Durham’s Lumiere festival was a beacon of hope and togetherness – we cannot let the lights go out on the rest of the arts

<p>The UK’s culture sector needs financial, political and public support to survive. Funding is not a ‘favour’. It is an investment in imagination, in our shared experience – and in inspiration and joy</p><p></p><p>Durham is a small, beautiful city in the north-east of England that sits in a region of rising poverty and inequality. About 45,000 people, a cathedral, a castle, a university and streets that glow every two years when the <a href="https://www.lumiere-festival.com/">Lumiere festival</a> fills them with light and art.</p><p>Since 2009, Lumiere has brought more than 250 artists from across the world to work in this extraordinary city. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/ai-weiwei">Ai Weiwei</a> in the Cathedral’s Chapter House. <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/artists-talk-fujiko-nakaya">Fujiko Nakaya</a> on the riverbank. <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/artists/who-chila-kumari-singh-burman">Chila Kumari Singh Burman</a> in the market square. The festival has reached more than 1.3 million people, drawn £43m into the local economy, and involved nearly 14,000 people in community projects. It worked because it was free, exciting and good. A rare combination.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/nov/11/durhams-lumiere-festival-was-a-beacon-of-hope-and-togetherness-we-cannot-let-the-lights-go-out-on-the-rest-of-the-arts">Continue reading...</a>