Tower of Light & torch-lit parade to celebrate maritime heritage

‘SPECTACULAR’: The Tower of Light. Pictured here in the Tall Ships Festival in Hartlepool 2023. Picture by Paul Norris

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

Hull’s maritime heritage will be celebrated next month with a torch-lit procession and a spectacular piece of outdoor theatre called The Tower of Light.

The procession, featuring 500 community volunteers, will make its way from Hull Minster to Hull Marina, where audiences will see The Tower of Light, which celebrates the history of Britain’s lighthouses.

The Tower of Light, by Walk the Plank, was originally commissioned by The Tate (Liverpool) to mark the departure of lighthouse keepers from their remote outposts after the last British lighthouses were automated in 1989. The show has toured internationally ever since.

It is described as a “beautifully choreographed piece of outdoor theatre centred around a spectacular lighthouse and its three hapless lighthouse keepers who keep the Tower animated with light, fire and stunning pyrotechnic effects”.

The free event, delivered by Hull City Council’s Hull Maritime project and Walk the Plank, is being held on the evening of Thursday, March 14. The procession will leave the minster at 6.45pm with the performance on the marina beginning at 6.30pm.

Councillor Rob Pritchard, city council portfolio holder for culture and leisure, said: “We are excited to be bringing this event for the people of Hull and beyond. The Tower of Light will animate the Old Town and Hull Marina with fire, music, performance and procession.

“We know events like this prove to be popular at this time of year and we are looking forward to welcoming people to the city centre and enjoying this spring performance, shining a light on Hull’s maritime project.”

As revealed by The Hull Story last week, there will be no staging of The Awakening arts festival this year because of a lack of funding. The festival, which was staged in Hull city centre in 2022 and 2023, celebrated the passage from winter to spring and drew on the city’s maritime heritage and its relationship with nature.