A popular event which illuminates dark winter evenings with spectacular artistic displays will return next year with a musical twist.
First established in 2014, Aberdeen’s Spectra festival invites residents into the city centre every February to enjoy a rainbow of light-themed installations, including interactive sculptures and architectural projections.
And now, for the 2018 event, organisers will bring together sound and vision with a dedicated music programme, which will include live performances in venues throughout Aberdeen.
In previous years, Spectra has brought a string of eye-catching installations to the Granite City, such as a swarm of glowing spiders at St Nicholas Kirkyard earlier this year which were created by artists from Paris.
Aberdeen City Councillor Marie Boulton said: “Spectra as a light festival is very much a fun, family affair.
“However, we want to develop the cultural contribution in Aberdeen and our second largest festival audience are young professional adults who enjoy the arts as a whole.
“We wanted to offer something that crafts a synergy with Spectra, but also develops different stand-alone strands of the festival to create something alternative for our diverse audiences.
“The light festival and music programme can be enjoyed individually, or the two elements can be woven together to form an entire evening of alternative light and sound.”
Acts in the musical line-up feature an eclectic variety of genres and countries, including the electronic group Wrangler, the Icelandic rock band Mammut and the Glaswegian singer-songwriter Emma Pollock.
And, as the party goes on into the wee hours on each night of the festival, organisers have also invited world-class DJs to perform in select Aberdeen clubs.
Stuart Turner, the head of the national Event Scotland organisation, added that Spectra helps to attract a great deal of visitors to the Granite City and to Scotland every year.
He said: “Since its inception in 2014, it has quickly grown to become a major event in Scotland, bringing a spark of inspiration to the winter months in the north-east.
“We are delighted to be continuing our support of Spectra through our national programme fund to help expand the festival to include this outstanding music programme of exciting national and international talent.”