Spectra Aberdeen 2025: Everything you need to know about Scotland’s Festival of Light

Kicking off from 5.30pm tonight (February 6), the free festival will illuminate Aberdeen city centre until Sunday, February 9. With this year’s theme “Journeys”, fifteen new light installations will brighten up the Granite City.

From where each installation will appear to the free bus scheme running, here’s everything you need to know about Spectra Aberdeen.

When is Spectra Aberdeen 2025 taking place? Dates and opening hours

Spectra Aberdeen will take place from Thursday, February 6 until Sunday, February 9, with events taking place from 5.30pm until 10pm each evening.

What is Spectra?

Spectra began as a small pilot festival in Aberdeen back in 2014, with last year’s event marking its tenth anniversary in the city. Bringing a range of light installations to the city centre - from interactive displays to eye catching projections - the event is free to attend.

In 2024, there were more than 100,000 visitors to festival sites with displays appearing in locations including Union Terrace Gardens and Aberdeen Art Gallery.

The theme for this year’s event is “journeys”, with a programme packed with a range of inspirational artwork from creators such as Council Baby and Johanna Basford.

What to expect from Spectra Aberdeen 2025: Locations and installations

As part of Spectra 2025, installations will appear all the way from Union Terrace Gardens down to Marischal College.

Some of the biggest displays will appear within UTG and in front of His Majesty’s Theatre, with more hosted inside Aberdeen Art Gallery, along Schoolhill and Upperkirkgate and onto Broad Street.

Outside of the 15 displays, there will be a number of additional activities running across the entire festival area including choreographed dance routines, performances and more.

Union Terrace Gardens and His Majesty’s Theatre

Northern Lights Programme – Rosemount Viaduct, Opposite His Majesty’s Theatre

Led by artist Craig Barrowman - alongside a line-up of five artists with north-east connections - the Northern Lights Programme is a virtual exhibition which will transform the public space into an immersive experience using the Northern Lights Augmented Reality app.

Winds of Change by Heinrich & Palmer – Union Terrace Gardens

Having been commissioned for last year’s festival, Heinrich & Palmer’s Winds of Change became a permanent addition to the collection at Aberdeen Archives Gallery & Museums. For 2025, rather than remain inside Aberdeen Art Gallery, it can be found telling the story of Aberdeen’s Maritime history at Union Terrace Gardens.

The Matter of the Heart by idontloveyouanymore – Union Terrace Gardens

Created by Manchester artists and designers Idontloveyouanymore, The Matter of the Heart is a collection of 60 local people and their real-time heart beats, visually as they flash together. Audiences are invited to walk among them “like a graveyard of the living” to demonstrate the interconnectivity of life.

Neon colouring wall by Johanna Basford – Union Terrace Gardens

Having first appeared during last year’s event, visitors to Spectra Aberdeen can get involved with the festival by leaving their mark on Scottish illustrator and adult colouring book creator Johanna Basford’s Neon colouring wall.

Sky Castle by ENESS – Union Terrace Gardens

Sky Castle is an interactive sound and light installation in Union Terrace Gardens, immersing visitors in a cluster of inflatable arches which light in colourful symphony. As people move through the arches, so will the lights and sounds within the arches responding to those around it.

Illuminated Voices, Our Journey – Union Terrace Gardens

For this piece, Scottish writer and educator Simon Lamb worked with pupils from Muirfield Primary School to explore their own journeys through poetry and prose, with the works on display at Union Terrace Gardens via projection.

Inspired by Spectra – Union Terrace Gardens

In addition to Illuminated Voices, there is also Inspired by Spectra in UTG which features illuminated art from school and community groups.

Aberdeen Art Gallery and Schoolhill

Universal Communication by LEM – Aberdeen Art Gallery

Created by Aberdeen based creatives group LEM, this interactive display will use high powered beams pointed toward the sky to communicate using Morse Code.

I caught a…. by Urban Hijackin – Aberdeen Art Gallery

In this display, curiosities from flying fish to mini elephants will be exhibited within a cage inside Aberdeen Art Gallery.

Council Baby, Fit D’You Know About the Bon Accord? – Aberdeen Art Gallery

Created by the award-winning artist Council Baby, this work incorporates animation and sound to create a stained-glass inspired display which features elements of Aberdeen’s past and present.

Storytelling – Cowdray Hall, Aberdeen Art Gallery

For smaller guests, there will be storytelling taking place inside Cowdray Hall with Pauline, a storyteller covering the region’s fishing and farming traditions as well as fairy tales, and Lindsey, who was raised in West Scotland and tells a wide range of stories.

Voyage by Double Take – St Nicholas Kirk

Voyage by Double Take will be transform the St Nicholas Kirk clocktower with projections which bring the city’s maritime history to life.

Mycelium Network by Stevie Thompson – St Nicholas Kirkyard

In addition to Double Take’s projection, St Nicholas Kirkyard will host light installation artist Stevie Thompson’s Mycelium Network which shows the hidden underground connections between mushrooms and the environment around them.

Stage of Light, Performance Area – St Nicholas Roof Garden bandstand

There will also be a programme of musical performances taking place on the St Nicholas Roof Garden’s bandstand, showcasing musicians from across the north-east.

Marischal Square and Broad Street

Ursula Lassos the Moon by Studio Vertigo – Marischal Square

One of the most unique installations of this year’s Spectra festival is Studio Vertigo’s Ursula Lassos the Moon. The high-definition 3d projection sphere depicts the Moon - in great detail, typically only viewed through a telescope - removed from orbit and lassoed to a boat.

Futures by Lucid Creates – Broad Street

An experimental audio-visual display which distorts reality, this piece by Lucid Creates plays with the senses of those exploring its 50 metre long walkway as the environment changes around them.

Reunion by Kumquat Labs – Broad Street

Representing connectedness, Kumquat Labs’ Reunion features light arches which reach toward one another, with rotating colour patterns inspired by human movements.

End Over End by Studio Vertigo – Marischal Square

Also by Studio Vertigo, End Over End is a giant, illuminated slinky toy which not only transforms the space around it into a virtual playground but also takes visitors back to childhood.

Aberdeen Letters – Marischal College

Having moved around Aberdeen on several occasions in the last few years, for Spectra 2025 the Aberdeen letters will be set up in Marischal College.

Free bus travel on offer for Spectra 2025 visitors

After a successful free bus travel scheme last year, First Bus have once again teamed up with festival organisers to help visitors get to and from Spectra.

With 2,000 free tickets available to those who signed up before Monday, February 3, details on how to take advantage of the two-trip ticket will be sent out via email.

Visitors could win £100 voucher through treasure hunt

As well as the illuminations around the city, there will also be activities such as dance shows and storytelling taking place across the city centre.

In addition, a number of shopfronts around the city will be taking part in the festival with 35 businesses displaying illuminated balloons to complement Spectra 2025’s displays.

Each venue will have a few mystery envelopes on display, with one £100 Aberdeen Gift Card up for grabs each day the festival is running.

There are also other prizes within the envelopes, such as offers and discounts for participating businesses, or just a plain “better luck next time”.