To mark Westquay South’s first anniversary, Hammerson welcomed back the spectacular Festival of Light, that launched Southampton’s brand new restaurant and leisure development last year.
Until 18 February, Westquay’s Esplanade will once again radiate colour with visitors able to immerse themselves in a stunning array of visual installations . This year, the theme running through the series of interactive light installations and projection mapping draws inspiration from Hampshire’s beautiful New Forest.
Using the backdrop of the historic city walls, the digital mapping light display takes spectators on a journey through an enchanted forest. Visitors can also interact with static light installations in the form of an immersive light maze, a dynamic, multi-sensory, music making machine, as well as garden of light, an installation made up of 1,000 spheres of light that will act in synchronicity, creating changes in ambiance and patterns will give the effect of a full garden in bloom.
As the UK’s largest restaurant and leisure complex, Westquay South has transformed Southampton’s dining and entertainment offer, and has cemented Westquay’s position in the region as the leading retail, dining and leisure destination on the south coast.
Throughout the year, visitors to Westquay have been able to enjoy a fantastic calendar of interactive events, innovative pop-ups and targeted activities hosted in its stunning Esplanade. The “SKATE” ice rink welcomed over 46,000 skaters and upon opening footfall at the centre was up +9% week on week, illustrating that these engaging initiatives directly and positively impact both sales and footfall.
Andy Collyer, Westquay General Manager, commented: “The Festival of Light 2017 was such a wonderful event and enjoyed by many across the region, so we thought it was only fitting to bring it back to the city to celebrate Westquay South’s first birthday.
“It has been a great year for Westquay. The centre’s signifcantly improved leisure and dining mix and engaging calendar of events has attracted many new visitors from the local catchment and further afield. We are proud of the positive impact the centre has on the wider city and how it continues to be a key contributor to Southampton’s economy and future growth.”
