The London Borough of Bexley has revealed the full line-up for its Night Visions cultural festival that will see a series of events take place across the borough from October to January.

The Council, in conjunction with Bexley Cultural Network, recently announced that it has secured £100,000 of investment from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants to deliver a light-themed evening arts festival.  The programme for Night Visions has now been revealed with nine different projects making up the festival and a wide range of events and activities for audiences of all ages, some of which are already bookable.

The projects that make up Night Visions are:

• The Goblin of Lesnes – dare to go to Lesnes Abbey Ruins this Halloween? Join us for the unforgettable, haunting and magical story of The Goblin of Lesnes - a brand new family theatre show produced by Ruined Theatre. Tickets for performances at Lesnes Abbey are on sale now.
• Alice and The Queen’s Beasts – a huge immersive walkthrough lantern experience at Hall Place and Gardens by arts company Same Sky, offering local residents and visitors an incredible seasonal light trail that is sure to impress. The event takes place from 13 to 16 November and tickets are on sale now.
• Bringing Light to Mental Health – artists from the mental health arts project Centrepieces are holding an exhibition to explore the theme of light as it relates to mental health.  Taking inspiration from these artworks, a series of public workshops will take place, offering the chance for local people to make their own artworks.  The exhibition starts on World Mental Health Day on 10 October at the Stables Gallery at Hall Place and Gardens. Pebble glass lamp-making workshops for adults are planned for later in October, offering the chance to make and take home a lamp with a relaxing and magical glow.
• Beuys’ Acorns – the acclaimed national art project will be brought to Thamesmead by artists Ackroyd & Harvey and Peabody, with opportunities for the local community to participate in creative activities to prepare for the planting of a circle of special oak trees and an evening event to ceremonially plant the final tree to complete the circle.
• Leaves Fall to Bright Sounds – a community craft and music programme that will transform The Exchange in Erith into a candlelit autumnal haven, through collective workshops and a series of uplifting concerts held as the skies darken toward the end of the year. A highlight will be a baroque Christmas concert, performed by the Carnegie Ensemble on 7 December.
• 60 Years: Play Perseveres – a newly produced digital artwork by local artist Comfort Adeneye, in partnership with Bexley Archives, that will be shown as a large-scale outdoor projection at Danson House’s Christmas Market in December. Commemorating Bexley’s 60th anniversary with a celebration of light, focusing on the spirit of freedom found in play. Using historic photos, the artwork will show how spaces change over time while joy always remains. 60 Years: Play Perseveres honours the outdoor culture of play that transcends generations.
• Birdsong – Night Visions Shows and Birdsong – Bird College students present ‘Night Visions’, a dazzling showcase of musical theatre talent celebrating creativity, passion, and the discipline of emerging artists, and Birdsong, an inspiring choral group showcasing the talents of its students out in the Bexley community. The Night Visions shows will take place at Bird College’s own theatre from 5 to 7 December, with booking details to be announced soon.  Birdsong will be appearing around Bexley, with more details coming soon.
• The Firewatchers – Three Rivers, Bexley’s Creative People and Places project, is working with artist Tom James to explore the historic traditions of bonfire-building and fire-watching in Bexley.
• Night of the Basilosaurus Lantern Parade – Bow Arts and artist Miyuki Kasahara will be working with local people to create Eocene epoch Sea animal lanterns, including the enormous Basilosaurus, a giant whale that lived here in prehistoric times. A parade of lanterns will then make Bexley's night sky into a glowing Eocene epoch sea! The event will take place in Bexleyheath and will light up a dark evening in January.

Councillor Cafér Munur, Cabinet Member for Place Shaping, said:

Night Visions is a festival unlike any other as the events of offer have been crafted by our local artists and culture partners, meaning residents and visitors will get to see the best of Bexley in a new light as they experience vibrant evening events all over the borough this autumn and winter."

As well as the programme, the festival logo has also been revealed with a striking ‘cats eye’ image by artist and designer Cindy Tong.

Night Visions is part of #CelebratingBexley – a yearlong programme that celebrates arts and culture in Bexley, marking a number of significant anniversaries including the Council’s 60th anniversary, 100 years of Danson Park, 160 years of Crossness Engines and 500 years since Lesnes Abbey was closed.

Find out more about Night Visions and the events

More information about all of the Night Visions events is set to be released over the coming weeks, including details of additional workshops and performances.  To keep up to date follow #nightvisions on social media.