Relive the magic of Southport's Lightport 2026!  Part 2
Report by:- Anasimone Ibrahim and Photos by:- Patrick Trollope

SOUTHPORT is best known for its sandy coastline and charming local businesses, as well as an inspiration to the City of Love, celebrated Valentine’s night, with the Town's 1st Lightport event, orchestrated by:- Lucid Creates.

The weekend event, running from:- Saturday, 14 February, Sunday, 15 February, and Monday, and 16 February 2026, consisted of a:- 400 metre, 4 zone, interactive light and sound installation, that attracted tourists from all over the country, and is part of the:- 'Elegantly Eccentric' initiative in Merseyside.

It was always going to be a popular event that would pulled the crowds as the Town is only a:- 40 minute train ride from Liverpool, but it became far busier than organisers had expected. Over the 3 nights the Town Centre the event drew crowds filled the streets with queues. We are told that the free event that gathered crowds of:- 40,000, almost ˝ the population of the Town!

This was extremely good for businesses, for example Costa, on Lord Street, had to close early after 84 litres of milk was used up on the opening night alone!

According to Southport locals we interviewed, they were nothing but pleased with the bustling streets, as the boost to the economy and local businesses on Lord Street, was a sight everyone wanted to see.

The trek through the beautiful immersive light and sound experience began within Mermaid Gardens, took in Monument Square, past Christ Church which appeared castle like as it was illuminated in magical colours throughout the night, and ended at the Town Hall Gardens.

Zone 1 was the Mermaid Gardens. It consisted of the beautiful fountain encompassed in mesmerising LED coloured lights, creating a beautiful hypnotic display that was worth withstanding the arctic like weather for.

After being hypnotised by Zone 2, the entrancing fountain, you were met with reflective standing multi coloured lasers and fairy lit trees, which led to none other than a glistening white prism on a podium, emitting a bright light and sparkling through the entire weekend. Continuing through this wonderland, the next spectacle was a rainbow pond ahead of the War Memorial, located in Monument Square.

Zone 3, managed to perfectly capture the beauty and sensational effect of the Northern Lights, by turning the sky between the War Memorial's buildings into an unforgettable:- 'Aurora Dream.'   The colours in the atmosphere above you in the Square could only be described as entrancing as the lasers between the buildings created a cloud simulation in the sky, surrounded with different colours which flowed through the sky in a wave like manner, leaving the crowd stunned an impressed with many families claiming that this was their favourite part of the experience.

Passing though Zone 4, the majestically lit Church, and onto the final production, a massive ring in the centre of a raised ramp for all guests to walk though as it radiated a rainbow coloured light all around it.  For all attendees, this event was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that they were searching to find.

The organisers said:- "Thank you to everyone who helped us to make it such a memorable weekend! You can find out about future events like this, throughout 2026, within Southport, on:- VisitSouthport.Com. We would like to add a special mention to both:- St John Ambulance and Paramount Security and Stewarding who did an amazing job throughout the event, keeping us all safe."

Just to add, please do check out these new events that Southport is hosting throughout 2026:-

• The Cristal Palace... 3 April to 4 April 2026... World renowned French street theatre company:- Transe Express brings its spectacular show:- 'Cristal Palace' to Lord Street, with a 15 metre wide flying chandelier, transforming the street into an open air ballroom, with:- live music, aerial performance and dance, a dazzling fusion of art and theatre set to be 1 of the year's defining moments.
  

• The Big Top Festival! 2 May to 3 May 2026... Big Top Festival will take over the Town with the best of modern circus, including shows from the world renowned companies like:- Circa and Gandini Juggling, which is coming to 1 of the art form's spiritual homes. Across open air stages, audiences can expect breathtaking acts, live music and hands on workshops for all ages.
  

• Books Alive! 24 October to 31 October 2026... Books Alive! Is a reimagined literature festival designed for families and young readers. Running through half term, the event will fill the town with storytelling installations, live performances and author led workshops, turning Southport nto a living storybook.

Also, keep an eye on:- Southport2026.Com for dates and further details about these new events. That is not forgetting:- The 154th Open that runs from:- 12 July to 19 July 2026. This will see Royal Birkdale once again hosting golf's most famous championship, The Open, for the 11th time! Championship play will start on:- Thursday, 16 July 2026, and run across 4 days until:- Sunday, 19 July 2026, when the winner and Champion Golfer of the Year will be crowned.

Plus, the Town will also be hosting its annual Southport Food and Drink Festival, alongside:- the Southport Air Show, British Musical Fireworks, Southport Comedy Festival, the Southport Flower Show, the Ainsdale Show, the 24 Hour Yacht Race, Southport Classic and Speed, Ocean Sprint Revival, plus lots and lots more...

If you attended this event please do let us know what you thought of it by emailing our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com or send us a message on:- Mastodon, Facebook, or Twitter. Please do let us know as we love to hear your views....

These are just some of the photos we took at this event, you can see lots more in Part 1 of our coverage and also on the following page, within this edition.

More Photos