The Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust is excited to announce the launch of Light the Night, a spectacular illumination of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, on 22 October 2021

Event details:

• On Friday 22 October 2021, the bridge will be illuminated in blue, a colour chosen in a vote by the sponsors of the Light the Night campaign.
• The illuminations will be switched on at 7.30pm, from the Lookout Lectern, Sion Hill, BS8 4BL.
• The button will be pressed by Natalie Thomas representing Faster Britain, who chose this reward during the Crowdfunder campaign, to support the Clifton Suspension Bridge during lockdown.
• The event will also be livestreamed on the Clifton Suspension Bridge Twitter account - @brunelsbridge
• Journalists are invited to attend the event in person or to view it remotely via the Live stream. However, due to Covid restrictions, we are not publicly promoting the launch date and time until shortly before the event, to prevent a large crowd from gathering.
• Official photos and video footage from the event will be sent to journalists by 6am on Saturday 23 October for usage in any press coverage of the event.

Event background:

• In Autumn 2020, the Museums Association and Crowdfunder UK ran a fundraising project called #SupportOurMuseums to bring much needed funds to museum and heritage attractions forced to close by the pandemic lockdowns.
• As part of #SupportOurMuseums, Clifton Suspension Bridge Visitor Centre launched the ‘Light the Night’ campaign to ‘spread a smile across Bristol’. The funds raised were to support the educational work of the Visitor Centre, and to create a special evening of bridge illuminations.
• The campaign was successful and raised £13,390 (plus Gift Aid) in 28 days – against a target of £10,000.
• Every individual and business who pledged to the project could vote on the colour of the illuminations. Blue was the outright winner with 35% of the vote.
• There are ten corporate sponsors, all of whom are part of the local economy – plus a large number of individual supporters. Many of the businesses sponsoring the project also work on the maintenance and preservation of the 156-year-old landmark.
• The bridge is usually only illuminated with white LEDs which are strung across the chains. It is rarely illuminated in colour as this process requires bringing additional specialist lighting equipment onto site.
• The illuminations were originally to take place in Spring 2021 but were delayed until the Autumn due to ongoing lockdowns and Covid restrictions, which made it complex for the event to go ahead.
• Lighting tests took place in July 2021, which proved that new solar powered laser technology could be added to the display.
• The event will take place on 22 October, although the date has not yet been made public to prevent crowds from gathering. The illuminations will be live streamed so everyone across the city will have the opportunity to see them.
• The new date was chosen to mark the changing of the seasons and bring cheer as the nights grow longer.

“The Visitor Centre is part of the Clifton Suspension Bridge Charitable Trust and is usually reliant on income from visitor donations, shop sales and tours. When we closed the venue in March 2020, we lost all of these revenue sources and had to think creatively about fundraising. The campaign not only helped us to fund core work behind the scenes during the lockdowns, but our team can finally spread a giant smile across the city!” Laura Hilton, Visitor Centre Manager

“Illuminations have always played a significant role in the enjoyment of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. As part of the opening ceremony on December 8, 1864, the bridge was illuminated using state-of-the-art electric lighting, limelight, and magnesium lighting. With Light the Night, our intention is to create a special moment to surprise and delight the people of Bristol.” Chris Booy, Chair of Trustees, Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust

“Each donor who claimed a campaign reward voted for their favourite colour and blue was by far the most popular option with 35% of the vote. Lighting the bridge in colour requires specialist lighting equipment and we are delighted that the bridge will be illuminated using a colour scheme chosen by local people.” Chris Booy, Chair of Trustees, Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust

“We are delighted to support our friends and neighbours at the Clifton Suspension Bridge for their Light The Night campaign. To witness the iconic Suspension Bridge illuminated like never before will be a wonderful event for the community and we are proud to be part of it.” Dr. Tim Greene, Headmaster and Head of College at Clifton College

“We are delighted to light up the Clifton Suspension Bridge in the colours of Faster Britain, ITS Technology Group’s all new Gigabit capable full fibre network that is giving businesses access to lightning fast connectivity and broadband. As a key strategic partner delivering this network, Select Electrics is Bristol born and bred; so it is with immense pride that we press the button to 'Light the Night’.

“It feels particularly poignant given the pandemic. It represents the resilience of the city, and the region, and also the amazing efforts of the Clifton Suspension Bridge Visitors’ Centre’s team that continue to keep such an important part of our history alive. The bridge is famous for being a turning point in engineering, and connecting communities. Faster Britain is a modern day feat of design and engineering, transforming the digital capabilities of businesses across the region, connecting them to the world.” Natalie Thomas, Sales Manager, Select Electrics