A celebration of light, heritage and modern design

For Christmas, Manchester City Centre was transformed into a striking festive destination, combining bold new designs with thoughtful nods to the city’s rich industrial heritage and iconic identity. Working closely with the city, our aim was to create a scheme that felt uniquely Manchester — contemporary, creative and full of character.

At the heart of the display were a series of brand-new, bespoke light sculptures, designed and produced exclusively for the city. Towering at over 4 metres tall, the Industrial Reindeer and Snowman sculptures took inspiration from Manchester’s industrial past, with strong structural forms and warm golden tones. These show-stopping pieces quickly became focal points across the city, drawing visitors in and creating memorable photo opportunities.

Continuing the theme, we introduced a stunning 10-metre Honeycomb Christmas Tree, alongside a matching Honeycomb Walkthrough Archway — both inspired by the worker bee, Manchester’s enduring symbol of unity and hard work. The scheme was further enhanced with a bespoke Manchester Bee light sculpture and a striking illuminated globe, proudly placing Manchester on the map and reinforcing the city’s global identity.

To welcome visitors into the festive heart of the city, we installed a large animated walkthrough light tunnel at the entrance to the famous Manchester Christmas Markets. This immersive feature created a sense of arrival and excitement, setting the tone for the festive experience ahead.

Across the wider city centre, we delivered extensive tree lighting, complemented by all-new street lighting designs. Honeycomb-inspired lamp post motifs lined the streets, while across-street motifs added scale and animation overhead. Designs ranged from dynamic animated effects to playful messages such as “Bee Merry Manchester”, once again celebrating the city’s iconic bee motif.

The result was a cohesive, immersive Christmas scheme that balanced heritage-inspired design with contemporary festive lighting, transforming Manchester City Centre into a vibrant, welcoming and unmistakably Mancunian Christmas destination.