What’s in store for Longford Lights 2025

Longford County Council have announced the full lineup for Longford Lights 2025, which takes place from 6.30pm to 9.30pm from Thursday of this week, February 20 to Sunday February 23 in Longford Town.

Visitors will be treated to 29 different arts exhibitions, lighting up Connolly Barracks, Bridge Street and Lower Main Street over the four evenings.

The festival now also includes the Backstage Theatre hit family show, Luminaria.

This year, there will be more performance elements including ‘Metamorphosis’, a collaboration between Spain’s Cal y Canto and Irish composer Fiona Linnane.

Inspired by the poetry of Eileen Casey, performances will take place in front of the old Connolly Barracks building, including fire acrobats, a brass ensemble, a samba band, giant puppets, video-mapped projections and Longford’s soprano Maria Matthews.

Longford Lights has brought many international artists to share their work with local audiences. Michelle Dufaur returns from the UK to work with Longford ICA Federation volunteers to create ‘Crann Caillte’ (Lost Trees). This work, with its architectural chandelier lanterns, reflects on the loss of Ireland’s native species and features thousands of individual leaves.

Paul Bokslag, a utch artist and designer based in Kilkenny, has created ‘Flight’ with St Christopher’s service users. Large in scale and ambition, it features white doves created from UV light. Symbols of peace, the white doves spread their wings and light up the dark. The artwork is housed within the old Providers building.

A German artist living in Meath, Ulrike Liebetrau, brings her large installation ‘The Labyrinth’ to Longford Lights. A multi-sensory experience, it is inspired by the beauty of nature and made with rubbish and provides a commentary on waste in society, with a call to Reuse, Reduce, Repair and Rethink.

Cartoonist and video artist from Italy, Hermes Mangialardo, brings a piece called ‘Oculucis’ to Longford Lights. It consists of two giant illuminated spheres representing eyes that look up at the sky. Through sound, the audience is transported on an emotional and conceptual journey.

Many national artists are also involved this year, and the festival offers employment opportunities for 51 artists, including 19 national artists, 15 local artists and 12 intern-student artists.

Artistic director Caroline Conway and assistant artistic director Tommy Casby are leading the festival and more than 1,600 people from seven local communities and 32 schools are involved. Together, they have created a town of lantern houses, each inviting the viewer to experience the interiors of village and town life through the drawings of children and people from the community.

The festival also welcomes back Anna Wiercioch, who has created ‘Illuminated Abstractions’, a series of hanging lanterns. Some of the many other artists working on the festival include Hanlon Artworks, Lorraine Donohoe, Aoife Banville, Serhii Khadzava, Helen Duncan, Damien Keogh, Nicole Martin, and Peter Crann.

The largest community-based arts lights festival in Ireland, the festival is a collaboration between Longford County Council and Mide Arts Group.

Funding support is also from the Arts Council of Ireland and Creative Ireland, as well as Longford Night Time Economy and Longford Tourism, both part of Longford County Council.

Tickets are on sale at LongfordLights.ie, and through Backstage Theatre box office or by scanning the QR code on Longford Lights 2025 advertisements and flyers.

Tickets can be booked for entry at 60-minute intervals, starting from 6.30pm each day; the final slot is at 8.30pm. Attendees stay as long as they choose, and the festival runs until 9.30pm. There are food and rest areas for visitors, and bench seating throughout for those who may need it.

Cllr Mark Casey, cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, said: “It is time to make sure you have your Longford Lights tickets as this year will be the best yet. Last year, we welcomed thousands of spectators through the gates of Connolly Barracks, and this year it is even bigger. We hope everyone from across Longford, the midlands, and the country can make it – it is not to be missed!”

Longford County Council chief executive Paddy Mahon said that through their Arts Service, they proudly support local artists and bring international and national talent to Longford to make and share art with local school children and people across our communities. “It brings people from far and wide to Longford and it will be great to see this celebration of the arts and culture bringing people together.”

For updates, follow Longford County Council on social media and visit Longfordcoco.ie and longfordlights.ie.

Planning your visit

Traffic and Parking

Heavy traffic is anticipated throughout Longford Town, particularly on Battery Road, Church Street and Lower Main Street. On-street parking will be limited, and the public are asked to use off-street public car parks and plan to walk the short distance to Connolly Barracks.

Some of the nearest parking options include Longford County Council car parks on Great Water Street and at Camlin Court, the Longford Town Centre car park and Geraldine Terrace car park next to it, Main Street car park and the St Mel’s Road car park.

Accessibility

Information on disabled car parking spaces and wheelchair facilities is available on LongfordLights.ie under the Plan your Visit section. When you arrive, follow the directions of event stewards and gardaí on site.

Longford Lights aims to be a sensory-friendly experience with ambient low-level soundscapes throughout. The Metamorphosis performance will be louder, however, this can easily be avoided at the venue. Please seek advice from one of our friendly stewards if help is required.

Food and Refreshments

Food will be on sale from vendors within the Connolly Barracks festival site. There are also restaurants and pubs serving food around Longford Town, many with special offers to coincide with the festival.

Be weather-ready

Please dress appropriately for seasonal February weather with good walking shoes and waterproofs, especially in the event of rain. The festival is predominantly outdoor and walking paths are mostly flat and suitable for buggies and wheelchairs.

Health and Safety

Please follow Longford Lights festival stewards’ instructions when inside the venue. As festival stewards will be identifiable by high-visibility clothing, we would appreciate it if attendees avoided wearing high-visibility clothing.