Artist Commission – Put Big Light On, Bolton Light Art Festival 2026 Fee: £13,000
Put Big Light On Festival is seeking proposals from artists to design, create and install a new light artwork for Bolton’s annual light art festival which will take place Thursday 19 – Sunday 22 November 2026.
Location: Octagon Theatre , Bolton
Fee: £13,000
We are open to expressions of interest from artists of any art form including visual art, music, theatre, dance, digital or cross art form practice but must include light as a central component of the work. The final artwork will form part of an art trail featuring several installations in Bolton Town Centre.
Put Big Light On Festival
Now in its fourth year, Put Big Light On has become a key cultural event for Bolton and the wider North West. The festival features a light art trail installed in and around several civic buildings within Bolton Town Centre. It will take place each evening from 19-22 November, between 5pm and 9pm, with free access to all artworks and associated programming.
The festival is co-curated by arts organisation, Things That Go on Things in and Bolton Council’s Culture team.
The festival directly responds to Bolton’s Cultural Strategy:
“We want culture to be the heartbeat of Bolton, we want it to cut through everything that we do because we believe that Culture characterises us as people, links us to a place, and connects us in a community. It provides inspiration and entertainment. It is the context for interaction and cohesion. As we seek to build a strong and distinctive Bolton, our culture will define us and binds us together. It is a shared vision, and we will all benefit from its success”.
The final artwork will be displayed indoors inside The Octagon Theatre’s Studio space – Studio 1
Studio 1 measures 7780mm x 13120mm in open plan with a flat floor. Other configurations available with tiered seating.
The studio floor is constructed with painted black 18mm ply which can be screwed into.
Plans are available in both PDF and DWG formats.
As part of the festival, The Octagon Theatre will be programming storytelling and other performance work in the Studio space alongside the commissioned artwork. This will include work for and by families with young children and people with special educational needs and disabilities. Submissions should take this into account and explore opportunities to heighten the impact of this work.
Shortlisted artists will be invited to discuss their proposals to a panel which includes representatives from Bolton Council Culture and Events teams, Bolton Octagon Theatre and Things That Go On Things. Selection will be made based on:
Relevant experience and quality of previous work
Strength and creativity of proposal
Feasibility within the timeframe and budget
Potential impact and legacy
APPLY
Please send an expression of interest to CreativeBolton@bolton.gov.uk by 5pm on Friday 19 June including:
• A proposal of not more than 2 pages in written form or a short video under 5 minutes including artistic ideas, images and details of how the audience will interpret/interact with the artwork
• CV or examples/links to previous relevant work
• A general budget breakdown showing how you would allocate the £13,000
• One reference contact detail
• One testimonial of a professional on a similar project
Commission Timeline
• Application deadline: Friday 19 June 2026, 5pm
• Interviews: Friday 26 June 2026 (10am-4pm)
• Update meetings: July, September, October, November – dates to be agreed
• Completion deadline: Artwork must be ready to install week commencing 16th November
For questions or clarification, please contact: Jo Lewis CreativeBolton@bolton.gov.uk
