Scarborough Lights Festival launch to be marked with illuminated art

Peasholm Park will feature a Winter Lights Trail throughout the festival

Illuminated art installations will mark the launch of a new festival in Scarborough, organisers have said.

The Scarborough Lights Festival, which starts next month, will include a total of 15 events and light artworks from the UK and across Europe.

It is part of a three-year bid to boost arts and culture and improve job opportunities in the town, those behind the event said.

The festival will run from 15 November to 23 December.

Another aim of the festival was to help create a year-round visitor economy for the seaside resort, organisers said.

It is the first event as part of what is known as the Scarborough Fair cultural initiative, which is being funded by £1.2m from the government's Towns Fund programme.

Scarborough Castle will host a drone display as part of the festival

The start of the festival will be marked by a new light installation called The Fading Light of Ruins, by Flemish artist Peter Snijder.

It will receive its world premiere at St Mary's Church, with other installations on display throughout the town.

A Winter Lights Trail in Peasholm Park will also run throughout the festival and a drone display will take place at the landmark Scarborough Castle, according to the festival's organisers.

North Yorkshire Council said 10 of the events would offer free admission.

The authority said the Scarborough Fair project aimed to bring economic benefits to the coast, with better quality jobs and training, and helping to tackle social deprivation.

Simon Myers, executive member for arts and culture, said: "First and foremost, it is an event we hope will be fun and entertaining for communities in Scarborough, as well as bringing in thousands more people to the town.

"But there will hopefully be longer-term benefits for the town, both economically and socially, as part of Scarborough Fair's programme of events."

The council hopes the event will bring people into the town

The director of Scarborough Fair, Julian Caddy, said it was a "ground-breaking initiative" for the town.

"It will revive a festival that may have been last held back in the 18th Century, but which is still famous around the world," he said.

"The Scarborough Lights festival is the first step in a journey which we hope will involve as many communities as possible, bringing arts and culture to the town and attracting visitors from across the country and beyond."

Established under Royal Charter in 1253, the original Scarborough Fair drew merchants from all over the world to sell to visitors each August and September.

However, competition and changing economic circumstances left it financially untenable, with the last event held in 1788.

It was celebrated in a traditional English ballad and came to the attention of Simon and Garfunkel in the 20th Century, who recorded a version for their 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.