Minutes:
Councillor A Hopgood, Leader of the Council, reminded Members that there was just a month to go until Durham City welcomed back Lumiere.
Transforming the familiar landscape of the city into a spectacular canvas for the work of world-renowned artists, was the highlight of the Council’s cultural programme. This year, visitors could expect yet another dazzling display, with highlights including, an immersive light and sound display in the nave of Durham Cathedral and the transformation of the exterior of Durham University’s Ogden Centre.
The festival would also be extending its reach outside of the city with four artworks interacting with buildings and public spaces in Bishop Auckland.
Lumiere was a fantastic event for visitors and was also a cornerstone of the Council’s commitment to culture-led regeneration. More than one million visitors had made their way to the City to enjoy the artworks and soak up the atmosphere since the first festival 14 years ago. A large proportion of these visitors had come from outside the county, whether from the wider north east, the rest of the UK or overseas. Many would have chosen to stay in the City or county, supporting businesses and helping the tourism sector grow. Last year, for the first time ever, tourism contributed more than £1 billion pound to the county’s economy.
The Council’s cultural events were key to attracting tourists and enabled the Council to showcase what the wider county had to offer visitors. The recent annual Durham Book Festival attracted thousands in person and online.
The Leader was confident that Lumiere would once again, prove even bigger and better than the last, and hoped all Members were able to visit the festival.