Get ready, set, glow for Carlisle's Night of Lights

Carlisle is set to shine during a magical free Lakes Alive event including a torchlight procession designed to celebrate the once in a lifetime illumination of Hadrian’s Wall on Saturday 13 March 2010.

Hundreds of people are being invited to arm themselves with flaming torches and march through the streets of the Border City for the Welcoming the Light event.

Street entertainers and musicians will accompany the fiery parade which will culminate at Bitts Park with an exciting finale.

Welcoming the Light is being held as part of Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall - one of the most spectacular events planned in the UK this year. Led by Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd it will see a total of 500 points of light stretch from one side of Britain to the other.

It’s the first time that the full length of Hadrian’s Wall from Wallsend in the North East to Bowness-on-Solway in the North West has been illuminated in more than 1,600 years.

Julie Tait, director of Kendal Arts International which is organising the event in Carlisle, as a prelude to the full 2010 Lakes Alive season says: “Carlisle will greet the line of light as it reaches the city with a huge celebration of lights and entertainment. It’s going to be a momentous occasion and we really want as many people as possible to take part by joining the procession and helping to light up this historic city.”

Music and street performers will launch the event at 5.30pm in the square outside Carlisle’s Tourist Information Centre (TIC) on English Street.  The torchlight procession will then wind through the city streets before reaching Bitts Park.

The parade will be led by the incredible heliosphere balloon that will float through the night sky with a performer suspended beneath it performing aerial acrobatics. As the balloon spirals and spins in the night sky it will create an amazing effect.

Stirring brass music will be provided by street band collective Tongues of Fire. Drawing on the sounds of village, street, circus and gypsy bands, Tongues of Fire create wildly energetic music with their riotous mix of reed, brass and percussion instruments.

Pandeamonium will perform as part of the procession with musical machines, magic lanterns and fiery wheels along with Cumbrian carnival band The Barracudas.

The theme of the parade is ‘Glow’ so visitors are being encouraged to dress up in light fantastic outfits.  A free drop-in workshop run by costume students from University of Cumbria will be held on the day of the event from 10am-4pm at Greystone Community Centre for those needing assistance or inspiration for their costumes.

The Welcoming of Light event will culminate when the line of light running along Hadrian’s Wall reaches Carlisle, followed by an exciting fireworks finale.

Welcoming the Light is being organised by Lakes Alive, in association with Carlisle Renaissance and Carlisle Tourism Partnership.

Marie Whitehead, Director of Carlisle Tourism Partnership, said: "We are creating a city-centre event that everyone can take part in, which will help build momentum towards the light finally arriving in Carlisle as part of the Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall spectacle. With the support of Lakes Alive, we'll be laying on a range of additional entertainment like music, dance, performance, food and fireworks to give people another reason to experience this once-in-a-lifetime occasion, as well as them taking part by carrying a torch as part of the procession. 

“It is also about demonstrating the great events programme Carlisle has coming up throughout 2010, because this event will be the first of many. We believe it will benefit residents, business, tourism and the profile of the city as place to visit and enjoy."

Lakes Alive, one of three annual programmes commissioned for WE PLAY, the Northwest cultural legacy programme for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.  WE PLAY is funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games. The project is led by the Arts Council England Northwest on behalf of a new regional partnership.  Lakes Alive is sponsored by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and has also received funding from Arts Council England and the Northern Rock Foundation. 

Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall is an ambitious project led by Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd which forms part of the world-class programme of festivals and events developed by culture¹⁰ in the North East of England and the Lakes Alive programme in Cumbria presented by Kendal Arts International and Manchester International Arts.  Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall is also a flagship event of British Tourism Week 2010.

The first of the lights will be illuminated at Segedunum Roman Fort at Wallsend in the North East of England where there will also be a major free event.  Each of the other lights will then be lit in sequence with the help of 500 volunteer Illuminators, with the line of light reaching Bowness-on-Solway on the Cumbrian coast about an hour later. 

A very limited number of tickets will also be made available for the stewarded viewing points along the route and must be pre-booked via http://www.illuminatinghadrianswall.com/. Please note these countryside viewing points will offer limited opportunities in comparison to the two main events.

Linda Tuttiett from Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd says: “Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall will be one of the most spectacular events in Britain this year.  Thousands of people will be able to see the line of light and enjoy the two big events at Carlisle and Segedunum. We will also be giving 500 people the chance to take part in creating the line of light as volunteer Illuminators and there will be a limited number of places at viewing points along the central section of the Wall.”

For more information on Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall please visit: http://www.illuminatinghadrianswall.com/.  You can receive updates about the event by becoming a fan of Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall on Facebook or by following @EmperorHadrian on Twitter.

For more information on Lakes Alive visit: http://www.lakesalive.org/