This event, running from October to January, will boast an impressive range of activities and performances across the borough, offering entertainment for all ages.
The festival is made possible by a £100,000 investment from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants.
This funding allows Bexley Council, in partnership with Bexley Cultural Network, to deliver an arts festival with a light theme.
The festival will consist of nine unique projects, each promising to provide memorable experiences for visitors.
Some of these events are now open for booking.
The projects include The Goblin in the Abbey, a brand-new family theatre show produced by Ruined Theatre, which will take place at Lesnes Abbey.
Tickets for this haunting and magical story are already on sale.
Alice and The Queen’s Beasts, a massive immersive lantern experience by arts company Same Sky, will be held at Hall Place and Gardens from November 13 to 16.
This seasonal light trail is expected to captivate all who attend.
An exhibition by Centrepieces, a mental health arts project, will explore the theme of light in relation to mental health.
The exhibition, titled Bringing Light to Mental Health, will open on World Mental Health Day, October 10, at the Stables Gallery, Hall Place and Gardens.
There will also be public workshops inspired by the exhibited artworks, giving locals the chance to create their own.
Bexley community will get to participate in the national art project, Beuys’ Acorns.
Led by artists Ackroyd & Harvey and Peabody, the project will involve creative activities leading up to the planting of a circle of unique oak trees and a ceremonial event to plant the final tree.
Leaves Fall to Bright Sounds is a community craft and music programme that will transform The Exchange in Erith into a candlelit haven of autumn.
A highlight of this project will be a baroque Christmas concert by the Carnegie Ensemble on December 7.
Comfort Adeneye, a local artist, will present a new digital artwork, 60 Years: Play Perseveres, in collaboration with Bexley Archives.
This piece will be showcased as a large-scale outdoor projection at Danson House’s Christmas Market in December.
Bird College students will have the opportunity to showcase their musical theatre talents in Night Visions Shows and Birdsong.
The Firewatchers project will explore Bexley’s tradition of bonfire-building and fire-watching, in collaboration with artist Tom James.
Local people will work with Bow Arts and artist Miyuki Kasahara to create sea animal lanterns for the Night of the Basilosaurus – Lantern Parade.
This parade will take place in Bexleyheath in January.
Councillor Cafér Munur, Cabinet Member for Place Shaping, said: “Night Visions is a festival unlike any other as the events of offer have been crafted by our local artists and culture partners, meaning residents and visitors will get to see the best of Bexley in a new light as they experience vibrant evening events all over the borough this autumn and winter.”
The festival is part of #CelebratingBexley, a year-long programme celebrating Bexley’s arts and culture.
To learn more about Night Visions and the events planned, visit bexley.gov.uk/night-visions.
