Clifton Suspension Bridge to be lit up this weekend for Bristol Light Festival – here’s when you can see the illuminated landmark

Clifton Suspension Bridge is probably Bristol’s most iconic landmark, so why has it taken this long to be a part of the beloved Bristol Light Festival? Well, celebrating the completion of major restoration works, including new LED lighting, this is the first time such a display has been possible since the bridge was opened 162 years ago. 

The brand-new luminous display celebrating the Gorge’s rare ecology will light up the bridge this opening weekend through a carefully choreographed lighting sequence. The animated 10-minute display runs each evening at half-hour intervals between Friday and Sunday (February 20 to 22). 

Designed to be viewed from across the city (particularly best from the South), the illuminated sequence represents the flora that emerges throughout the changing months of the year. The installation uses soft yellows, reds, purples and seasonal tones for maximum visibility at a distance during hours of darkness.

You will see the bridge transition through the seasons, beginning with the fresh tones of early spring flowers such as sweet violets and Bristol rock cress. The display then moves through summer greenery and colourful wildflower meadows, into autumn berries and falling leaves, before ending with a white winter frost.

Anna Farthing, Interim Head of Place at Bristol BID, said: “Through this new relationship, and the co-creation of this evocative lighting sequence, we hope to both celebrate human ingenuity and remind ourselves of our responsibilities to protect the natural world.”

The work highlights species found within the Avon Gorge and Downs, many of which are rare, endemic or internationally significant. Thanks to the Gorge’s south-facing aspect and unique microclimate, which is one degree warmer than surrounding areas, Alpine flora is able to thrive here—making it unlike anywhere else in the UK.

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