River of Light frequently asked questions

River of Light is an outdoor illuminated gallery on Liverpool Waterfront, a 3KM loop, featuring light and sound installations from a range of local, national and international artists which residents and visitors to the city can enjoy and experience.

No, the route is completely self-guided and no booking or tickets are required. 

All installations are free to attend. 

River of Light will take place from 24 October to 2 November 2025. 

Across a 3KM route around Liverpool Waterfront and surrounding areas. Exact locations of each artwork will be shared soon. 

There will be 10 artworks for you to enjoy in total.

Yes. Each year River of Light features different pieces. Some are from the same artists but no works are repeated. 

The artworks will be lit each night from 5pm until 9pm and will not remain on through the night to conserve energy. 

On Sunday 26^th October and Wednesday 29^th October the lights will be switched on at 4pm-5pm for 'quiet hour.'  

Quiet hour is an hour where some artworks are adapted to accommodate visitors with additional sensory needs. During these hours, the 10 featured installations will have reduced soundscapes or will operate entirely without sound. Where possible, lighting will also be softened, creating a calmer environment for those with sensory sensitivities.

On the 01 November hours will be extended until 10pm for our 'Late Night' evening. 

River of Light runs from 24 October - 2 November from 5pm- 9pm each day.

The light installations will be switched on at 5pm and off at 9pm throughout the start and end time of the programme.

 On Sunday 26^th October and Wednesday 29^th October they will be switched on from 4pm for ‘quiet hour’.

On 01 November hours will be extended until 10pm for our 'Late Night' evening. 

Toilets open for public use are available at Royal Albert Dock and Liverpool ONE and are open until 8PM. 

Royal Albert Dock toilets can be found at L3 4AF. 

Liverpool ONE toilets are located inside the Visitor Centre, Wall Street, L1 8JQ. Toilets cost 30p per visit and are payable via contactless.

Further information on the artworks can be found here.

There are no fireworks as part of River of Light. 

The route is approximately a 3km loop with no designated start or finish. It is recommended to download the map and plan your own route.

No, it is designed to be family friendly and all inclusive. It is advised that small children are accompanied by an adult at all times.

As the installations are outside in areas accessible by the public, dogs are allowed to walk the route.

Yes, all artworks are in accessible locations. Some pieces may be located on cobbled terrain, where this is the case this will be noted. Accessibility information can be found here.

Every artwork will feature light and some feature sound. 

Where flashing lights are part of the piece, this will be noted on our website and in the accessibility guide created for each piece. 

River of Light is a popular event that will become busy at peak times.

River of Light will be organising two 'Quiet Hour' sessions for 2025. They will take place on the following days/times: - 

• Sunday 26 October and Wednesday 29 October. 
• 4pm - 5pm

Measures that will be in place during the 'Quiet Hour' staging will be different for each installation and further details can be found on the individual installation pages.

At each of the installations there will be a large interpretation board with details about the installation and a QR code that can be scanned and will take you through to the designated page on the River of Light website for further details.

There will also be signage for the route map. 

The boards are all accessible but the public is reminded to wait until the board is available before reading the information.

Full information around accessibility at River of Light can be found here.

Liverpool is well connected to the UK motorway network. From the M6, take the M62, the M58 or the M56 directly into the city.

• Accessible parking facilities
  • Princes Dock Multistorey Car Park: There are 3 x dedicated accessible parking bays in this car park. For more information on this car park, please visit liverpoolwaters.co.uk/visit/car-parking/
     
  • Royal Albert Dock: There are 6 x dedicated accessible parking bays located on the Gower Street Car Park – please note that standard charges apply for blue badge holders in those spaces. For more information, please visit albertdock.com/parking/
     
  • *Q-Park: There are 5 x Q-Park car parks in the centre of Liverpool, and they have around 180 x blue badge parking spaces within their facilities (please note these are not free of charge). For more information on Q-Parks in Liverpool please visit q-park.co.uk/en-gb/results/?l=Liverpool
     
  • Liverpool City Council Blue Badge parking: If you have a blue badge you can park in any on street Pay and Display bays and in most of the city's Pay and Display car parks free of charge, with no time limit.  Badge holders must ensure that a valid blue badge is clearly on display in the windscreen, so the date of expiry and issuing council are clearly visible from outside the vehicle. For more information on Liverpool City Council Blue Badge parking, please visit  liverpool.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/find-parking/council-car-parks/
     

In Liverpool, all licensed black cabs and several licenced private hire vehicles are wheelchair accessible. Here are some useful phone numbers of some of the major taxi companies within Liverpool - 
 

• ComCab – 0151 298 2222
  
  There are a variety of private hire taxi companies which will mainly be using saloon cars – some useful numbers are: -
  • Alpha Taxis – 0151 722 8888
  • Britannia Taxis – 0151 708 7080
  • Delta Taxis - 0151 924 7373

*Visitors can also save 10% on pre-booked parking with QPark by entering the code VISLIV10 to save 10%

River of Light is a popular event and we encourage the use of public transport to ensure a smooth journey and to be more sustainable.

The nearest Merseyrail stations to River of Light are Moorfields (Wirral and Northern Line) and James Street (Wirral Line). For National Rail, Liverpool Lime St Station is approximately a 15 minute walk to Liverpool Waterfront, or visitors can utilise the Merseyrail underground service to Travel to James Street or Moorfields by rail.

Plan your journey in advance and refer to the Merseytravel website for the most up to date travel information. 

Yes, there will be road closures at the Pier Head.  There will be no access to Pier Head. No access via Brunswick St (exit only).  Access for disabled parking, businesses, residents and workers is via St Nicholas Place – 6pm – 9pm

There will be a road closure in place at the entrance to Royal Albert Dock (Salthouse Quay) from  6pm – *9pm -

*Subject to change. 

Yes, River of Light will be organising two 'Quiet Hour' sessions for 2025. They will take place on the following days/times: - 

• Sunday 26 October and Wednesday 29 October.
• 4pm - 5pm

Measures that will be in place during the 'Quiet Hour' staging will be different for each installation and further details for them can be found on the individual installation pages. 

People can feel, see and experience the world differently; that is why the River of Light Quiet Hour is designed to support members of our community with hidden disabilities and neurodivergent people. The Quiet Hour is planned to create a calmer environment for visitors who find the hustle and bustle an uncomfortable experience. Whilst the lights can’t be turned off, sounds will be turned down or turned off dependant on the individual installation in order to create a gentler sensory experience. 

All of the light installations can be viewed from the ground and therefore there are no additional viewing platforms for any of the installations.

If you have further questions regarding River of Light that are not covered here, please contact the organisers on CultureLiverpool@liverpool.gov.uk

Blue Badge holders can park in designated Blue Badge bays, and any other pay and display bays, free of charge all day.

There are designated Blue Badge bays near to Liverpool Waterfront on Brunswick Street, Water Street and St Nicholas Place.

Find out more here on the Liverpool City Council website.