Gainsborough shines bright as spectacular Illuminate event lights up the community

Hosted by West Lindsey District Council, the event captivated audiences with dazzling light displays.

Beautifully hand-crafted lanterns made by children and community groups during the run up to the event were on show in the parade as participants showed off their handiwork.

G-town Dance Crew performers dressed up as dragons, wolves, and other winged creatures in costumes they made themselves, led by talented artist Ruth Pigott from Curiosity Creators.

They danced in the procession to the rhythmic tunes of Fire Funk samba band, led by Chris Lewis Jones, along with a magnificent stilt walker.

Carol Booth, who took her children to join in with the parade, said: “I think it’s great that the town puts things like this on for the kids and the adults.”

Jo Brown, who attended the event with her seven-year-old son Jake, said: “Illuminate is always a good event for the town, and people seemed to have really made an effort with the lanterns this year.

“My son attended a lantern workshop run by 6th Gainsborough Sea Scouts and was proud to show off his creation in the lantern parade.

“We also really enjoyed the fire garden with the lights, music and watching the performers.”

This year the theme was ‘Postcards from Gainsborough’ and thanks to artists from Curiosity Creators, Electric Egg, and Lumo Workshop and choreographer Beth Williams and lead dancer Asher Williams, there was a huge community involvement in the popular event.

More than 20 workshops took place at schools and with community groups across Gainsborough, as well as public workshops at Connexions, X-Church, GAPA, Gainsborough Library and Gainsborough Old Hall.

The evening’s highlight was a wonderful display of local school children’s amazing artworks of postcards created from cyanotypes – an old photography technique.

Artists from Electric Egg ran workshops in schools to create postcards portraying children’s letters about Gainsborough and an exhibition of their work and how it was made was beautifully presented within the Old Hall.

Children were invited to collect their piece of art and audiences were able to see their efforts projected inside the Great Hall.

Stella had previously taken part in a postcard workshop at her school.

Her family said: “It was really good – really different, nice atmosphere. We’ve been into the Old Hall too, as children from Stella’s Primary School have done some of the artwork.”

Coun Stephen Bunney, chair of West Lindsey District Council, expressed wondrous appreciation for the community’s participation and enthusiasm for another Illuminate success.

He said: “I have felt immensely proud to be part of an event that has been loved and celebrated throughout the years by our community.

“Seeing the magnificent children’s creations and the enjoyment throughout the night showed a true reflection of our community’s togetherness.”

After the parade, the community were directed into the Fyr Garden where a breathtaking display of fire, live music and amazing performances from fire artists featured within the grounds of All Saints’ Parish Church.

Cheers and smiles could be heard all around as the fire artists wowed crowds, whilst timely dancing accompanied the musical soundscapes throughout the night.

Matt Lill said the event didn’t disappoint. He said: “It was yet again another great event that I’ve been to every year it’s been run.

“There’s something for all the family, me, my wife and two-year-old daughter really enjoy the fire garden, and the performers always put on an amazing show.”

Dr Anna Scott, West Lindsey District Council’s event lead, was pleased to see so many people enjoying the event.

She said “Each year we try to deliver a high-quality event with something new alongside plenty of opportunities for everyone to take part. Projecting inside the Old Hall was a new approach this year, and helped make the event special – telling a story about the place that came directly from our youngest residents.”

Visitors were also invited into All Saints’ Parish Church, to view even more amazing lanterns that had been paraded in previous years, while listening to the spectacular echoing music played by the talented organist.

Dr Scott thanked Gainsborough Old Hall and All Saints’ Parish Church for opening their doors for free during the event, and for engaging in the wondrous community spirit.

Cara Markham, West Lindsey District Council’s event manager, was also pleased with the event, and thanked everyone for their participation.

She said: “We are very pleased with the lovely feedback from the residents and visitors.

“I’d like to thank all the staff, volunteers and partners that have supported the delivery of Illuminate 2025, another successful cultural event and 21 community and school workshops delivered in West Lindsey.”