SPREAD THE LIGHT
Islamic arts, lantern-making, community parade, participatory arts, cultural education
OUR VISION
Our vision is to create a joyful, artful, and collaborative cultural programme that brings Muslim and non-Muslim children, families, and communities together through shared creative expression. Spreading the Light will take place in schools and community settings across Luton, culminating in a vibrant public celebration at the Colours of Eid Festival 2026.
Central to the project is the creation of 150 lanterns, marking 150 years of Luton becoming a borough council. These lanterns will honour the industries, histories, and cultural legacies shaped by the town’s diverse communities—especially those with heritage in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, and Turkey, who have contributed significantly to Luton’s growth and now proudly call it home.
Professional artists will work alongside children, teachers, and families to co-create lanterns, costumes, and parade artworks inspired by Islamic artistic traditions. By blending creative learning with cultural heritage, the project invites participants to celebrate their identities while building connections across communities.
This is a project rooted in co-creation: children imagining and making alongside artists; families sharing cultural knowledge; and communities shaping a collective artistic expression. The lantern and costume parade at the Colours of Eid Festival will showcase not only the artworks created, but the unity and creativity of a town celebrating its shared history.
Our vision is to ignite pride, belonging, and understanding, establishing a lasting, community-led cultural tradition for Luton.
Co-creation
The idea for Spreading the Light has grown directly from the success, learning, and community feedback generated through previous Colours of Eid festivals. In 2024, we delivered Luton’s first public Eid light display in St George’s Square, creating a joyful, visible celebration that received strong praise from partners and the wider community, including encouragement from Luton BID to develop it further. This momentum shaped the project’s evolution into an annual programme co-designed with schools, partners, artists, and community groups. In 2025, the project expanded to London and Luton, featuring vibrant installations at Eid in the Square in Trafalgar Square, Barnet’s public display with Ramadan Lights UK, and a town-centre installation in Luton’s Hat Gardens. Community workshops at The Point, Women’s Aid Luton, and Tokko Youth Hub demonstrated a growing appetite for creative participation. These experiences, combined with partner feedback, have informed a more ambitious, community-led vision for Spreading the Light 2026.
Vital Arts Education
In Luton, children from minority communities often have fewer opportunities to engage with the arts, reflecting national trends that show significantly lower arts participation among Asian and ethnically diverse groups compared with the national average. Our schools workshops directly address this gap by offering Muslim children—particularly those with heritage from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan and Turkey—high-quality creative experiences they may not usually access. These activities also bring Muslim and non-Muslim children together, using shared artistic learning to build understanding, creativity and mutual respect. Through co-creation, the project strengthens relationships across cultures and helps children feel proud, connected and represented.
Our Impact 2022-2024
Building an Artistic Legacy
The lantern parade will a powerful artistic dimension to the Colours of Eid Festival, transforming the town centre with light, colour, and collective creativity. Co-created by children, families, and artists, the lanterns showcase Islamic-inspired design and celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of Luton. As it leads into the Act of Kindness Parade, a festival highlight, the lantern procession enriches the event’s visual impact while embodying its values of generosity, unity, and shared celebration. Together, these parades create an uplifting artistic moment that brings communities closer, encourages pride, and strengthens Luton’s cultural identity.