Battersea and Canary Wharf to both host free outdoor lighting festivals

There will be free outdoor artistic lights displays on either side of London this month, as both Canary Wharf and Battersea Power Station put on shows to attract winter visitors.

Both exhibitions of lights tend to be very popular at weekends, so they advise visiting during the week if possible. Both are as much about putting on a bit of a winter show as they are at encouraging you to linger for the food and shopping.

But they’re both free, which is a very good thing.

The Canary Wharf display lasts ten days, while the Battersea one will last a whole month, so you can visit both over a couple of weeks.

Canary Wharf’s winter lights 2023 (c) ianVisits

Battersea Power Station

Battersea’s event will feature seven pieces of artwork dotted around the outside and interior of the power station building.

Three of the light installations, including Large Diamond by Freerk Wilbers, will be making their UK debut and two pieces will be making their London debut.

There will also be a schedule of musicians showcasing their skills on the piece on Monday to Wednesday evenings.

The Battersea Light Festival runs from Thursday 25th January to Sunday 25th February 2024.

Use Battersea Power Station on the Northern line to visit.

Canary Wharf

In its eighth year, the Winter Lights festival will see 12 temporary installations dotted around the heart of the Canary Wharf estate, in addition to their existing permanent artworks.

There is a map you can download from their website, but quite a few staff will be handing out printed copies, and the paper copies they hand out are much easier to use than trying to squint at a small smartphone screen.

The Winter Lights runs from Wednesday 17th to Saturday 27th January 2024.

Use Canary Wharf stations on the DLR, Elizabeth or Jubilee lines to visit.

If you fancy it, the ice rink in Canada Square is also open until 24th February, although you pay for that.