Stromness Glimmers
6–9pm, Thursday 12 – Saturday 14 November 2026
Stromness Glimmers: A Festival of Light will transform the streets of Stromness into a free, spectacular gallery of illuminated artworks for all to enjoy and explore. In the dark evenings of 12–14 November, more than 20 light-based artworks will line the streets between the Pier Head and the museum, including moving-image projections, sculptures and more.
For those unable to view the festival as a walking tour, the street will remain open to cars with the majority of artworks visible from a vehicle.
What’s on
Light Art
6–9pm, 12–14 November, Stromness Street
Members of Móti Collective and a selection of talented local artists will be exhibiting light-based artworks throughout the town.
Artists showing work include: Alison Moore & Sarah Wylie; Alona Petliarska; Anna Charlotta Jansson; Anne Bevan & Mark Jenkins; Beccy May; Cassia Dodman; Evie Donaldson; Heini Kankaro & Kerrianne Flett; Janine Smith; Jeanne Bouza Rose & Joshua Berman; Jemima Hall; Johan Mowat; Louise Barrington; Mal Grieve; the Pier Arts Centre; Tomas Hermoso; and Wendy Barker.
For artwork information and locations, collect your free festival map from our volunteers manning the trail.
Pick Up Your Free Festival Guide
Start your visit by picking up your festival guide, which includes a map of the art trail, as well as links to our full artist captions and information.
These are available to collect for free between 6–9pm from the Stromness Library Warehouse Buildings, from Stromness Museum, or from one of our volunteers wearing hi-vis vests along the art trail.
Indoor hub and sheltered spaces
6–9pm, 12–14 November, Stromness Library Warehouse Buildings and Stromness Museum
Start your evening by collecting your free festival map from our indoor hub at the Stromness Library Warehouse Buildings. There, you’ll not only find staff, info and toilets, but also start your Light Festival art trail with indoor projections and sculptures. We even have prints for sale!
Feeling chilly at the end of the trail? Stromness Museum will also be opening 6–9pm each evening and welcoming festival goers inside, free of charge, to view their wonderful exhibits.
Refreshments
Several local businesses will be offering refreshments during the festival so please support the wonderful pubs, restaurants and cafés of Stromness.
VPCo Stromness Coffee at The Old Bank will be open 6–8.30pm on all three evenings of the festival.
Bayleaf Delicatessen will be open on Friday from 5.30–8pm.
The Royal Hotel’s Spindrift Restaurant have their dinner menu running every evening from 5.30–8pm and will be serving takeaway hot drinks during the festival.
The Pier Bistro is open until 7.30pm Friday 13th and Saturday 14th November.
Stromness Glimmers is supported by Orkney Islands Council Culture Fund and Sutherland’s Pharmacy. Inspiration for the naming of the festival came from the closing line of the beautiful reflective poem ‘Lux Perpetua’ by Stromness’s very own ‘Poet Laureate’, George Mackay Brown – ‘By such glimmers we seek you.’
During the weekend before the festival, writer Gaby Barnby and Móti artists Kerrianne Flett and Mal Grieve led a fun, hands-on making session involving creative writing and experiments with light and shadow. They would like to thank everyone who came along and took part. Work created during this workshop is being made into a short film and exhibited as part of the festival itself, so do come along and see the beautiful images everyone made.
Fancy a sneak peek?
Here are some images from a trial projection evening in Stromness, run by Móti Collective in November 2024.
