Cheltenham will look very different for most of February, as ‘Light Up Cheltenham’ returns after a successful debut in 2018.

The event, which is organised by Cheltenham BID, will see over 40 buildings around the town lit up, including the dome of The Ivy in Montpellier, the HSBC building and many others around Boots Corner, the Brewery Quarter and the Promenade.

“The overall idea for ‘Light Up Cheltenham’ came about last year,” explained Cheltenham BID director Kevan Blackadder.

“It’s not a great time of year for people to go out, there’s still a bit of a hangover from Christmas. So we thought up the event to try and attract people into town in the evenings and night-time.”

As well as the spectacular lighting, there’ll be a new addition to this year’s event, and it’s a first for the town.

Kevan continued: “This year we have a giant observation wheel which will be the focal point in Imperial Gardens.

“People will be able to go on the wheel and look down on the lit-up buildings like 131 and the Queens Hotel and see the town from a whole new point of view.”

The 35-metre high wheel will be open to the public every day from 3pm, with extended operating times on weekends and during half term.

As opposed to last year’s event which lasted a week, this year ‘Light Up Cheltenham’ will run from Saturday 2nd to Sunday 24th February, giving locals and visitors alike plenty of time to explore the town.

“We had really good feedback last year, so we wanted to build on that and move it on to be even bigger this year,” said Kevan.

“People were saying how they saw these fabulous buildings every day, but they hardly take notice. With them lit up at night you see them in a completely different way.”

‘Light Up Cheltenham’ begins on Saturday 2nd February with a performance from street theatre group ‘Spark!’, who also performed last year, and there’ll be more entertainment on Saturday 16th February provided by the Photon Juggling Glow Show.