The free-to-attend light display will be available to visit from the 21st January until the 1st February.
Canary Wharf has unveiled the 12 new artworks coming to its highly anticipated Winter Lights festival later this month, which will be joining its permanent pieces.
The collection will include two brand new commissions created exclusively for the festival, and four artworks never before seen in the UK.
This ninth edition of the festival will explore the transformative and otherworldly qualities of art and light. Combining the real with the surreal, the line-up will take visitors from a towering stack of bathtubs pulsing with light and sound, to a mesmerising tornado of lights orbiting a pylon. Other works include a UK-first illuminated bird in flight, and a larger-than-life portal in Wood Wharf.
The first of the festival’s two new commissions is Mirage. It is an immersive artwork that acts as a metaphor for consumers’ relationship with the fabricated mirage of social media. During daylight Mirage reflects and refracts the sunlight as it moves across the sky, while at night the pre-choreographed light show illuminates the artwork in an ethereal and mirage-like way.
Meanwhile, Stitching Light, the second commissioned piece, is a sound and light installation that amplifies the lives and histories of Bangladeshi women living in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets – using traditional Bangladeshi folk style painting and embroidered light thread to tell real life stories.
During the festival, visitors can visit a variety of delicious food and drink offerings across Canary Wharf. These places include: . Mmy Wood Wharf which will be hosting a neighbourhood food market in Harbour Quay Gardens, featuring six of their best street food brands. Joe Blake’s will be setting up a charming chalet serving freshly made doughnuts and hot chocolate. Dishoom will be hosting a free Chai pop-up in Wood Wharf, and if visitors fancy something a bit stronger, No35 Mackenzie Walk will be opening its terrace and serving an exclusive light-up cocktail. Other tasty offerings include hot drinks and takeaway pasta from an Emilia’s Crafted Pasta pop-up bar, and mulled wine at The Henry Addington and Humble Grape.
Art enthusiasts visiting the installations can download the Winter Lights map via the Canary Wharf website or their free app, or pick one up from the event stewards on arrival to help them navigate the exhibition.
For more information visit: https://canarywharf.com/whats-on/winter-lights-2025/