SPECTRA 2020 opens in a blaze of light

14 February 2020

Fantastic images and a stunning new video show some of the highlights of SPECTRA, Scotland’s Festival of Light, which got underway last night (Thursday 13 February). 

Running until this Sunday (16 February) Scotland’s premier light festival creates new ways of exploring the granite city and illuminate more city-centre sites than ever before.

Commissioned by Aberdeen City Council and produced by Curated Place, Spectra is free, family friendly and interactive and encourages audiences to get out and experience the city looking its best using interactive light sculptures, architectural projections, film, dance, storytelling and more.

Taking its inspiration from Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters, Spectra 2020 explores Aberdeen’s position as the connecting point to other cultures on Scotland’s North East coast and will this year include nine new collaborators; Designs In Air, Kate Charter, Heinrich and Palmer, Steve Symons, Dodda Maggy, Cameron Gleave and Dr Monica Germana, Chris Paul Daniels, Grey’s Mobile Art School and Amy Gear.

Councillor Marie Boulton, Aberdeen City Council's culture spokeswoman said: "Aberdeen City Council is delighted to have commissioned another fantastic edition of Scotland’s Festival of Light, Spectra. This signature event which is a key part of Aberdeen’s Event 365 strategy, brightens up the city centre and brings huge crowds to experience family friendly installations, projections and interactive artworks every year"

And for visitors who want to combine the Festival of Light with other magnificent artworks, the great news is that Aberdeen Art Gallery will be open specially from 6.30pm to 10pm (last entry 9.30pm) both tonight and on Saturday. 

The last SPECTRA event in 2018 saw 92,000 visitors across the festival sites and was worth £3.8 million in wellbeing impacts across the city.  

Further information on Spectra is available at www.spectrafestival.co.uk