 

The word ephemeral means fleeting and vanishing quickly or lasting for a very short time. The fragility of the bubbles and their constantly changing colour encourage visitors to view the world around them from a playful, childlike perspective while be aware of its fragility.

 

Bird Passing By by Luminariste – Benjamin Nesme & Marc Sicard – France

 

Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2025 - Bird Passing By by Luminariste – Benjamin Nesme & Marc Sicard – France

Photo: Urban Adventurer

 

This massive installation encourages us to look up at the sky and discover the birds as they’re delicately floating freely with the wind. The installation is a series of illuminated sections representing the different stages of a bird’s movement while flying.

 

PORTAL by Lucid Creates – UK

 

Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2025 - PORTAL by Lucid Creates - UK

Photo: Urban Adventurer

 

‘PORTAL’ is an awe-inspiring 13-metre (42.6 ft) high archway towering above Canary Wharf. Inside of the monumental archway colour-changing LED lights move and transforms continuously to create an ethereal, otherworldly display, a gate to Heaven.

 

The colossal gate results a dreamlike vision and invites visitors to enter and experience a transcendental audio-visual show like no other.

 

Positive Spin by Liz Harry & Kazimier Productions – UK

 

Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2025 - Positive Spin by Liz Harry & Kazimier Productions – UK

Photo: Urban Adventurer

 

This installation is inside of Jubilee Place. It’s a 5.5-metre (18 ft) high machine resembling to a giant slot machine. The interactive machine invites visitors to push its buttons for a random fortune.

The machine is inspired by the love of Summers spent at beach.

 

Illusion Hole by UxU Studio – Taiwan

 

Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2025 - Illusion Hole by UxU Studio – Taiwan

Photo: Urban Adventurer

 

This giant hypnotic installation appears in the water near Canary Wharf station.

 

‘Illusion Hole’ is a precise geometric arrangement constantly swirling on the surface of the water, challenging the human perception. What is real and what is not? How can we accept something as true if we cannot be sure that what we see is the reality? These deep questions might emerge within visitors while observing the mesmerising light installation as it swirling into a black hole.

 

Permanent Installations

 

Canary Wharf Permanent Light Installation - ‘The Clew’ by Ottotto

Photo: Urban Adventurer

  

During their journey, visitors can explore seven permanent light installations too.

One of those is ‘The Clew’ by a Portuguese artist, Ottotto. ‘The Clew’ is made from 100 circles of red lights, framing the Cubitt Steps Bridge, creating a sunset effect as illuminating over the dark water.

 

Canary Wharf Permanent Light Installation - ‘Captivated by Colour’ by Camille Walala

Photo: Urban Adventurer

 

Another permanent installation is called ‘Captivated by Colour’ by Camille Walala which wraps up the entire Adams Plaza Bridge.

 

Originally created for the first London Mural Festival in 2020, ‘Captivated by Colour’ is a colourful geometric installation running through the inside of the tunnel. The tunnel is illuminated at night adding to the unique geometric shapes creating a playful distorted, otherworldly effect.

 

Practical Info

 

Canary Wharf Winter Lights Festival 2025

Photo: Urban Adventurer

 

 

Address

Canary Wharf Winter Lights Festival | All around Canary Wharf

Digital maps are available online or physical maps on the spot.

 

Winter Light installation map

Where to eat? Food and drink map

Learn more about each installation. Full installation information

 

Opening Times

21 January – 1 February 2025

Open daily: 5pm – 10pm

 

Tickets

FREE | NO booking needed. Simply show up and enjoy.

TIP: The festival tends to be very busy at the weekends. Long queues may form. Therefore, it is recommended to visit during weekdays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ready for your next adventure? Louis Vuitton x Murakami pop-up store opened in the heart of Soho. The pop-up celebrates and reinvigorates their collaboration with Japanese artist: Takashi Murakami. The pop-up contains a café where they serve Murakami-themed coffee, cakes and pasty in special collaboration cups and takeaway boxes.