A fire garden, giant glow-in-the-dark inflatable nocturnal creatures, and an interactive, motion-led artwork are set to wow audiences travelling to Aberdeen in February, as the first installations that will make up a major programme of illuminations across the granite city for Spectra, Scotland’s Festival of Light, are revealed.
Bringing warmth and wonder to the long winter evenings, Spectra is free to attend and showcases Aberdeen’s distinctive architecture, while celebrating the city’s vibrant cultural scene.
Running from 5–8 February 2026, next year’s festival theme, ‘Be Curious’, is inviting audiences to explore, question and re-imagine their surroundings through a programme designed to surprise, inspire and spark new ideas. The first artworks to be unveiled are:
Walk the Plank: Fire Garden – will take centre place in Union Terrace Gardens
Union Terrace Gardens will be dramatically reimagined as a Fire Garden, made up of mechanical fire sculptures filled with flame, movement and sound, crafted by some of the UK’s leading metal sculptors, produced by Salford-based outdoor arts experts, Walk the Plank.
Visitors will be immersed in a garden of fiery wonders, where intimate 360°sculptures harness thermal convection to create mesmerising movement, and an enchanting kinetic piece grinds and hisses with captivating energy. An imposing, thought-provoking balancing installation inspires awe, while giant pulsing lotus flowers bloom amidst flame-lit pathways that invite exploration. Towering floral chimneys shimmer alongside intricately detailed fireboxes, all brought to life by dramatic lighting that transforms the natural surroundings into a magical, immersive experience.
Glow Art Creations: Nocturnal will light up Marischal Square
Marischal Square will host Nocturnal, a brand-new series from Lincolnshire-based Glow Art Creations featuring giant illuminated creatures that awaken after dark, including a fox, hedgehog and an owl. These inflatable nocturnal animals, adorned with intricate black-and-white mandala patterns, will cast captivating shadows and reflections as they glow from within.
Visitors will be invited into a dreamlike world where scale, light and pattern combine to celebrate the hidden life of the night and the beauty of creatures often unseen.
WERC: Mofingu – Broad Street
Broad Street will feature Mofingu, an interactive digital artwork by Dutch artist collective WERC, that brings motion, technology and human presence together in a constantly evolving portrait.
Using depth-camera technology, as visitors approach the screen, particles will scatter and reform and the faces of past visitors will emerge, dissolve and merge with new participants—creating a collective, ever-changing portrait shaped by everyone who steps into view.
WERC’s work explores the meeting point between technology, nature and human behaviour, inviting audiences to question where the physical world ends and the digital world begins.
Now in its 12th year, Spectra has become a firm fixture in the Scottish cultural calendar, drawing more than 100,000 visits in 2025 and contributing over £4.3 million in visitor spend to the local Aberdeen economy. Growing from its 2013 pilot event of 10,000 visits, the festival continues to evolve into one of Scotland’s leading winter experiences.
Councillor Martin Greig, Cultural Spokesperson for Aberdeen City Council, said: “With this year’s festival, we hope to surprise and inspire visitors and the unveiling of our first 2026 artists really help to showcase the diversity of the artwork that will be display, the materials used and the variety of platforms used to bring them to life.
“Spectra is and has always been a stage to showcase the most spectacular and intriguing light installations from across the country and indeed the world. While one of the key draws for visitors from both near and far is the diverse artist and installation line-up that illuminates our city’s architecture, the jewel in the crown of the festival really is the spirit, enthusiasm and the support of the local community, businesses and sponsors that help to make the festival what it is known and loved for.
“We can’t wait to bring Spectra to life once again February for the people of Aberdeen and families and visitors from across Scotland and beyond!”
In Case You Missed it:
John Wassel, from Walk the Plank: Fire Garden which will take centre stage at Union Terrace Gardens, said: “We’re proud to bring the Fire Garden to Aberdeen for the very first time. Union Terrace Gardens offers an ideal setting for this captivating installation, and we’re excited to transform the space with extraordinary mechanical marvels crafted by some of the UK’s most skilled blacksmiths.”
Spectra is funded, owned and commissioned by Aberdeen City Council and produced by Live Event Management.
The full programme for Spectra will be announced in early 2026.
