Spectacular first light festival transforms Wolverhampton city centre

Some travelled for miles from across the region to catch a glimpse of the first lights show of its kind to be held in the city and families called for the 'spectacular' display to be held again next year.

Mosaics and traditional images depicting the city's Anglo-Saxon heritage were also used as part of the display which saw the moving images projected onto the side of Barclay's bank on Lichfield Street and the university MA building on Wulfruna Street.

Audio of poetry and readings accompanied the projections.

St Peter's Church was also lit up for the occasion while St Peter's Garden was transformed with a series of art installations made out of flames.

Acoustic music performances were also held in the garden creating an ethereal atmosphere.

Organisers brought in the team which worked on the Queen's Diamond Jubilee to carry out the show which culminated in a firework display.

Queen's Square was also transformed with shops opening late and fairground rides used to entertain youngsters.

On the stage in Queen's Square there were Bollywood dancers, drummers and local band D'Votion took to the stage.

Over at the civic centre retro gaming was given a modern twist when games were projected onto the piazza outside the building with youngsters running around to stamp out space invaders.

The event was funded by the European Fund for the Black Country and organised to help encourage more people into the city centre.

Wolverhampton City Council's leisure boss Councillor Elias Mattu said: "It was a fantastic event.

"I attended on both nights, and it made me extremely proud.

"It proved that Wolverhampton is not all about doom and gloom, and although we are going through a difficult time, we can do something well."

"So many people came up to me yesterday, and said how much they had enjoyed it, and how we should do it again.

"Also on Twitter and Facebook there have been lots of comments from people who really enjoyed it, and thought it was a great thing for the city."

Families from across the region turned out to enjoy the show which was designed to bring more people into the city centre at night.

Mother and daughter Kate and Molly Hale from Newbridge Street, Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton were among those who went along.

Mrs Hale aged 49, said: "We have really enjoyed it.

"It is really special to see the buildings in this way, and something completely different.

"We have watched some of the performances, and have looked round all the buildings and they look really stunning.

"It's great for Wolverhampton to do something like this."

Molly, aged 16, added: "They just look beautiful, and its really interesting to watch the lights and shapes change."

Ellen Osborne took along her ten month old son Seth Osborne-Singleton and niece Niamh Farrall to watch the displays. The 33-year-old from Claverley Drive, Warstones said: "It is really clever how they have used the projections and the buildings are really beautiful.

"What I have liked is there is something for all ages.

"Niamh has really liked the space invaders projections and enjoyed listening to the music. I think they should so this every year."

Couple Jane Chandler and Warren Taylor, from Merry Hill had braved the wet conditions to come and see what was going on.

Mr Taylor, aged 46, said: "Visually they are really good, but I'm not sure what it all means and what the symbolism is behind all the projections.

"They need some way to explain what the theme is, and why they have done the projections the way they have."

Ms Chandler aged 42, added: "What I have noticed is that the city centre is very calm tonight, it's not like a normal weekend.

"I think people have brought along their families, and it has made it a nice place to be."

Yvonne Padley, aged 52, of Roundway Down, Perton went with her husband David.

The DWP employee said: "I have lived in Wolverhampton all my life, and what I have realised from this is that I have never looked up. The projections really make you appreciate the details on the buildings."

Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook were also abuzz with people who enjoyed the show – with many posting their own pictures from the display.

Hannah Boyd wrote on Facebook: "Great to see Wolves lit up and people coming together. Looking forward to next years display and seeing it all grow. Maybe some craft stalls and performance art etc."

While Cheryl Sylvia Lucy Jones sid: "Fab evening and the lights were amazing, especially the uni building one, we need more events like this. Well done to everyone involved."

Rita Sansom said: "It was really good, the fireworks were brilliant and the pictures on the buildings were ace. The church looked lovely."

Kathryn Willets said she braved the weather to see the show, and said: "Got drenched, but glad I made the effort.

"Definitely something to build on, but we all have to start somewhere.

"I hope that the council give us Wulfrunians the opportunity to give constructive feedback – as for the weather, I've seen worse."

Suzanna Walters added: "My kids enjoyed it and for a first time it's definitely a good idea and I can see it being a fantastic event after a few tweaks."

Lisa Kingsley said: "I enjoyed the event although I do agree perhaps a little longer projections before they repeated or maybe another building too.

"I love that Wolverhampton have staged an event like this and i look forward to more."

She added: "Well done to all involved."

Nicole Williams added on Twitter: "Wolverhampton's Enchanted City thing was so pretty. Really cool to see everything lit up."

Almost 7,000 people turned out to watch the displays which took place over the weekend.

Bosses have already said that they hope to run it again in the future such was the reaction of the crowd.

The event was funded by the European Fund for the Black Country and organised to help encourage more people into the city centre.

Organisers said they were delighted to see so many families turn out in the city centre which is normally full of younger people heading out to enjoy the city's bars and clubs when night descends.

They also said they were pleased that the showcase avoided the bad weather which has blighted the country last night and the early hours of the morning.

The display was created by the artist Ross Ashton of Projection Studio.

The technology behind the light display was previously used during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, producing a colourful display on Buckingham Palace.

A huge Union Flag adorned the palace while half a million people packed into The Mall for a special Jubilee show.

It also proved popular during the Olympic Games when it was used to light the Houses of Parliament, as commissioned by the Major of London Boris Johnson.

Images of Olympic legends were projected onto Parliament, including Usain Bolt and Sir Chris Hoy.

The event had been organised as a pilot to see what people thought about it.

Holly Francis, who coordinated the volunteers, students and performers for the event, said: "We were really pleased with how everything went.

"From looking at all the comments on social media and on our website, it seems that people really did enjoy it and they've left lots of positive comments.

"It was a pilot event to see how well it would go down in the city.

"Because it went so well, we are looking to make this into an even bigger and better event in the future.

"It was so nice to see people smiling and there were lots of little children running around and enjoying themselves."

Schools and other organisations from across the city took part in the event.

A total of 10 groups performed over the two night light spectacular.

Last night's festivities were brought to an explosive finale with a large fireworks display set off from the top of Mander House in the city centre.

Among those entertaining the crowd was pupils from Coppice Performing Arts School. They performed in the Civic Square.

Staff from the Grand Theatre also helped create the city's first ever mass community Timewarp, to celebrate the arrival of the iconic Rocky Horror Picture Show at the venue from today.

The crowds were taught the steps to the well-known dance routine before performing it on mass just prior to the fireworks display.

To help encourage the community atmosphere a team of light marshals were drafted in to help guide people around the city centre.

The dozen-strong squad of pupils from Colton Hills Community School and students from the City of Wolverhampton College were decked out in bright purple hooded tops.

Miss Francis, schools and performance coordinator for In To The Light – Enchanted City, described the event as 'hugely postive for the city and added: ""Everyone looked happy to be out in Wolverhampton city centre and it was nice to see families enjoying themselves."

Artistic director Robin Morley from Magnetic Events who put together the event along with the Civic Centre outdoor event team said: "We think the turnout was fantastic, considering the challenging weather conditions.

"In fact the weather was kind to us, compared to the rest of the country.

"We were so pleased to see so many families in the city centre enjoying the show, and that was really our main aim. The city centre is known for its bar culture later on in the evening and we wanted to create something completely different, a friendly festival atmosphere, and we achieved this."

He added: "This was a pilot event and the aim is to do it again. What we need is people to get on the social media sites and tell us what they thought.

"We organise this event in just a few weeks so imagine what we can do when we have much longer to plan."

Ian Bustin from Wolverhampton City Council marketing added: "We think it went really well. Our aim was to create a festival atmosphere in the city centre, and show people what Wolverhampton has to offer, and I think we did that.

"We demonstrated that Wolverhampton can have a family friendly atmosphere, and do something that the whole family can enjoy."

He added: "We plan to hold events like this three or four times a year, but of course it all depends on the funding.

"We have had some feedback and we will look at what people have said, and build on the event."

Did you go to Wolverhampton's light festival? Share your thoughts on the inaugural event in the comments below: