Illuminated River: A night tour of the capital’s illuminated bridges

Illuminated River is a free public art installation transforming the Thames bridges in central London. Working with New York artist Leo Villareal and London architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, Atelier Ten has developed an environmentally conscious lighting solution that is bringing light and colour to nine of London’s bridges.

Transforming the Thames at night, Illuminated River offers an open-air cultural experience that is free and accessible to all and has provided a moment of respite to many during their daily lockdown walks. This monumental installation in the capital promotes the feeling of community amongst Londoners and provides them with the opportunity to re-engage with their city and enjoy its architectural beauty.

Atelier Ten has created a PDF map with interesting facts about the illuminated bridges from London Bridge through to Lambeth Bridge for you to enjoy a self-guided night tour of the world’s largest public artwork as part of this year’s festival.

The walking tour is approximately 2.5 miles, and should take around 1 hour (without stopping) or around 1.5 hours should you choose to stop to look around. The map covers the following nine illuminated bridges: London, Cannon St, Southwark, Millennium, Blackfriars Road, Waterloo, Golden Jubilee, Westminster and Lambeth. The bridges are illuminated from 9:30pm until 2:00am each night, start your tour at any time once the bridges are lit!

The PDF map will be free for users to download and view via the link from 01 June 2021. The PDF is sized to be readable on phone screens.