Festival of Flame returns to Hexham Abbey this week

30 Nov 2022 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news

Featuring over 1,000 candles in the Abbey, live performances of music, fire gardens, toasted marshmallows and much more, the free event takes place on Friday 2 December.

The theme for this year is “Illuminate”, which organiser Jez Light from Hexham Community Partnership explains: “When we ran the first Festival of Flame back in 2019 we called it “Ignite” as we wanted it to be the start of something new, an annual event. The year’s theme references the flock of Illuminated Sheep that have been adopted by communities across Northumberland as part of an art trail inspired by the visit of the Lindisfarne Gospels to the Laing Gallery in Newcastle. 40 of the sheep will gather together for one last time at the Abbey - and we want visitors to discover the remaining sheep in the windows of businesses along Hexham’s High Street Heritage Action Zone".

Jules Brown from Historic England said: “We’re excited to see the High Street Heritage Action Zone cultural programme reach its climax with the return of the Illuminated Sheep to the Abbey as part of the Festival of Flame. We’re so pleased that Historic England funding has helped bring Hexham town centre to life with activities like this and we hope everyone will flock to the town centre to experience the Festival.”

This year’s event also pays tribute to the 1900th anniversary of Hadrian’s Wall, with a Saturnalian fire garden, closely guarded by Roman soldiers. The atmosphere inside Hexham Abbey will be enhanced by relaxed original and classical music including bite-sized live performances of Mozart, Vaughan Williams and Pärt. Audiences can choose to sit and listen to the performances or simply absorb the music as they walk around the Abbey looking at the different installations.

To make the most of the night, visitors can grab a drink and a bite to eat in the Refectory, enjoy toasted Marshmallows or a Fire & Dough Pizza. There will also be free craft activities on offer in the foyer of Queen’s Hall on the night.

Festival of Flame is organised by Hexham Community Partnership and funded by Hexham Town Council and Northumberland County Council. Illuminated Sheep is a collaboration between Queen’s Hall Arts as part of the Hexham Cultural Network and artist Deepa Mann-Kler, supported by Historic England, Northumberland County Council and the North of Tyne Combined Authority.

Councillor Jeff Watson, portfolio holder for Healthy Lives at Northumberland County Council said: "The Festival of Flame is a great example of partnership working and treasured new tradition in Northumberland. It's a celebration of light, music, and craft giving people the chance to come together and see the Abbey like never before.

"The festival is also the last chance to see the Illuminated Sheep, a visual arts project by Deepa Mann-Kler which have been decorated by communities across the county."

Friday’s event opens at 5pm, with last entry at 8pm. No tickets are required and everyone is welcome, but dogs must be kept outside on short leads. Please be aware that there may be queues at busy times. If you would prefer a more relaxed experience, it’s suggested you arrive after 7pm.

More information can be found online by clicking here or on social media by clicking here.