Tag: Carl Alsop

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Colour & Light 2026 turns spotlight on York’s rogues & rebels at York Castle Museum and Clifford’s Tower until Sunday

Who was Mary Bateman? Find out at Colour & Light 2026 at York Castle Museum and Clifford’s Tower

THOUSANDS of visitors have already enjoyed Colour & Light 2026 as the dual-façade projection show continues to light up York Castle Museum and Clifford’s Tower.

Now into its final week, the family-friendly free event has turned the Eye of York into a gathering point each evening, when audiences can watch a fully choreographed ten-minute projection on rotation.

Delivered by York BID in partnership with Edinburgh installation designers Double Take Projections, as well as York Museums Trust and English Heritage, this winter’s show brings York’s rogues and rebels, scoundrels and legends to life in a projected experience that draws on the city’s rich and sometimes surprising history.

Despite the incessant rain, an estimated 24,000 people watched Colour & Light 2026 in its first week when, at its peak, more than 1,200 people gathered to watch a single showing on the first Saturday evening, as York & Light seeks to surpass the 100,000 viewing figures for last year’s 18 shows per night across 20 nights.

Backed by £46,914 funding from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Colour & Light has drawn large and varied crowds into the city centre during February’s coldest and darkest weeks, supporting York’s evening economy at a quieter time of year.

Carl Alsop, operations manager at York BID, says: “Seeing over 1,200 people gathered together for one show on that first Saturday really highlighted what Colour & Light has become:  a moment people experience together in the city centre.

“Despite the very wet weather we’re experiencing at the moment, the atmosphere has been strong each night, with people meeting up, bringing family and enjoying York after dark. There’s still time to see it, and we hope many more people will take the opportunity.”

Siona Mackelworth, Head of Audience and Programme at York Museums Trust, says: “York Castle Museum is pleased to be supporting York BID on Colour & Light for 2026. York Museums Trust last participated in 2024, when the projections of our incredible collections lit up the front of York Art Gallery.

“The 2026 show brings something different as it explores some of York’s potentially lesser-known history and, for the first time, will be projected across multiple buildings. Working in conjunction with York BID and English Heritage at Clifford’s Tower has been an exciting venture in bringing two iconic York locations together.”

David Skaith, Mayor of York & North Yorkshire, says: “High streets are constantly changing, but they have, and always will be, hubs for our communities. That’s why I’m backing community-led projects across York and North Yorkshire.

“Like Colour & Light in York, which brings people into the city centre with a light show projected onto some of York’s best-known buildings. It’s a simple but creative way to attract visitors and give everyone something special to enjoy.

“Residents and businesses understand most what is needed in their communities, and I am proud to be backing their plans with my £10m Vibrant and Sustainable High Street Fund.”

Among those rebellious and legendary figures featured in Colour & Light 2026 are Dick Turpin and Guy (or “Guido”) Fawkes, Mary Bateman, Swift Nick, Eric Bloodaxe, Moonlight Maggie, the Filey Brigg Dragon, the Roman Soldiers at Treasurer’s House and the Barghest, a legendary monstrous black dog that haunts the snickelways and streets of York.

“We’re so lucky to be from a city that is so rich in heritage,” says Carl. “Everyone loves a villain: someone with an edge and whose backstory is as intriguing as it is alarming.

“They’ve got questionable morals and they’ve got complexities, complexities that keep appearing in fictional characters. This is what draws us in and is what we have in abundance in this city.”

The continuous, looped Colour & Light show runs every evening until Sunday (22/2/2026), with projections starting at 6pm and running every ten minutes until 9pm. Admission is free; no tickets are required; the best viewing point is the Eye of York.

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York walk of the week: Ghosts: The Untold History, with The Wild Man of the Woods, St Anthony’s Gardens, until November 9

The Wild Man of the Woods telling a wartime ghost story by the soldier’s sculpture at St Anthony’s Gardens on November 5

GHOSTS: The Untold History has opened for an already sold-out run – or, rather, walk – at St Anthony’s Gardens, Peaseholme Green, York. There’s not a ghost of a chance of a ticket, alas.

Set among the atmospheric Ghosts In Gardens sculptures, bathed in ghostly light, this new 40-minute nocturnal storytelling experience uncovers York’s hidden histories and haunted past.

The candle-lit walk weaves together York’s spectral figures with previously untold stories spun by Yorkshire storyteller The Wild Man of the Woods (alias Dave Vale).

Guests wander through York’s snickelways and shadows, discovering tales that blend 2,000 years of myth, folklore and the city’s rich, chilling history, from ancient gods, through Jorvik times to the Second World War, with matters of sex and death often to the fore.

Ghosts: The Untold History storyteller The Wild Man of the Woods

Carl Alsop, York BID (Business Improvement District) operations manager, selected St Anthony’s Garden, on the back of the success of last November’s inaugural Ghosts After Dark showcased York’s tapestry of historical figures with light, sound and storytellers for four nights in York Museum Gardens.

Mad Alice, of the Bloody Tour of York, Lady Brigante, of the Polite Tourist, Dr Dorian Deathly, of the Deathly Dark Tours and York Dungeon’s Dick Turpin and Guy Fawkes, along with The Wild Man of the Woods, all told tales.

Ghosts After Dark and now Ghosts: The Untold Story forms the companion piece to the Ghosts In The Garden sculpture trail, which began five years ago with ten ghosts installations in York Museum Gardens and has since expanded to feature 58 3D wire mesh sculptures, all created by York company Unconventional Designs.

The translucent figures, including ten new additions for 2025, were on show from September 19 to November 2 in a trail through York’s  public gardens, ruins, hidden corners and green spaces with free entry.

York BID presents Ghosts: The Untold History at St Anthony’s Gardens, Peaseholme Green, York, until November 9, from 6.30pm night. SOLD OUT. For more information, go to: theyorkbid.com/ghosts-untold-history/.

Red sky at night: two of Unconventional Designs’ Ghosts In The Gardens wire-mesh sculptures in St Anthony’s Gardens

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York Minster to be illuminated with wildlife 3D projection in Colour & Light 2025 free event from February 12 to March 2

Colour & Light: York BID free event returns to York Minster from February 12

YORK Minster’s South Transept is to be illuminated with York wildlife down the centuries for the return Colour & Light from February 12 to March 2.

Building on the impact of the 3D projection mapping illuminations at York Minster in 2023 and York Art Gallery in 2024 that drew tens of thousands of spectators from York and beyond,  this year’s large-scale visual arts project will highlight the city’s heritage and creativity once more in celebration of  the city’s UNESCO Media Arts status.

This free event promises a “mesmerising projection” of famous and lesser-known stories of York’s animal world, from the peregrine falcons that call the Minster home and the foxes that roam the city after dark, to the horses on which the Romans rode into Eboracum and the legendary dragons carved into York’s history.

Carl Alsop, operations manager at York BID, says: “Colour & Light is fast becoming a highlight of York’s cultural calendar. The event started at York Minster in 2023, so we’re proud to partner with them again for our 2025 event.

“We’re particularly excited as this year’s projections showcase the diversity of wildlife and unique animal stories that makes York so special. By encouraging families and visitors to explore the city centre during these quieter months, we’re not only creating magical experiences but also supporting local businesses and reinforcing York’s vibrant evening economy.”

Colour & Light 2024 on the frontage of York Art Gallery

Lisa Power, York Minster’s head of events and participation, says: “We are thrilled to welcome Colour & Light back to York Minster this February. The inaugural display in 2023 saw the city welcome tens of thousands of people during what is often the coldest, darkest and quietest time of the year.

“This year’s projections will bring York Minster’s heritage to life, this time through a spectacular display of flora and fauna illuminating the cathedral’s South Transept. We hope that this beautiful display will once again remind everyone that York is open all year round!”

Colour & Light will run nightly from 6pm to 9pm with projections on a ten-minute loop. The final hour each evening will feature a designated quiet hour with reduced noise and crowd levels, ensuring everyone can enjoy the event. No tickets are required.

Colour & Light 2025 is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, highlighting the importance of investing in cultural initiatives to support local economies and enhance community well-being.

 Visitors are invited to explore York’s shops, restaurants and cafés as part of their evening. Join the conversation on social media via #ColourAndLight2025.

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Ghosts After Dark bring supernatural glow to York Museum Gardens for four nights

Ghosts After Dark: Lighting up York Museum Gardens for four nights

EXPERIENCE Ghosts in the Garden like never before! So reads the York BID and York Museums Trust invitation to the first ever Ghosts After Dark at York Museum Gardens,

Showcasing York’s rich tapestry of historical figures with light, sound and storytellers for four nights only, this exclusive event runs from today (7/11/2024) to Sunday from 6.30pm to 9.30pm nightly with last entry at 8.30pm.

Tickets are selling out fast, so prompt booking is advised. Once booked, ticket holders will receive an information pack with a map to help them to plan their night. 

Ghost garden visitors can choose their own path to explore the ghostly sculptures, hidden around the gardens, each lit dynamically against an atmospheric background of smoke and sound. 

Ghosts After Dark will feature an exclusive new ghost sculpture, a medieval pig, “celebrating the city’s history that can still be felt today”. The sculpture is an homage to Finkle Street, once known colloquially as Mucky Pig Lane, on account of being used as a through passage to move pigs to the Thursday Market, held in St Sampson’s Square, and the Swinegate Markets. 

Mad Alice: Telling gruesome tales by the St Mary’s Abbey ruins in York Museum Gardens

York storytellers and ghost walkers will share a mix of much-loved classics and previously unheard stories every 15 minutes. For lovers of all things gruesome, Mad Alice, of the Bloody Tour of York, will share the grisly truth about the Archbishop, Executioner, Bear and Stone Mason at the Ruins.

Lady Brigante, of the Polite Tourist, will uncover the criminal past of the hidden stories of the Victorian Lady and Gentleman, Artist and Merchant at the Hideaway. The Wild Man of the Woods will explore the lore around the Cat, Fox, Pig and Falcon in the Woodland Clearing.

The York Dungeon’s Dick Turpin will recount how he met his infamous end at Palmer’s Corner while the Dungeon’s Guy Fawkes will share his ill-fated past at the Plot.

For those brave enough, Dr Dorian Deathly, of the Deathly Dark Tours, will lead visitors on a lantern-lit tour of St Olave’s Church, sharing a story made exclusively for Ghosts After Dark. “You will have to wear Bluetooth headphones for this one, with atmospheric music as he walks you through the churchyard with his spooky stories of monks and nuns,” says Carl.

Ghosts After Dark is the new companion piece to Ghosts In The Garden, which began four years ago with ten ghosts installations in York Museum Gardens. “It started  as a spooky offering for Halloween but we quickly decided it wasn’t really about that,” says York BID operations manager Carl Alsop. “Year two and three we spread our wings and now it gets more exciting and challenging each year, with 45 sculptures this year.

“Like acknowledging Yorkshire’s oldest working observatory being in the Museum Gardens. We thought, ’let’s put a Georgian astrologer in there’. Or the Bear, because there was a menagerie here in the late 1800s that used to escape and chase the gardener around. Or the Mill, which now stands outside the Castle Museum, that used to be a working mill on the Moors.

Dr Dorian Deathly: Leading visitors on a lantern-lit tour of St Olave’s Church

“There’s a ‘long duck’ too because we do have ducks in the Museum Gardens but people can interpret it as attribute to a certain Long Boi at the University of York.”

The wire mesh sculptures are created by York company Unconventional Designs. “We have used them since the start,” says Carl. “We give them a character and an idea about the character and they come back with the design.

“The low aperture wire mesh is the gift that keeps on giving after I had this crazy idea! People might say why would you use chicken wire but the way you look at each sculpture changes depending on the time of day. Some of them appear, some of them disappear, in the changing light, because of the way they are set up!”

The York Bid and York Museums Trust has been keen to “keep growing this event, not just increasing the number of sculptures and locations, from the rail signaller at the railway station to a female stonemason at Holy Trinity Church, a taylor at Merchant Taylors Hall to a beekeeper in St Olave’s Grove,” says Carl.

“Now we’ve added this ticketed event, Ghosts After Dark, for the first time as we want to bring business into the city in what can be a quieter time of the year, coming to the city not only for the ghost sculptures but also to enjoy York’s evening economy. The ghosts will be lit up with different colours after we did a dress rehearsal to trial colours with fog and background music.”

Ghosts After Dark, York Museum Gardens, Museum Street, York, tonight to Sunday. Box office: yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk. Tickets cost  £7.50 for adults and just £1 for under-16s.