LIGHTPORT EVENT SOUTHPORT - celebrating the town's "Elegantly Eccentric" identity

Lightport is a brand-new, free immersive light and sound experience that transforms Lord Street in Southport into a 400-metre walk-through "rainbow of colour and creativity". 

Produced by international artists Lucid Creates, the event features a series of interactive light installations, including high-tech lasers, mirrored LEDs, and a towering 10-metre luminous rainbow finale called ARC. 

MORE PICTURES OF THE EVENT...

Lightport serves as the official launch for Southport 2026, a year-long programme of major events celebrating the town's "Elegantly Eccentric" identity. It is funded by Sefton Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to boost local tourism and engagement during the winter months.  

The "Elegantly Eccentric" identity was introduced as the core vision for the Southport 2026 cultural programme. The phrase and the surrounding branding were officially launched by a collaboration of local leaders and creative directors: 

Claire McColgan CBE: As the Associate Director of Culture for the Liverpool City Region and Director of Culture Liverpool, she has been a primary spokesperson for the "Elegantly Eccentric" project, describing it as a way to turn the town into something that celebrates its unique, flamboyant history.

Patrick Hurley (MP for Southport): He has strongly endorsed the branding, stating that the "Elegantly Eccentric" vision "captures that spirit [of Southport] perfectly and updates it for the 2020s".

Councillor Marion Atkinson: The Leader of Sefton Council launched the programme alongside McColgan, framing the identity as a tribute to Southport's history of "spectacle and eccentric entertainment".

Dates: Saturday 14th – Monday 16th February 2026.

Time: 5pm – 9pm each evening.

Cost: Completely free; no tickets or booking required.

Route: A 400m trail divided into four zones:

Mermaid Gardens: Immersive illuminated landscape and mirrored LEDs.

Monument Square: Features "Gradients" (layered light sheets) and overhead laser spectacles.

Christ Church Gardens: Pulsing neon light experience.

Town Hall Gardens: The "ARC" finale, a massive walkthrough rainbow made of 7,000 pixels.