Sustainability

Energy

• Bristol Light Festival is a low energy event. The only energy requirements are for the light and technical installations themselves, with them being powered by the grid. Every effort is made to ensure generators or temporary power is not used for the event.
• Where possible all installations use LED lights to reduce energy use and are switched off throughout the day and overnight.
• We have a commitment to present all our work using sustainable measures – either powered from the grid or using rechargeable batteries.

Transport and Travel

• Bristol Light Festival is located across a walkable area of the city centre designed to enable visitors to walk between each installation. Due to the location, the festival is easily accessible on foot, bike and public transport.
• The festival is located at the centre of Bristol’s bus network with all installations within 10 minutes’ walk of a city centre bus stop.
• The majority of installations are within 20 minutes’ walk of Temple Meads Train Station. Trains from Severn Beach, stopping at nine stations within the city including Lawrence Weston, Sea Mills, Clifton and Stapleton Road, run twice an hour to Temple Meads. Bristol’s newest station, Ashley Down, opened in Summer 2025 with trains running once an hour.
• Each year the event commissions a professional research piece to help us understand how people travelled to the festival. We will use this information to inform our 2026 Sustainability Policy and Travel Plan as well sharing with partners and stakeholders to give a more comprehensive understanding of the way patrons use public transport and travel to and from the city when events are taking place.

Waste

• To limit the use of new resources and increased purchase of materials and equipment, installations as part of the Bristol Light Festival are ones which have previously toured and which have been in operation in other locations, therefore enhancing the life span and re-use of the artwork and creations.
• Where possible, materials used within the event are repurposed and re-used to extend the life of the product and to ensure a reusable sustainable creative piece.
• To encourage visitors to eat and drink in the city’s bars and restaurants and help reduce waste building up from food and drink receptacles and packaging, the event does not rely on external mobile food and drink traders. Any traders which maybe engaged will be local to the event and encouraged to follow the events policy of reducing waste and packaging and maintaining a sustainable policy for products wherever possible.
• It is expected that hospitality outlets will provide takeaway drinks and visitors are encouraged to bring a reusable cup if they want to take advantage of takeaway drinks.
• There are several re-fill water stations around the city and our bars and restaurants will happily fill up water bottles for people if requested.
• The festival information hub, located on Queen Square, has been made using upcycled materials and off cuts to create an installation which will be used for years to come and aims to encourage recycling and sustainable practices.
• Visitors are encouraged to access the map of the installations online, but printed maps will be available, which are printed by Hobs Bristol using FSC paper socks, approved by the Forestry Commission. Click here to view Hobs Bristol’s certificate of reforestation.