BEAM | Turning on the Town

Following the success of Carabosse Fire Garden and the Fire & Light Experience in the Valley Gardens, we wanted to create a free event in the town centre that everyone could enjoy. Many cities across the world produce lighting events and we believe that you shouldn’t have to travel to a city to enjoy free outdoor events.

There is no set route, but you can explore all the different spaces on foot and all routes are wheelchair accessible. From light beams to reflection gardens and projection there are lots of photo opportunities to enjoy along the route.

It is different to a light trail in the parks, as this event is focussed on some of Harrogate’s iconic buildings and spaces using beams that will project far into the sky.

Click here to discover a map of installations.

The whole event is free to access, there are no tickets required.

6.30pm til 10pm on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 March.

Everyone, it’s totally family friendly.

All spaces are wheelchair accessible.

There are no loud bangs or noises, so perfect to explore with your four legged friends.

Harrogate International Festivals embarked on a fundraising appeal called Future 50 to support a wide range of objectives, including large scale public art events. Over 50% of the funding has come from Future 50 with additional support from Harrogate BID and North Yorkshire Council/Visit North Yorkshire.

Lots of reasons. We want to people to see the town in a different light, to have new creative experiences and be curious and proud about the place they live. We want to attract tourism and put Harrogate on the map to be known for more than our more traditional offering. We also want to drive footfall into the town centre so people can enjoy our fantastic restaurants and bars.

We encourage you to take photographs and to share these on social media using #BEAMHarrogate. We will award £50 of Festival vouchers for our favourite photo, so make sure you tag us or use the hashtag!

Toilets will be open in Victoria Shopping Centre, Library Gardens and Crescent Gardens.

The Festival team, stewards and volunteers will all be on site to answer any questions over the event, for anything else feel free to call the Festival Office on 01423 562303 or e-mail info@harrogate-festival.org.uk

Harrogate is easily accessible by road or rail.

Arriving by bus or train

The main train station in Harrogate is located on Station Parade, Harrogate HG1 1TE and the bus station is also located on Station Parade, Harrogate HG1 1TE . Both are located within the BEAM Light Festival trail area.

Arriving by car

You can find multiple multi-storey car parks with Harrogate and on-street parking available in the town centre.

Click on the name of each car park below for more information.

Jubilee Car Park – HG1 1DJ

Victoria Car Park – HG1 5LQ

Please remember to check the closing times of your car park and any on street parking signage. 

For more information on parking around Harrogate click here. 

As a business in the town centre, if you need some help lighting up your space please get in touch. We can also provide ideas and support to help promote your business across our website and social platforms.

If you’re attending the event, come visit the info stop at the Cenotaph in the town centre where you can pick up your own lighting pack to create your own BEAM artwork at home!

Download the sustainability information here.