Kent’s very own Cheriton Light Festival will see Cheriton High Street closed to traffic and the town filled with light based artworks by international artists for a weekend of extraordinary spectacle.  Kent based arts company Strange Cargo is responsible for delivering the event, their third Cheriton Light Festival, that from 6-9pm on 27th and 28th February will see visitors wrapped up warm as they come together to enjoy this fabulous, free winter arts event.

The biennial festival’s popularity has grown rapidly since 2013 and now attracts thousands of visitors from near and far, all coming to town experience the extraordinary line up of artists whose light based artworks transform the landscape of this residential seaside town.

For 2016 the theme of the festival is Open Spaces and Hidden Places and many of the participating artists have responded in their artworks to the networks that make up Cheriton’s landscape.  Fresh from London’s Lumiere festival are artists Porté Par le Vent from France whose aerial displays are breathtaking. Espalier is the beautiful new sculpture from Jyll Bradley – her response to Cheriton’s lost fruit orchards. The sculpture will be positioned facing the railway line on Strange Cargo’s factory, enticing visitors with a glimpse of the extraordinary artworks at the festival. Espallier is a companion to the poignant sculpture Green Light created for the 2014 Folkestone Triennial.  Artist David Ward is exhibiting a new sound and projection work Light on the Feet – (footfalls for Samuel Beckett) at Strange Cargo’s Gallery, ahead of curating this summer’s Turner Contemporary exhibition, Seeing Round Corners.  Strange Cargo is very excited by the return of Ross Ashton to All Souls Church, whose captivating recent Durham Cathedral projection was seen by thousands – together with Karen Monid their mapped projection and soundscape Spiritus for All Souls will mesmerise visitors.

There are also many other artists creating an eye-watering array of artworks to seek out in the network of residential streets.  The now famous light windows trail encourages exploration of Cheriton’s network of roads, where a walk with your festival map will reveal a beautiful series of lit artworks by artists Zo Defferary and Sam Giles, made in collaboration with dozens of local residents and resulting in a trail of 50 illuminated houses windows to find and enjoy.

Visitors are asked to walk to the event, or to use public transport, as there is very limited parking in Cheriton and the High Street will be closed to traffic from 4pm. Stagecoach will be running buses to the event and there is a regular train service into Folkestone West station, which is only a short stroll from the event.

Visit www.strangecargo.org.uk for further news and updates.

With huge thanks to sponsors: Arts Council England, Shepway District Council, Folkestone Town Council, Joyce Carr Doughty Charitable Trust, Tory Family Foundation, Rotary Club of Folkestone Channel, Church and Dwight Ltd., Councillors Peter Gane, John Collier, Ann Berry, Damon Robinson, Patricia West and Roger West and event travel partners Stagecoach East Kent.