Light Up Lancaster’s much-loved Explore Week returns from 26 to 30 October, bringing five days of free, family-friendly activities to The Storey during half term. Designed to spark curiosity and creativity, Explore Week offers hands-on workshops, interactive experiences and exciting opportunities to discover the worlds of art, light and science.

Delivered in partnership with Lancaster University’s Engagement Team, the programme is a fun and accessible way for children and families to get involved, learn something new and enjoy a week of creative exploration ahead of the main Light Up Lancaster festival.

Monday 26 October 2026
LOCATION	ACTIVITY	ARTIST / ORGANISATION	DESCRIPTION
Auditorium	Imaginary Light Landscapes	Alan Morris	Using a projected live camera feed, create your own imaginary worlds.
Reading Room	Drawing with Shadows	Rachel Shore	Build a collaborative artwork with found objects, light and shadow.
Music Room	Hot Air Balloon Lanterns	Creative Ewe	Decoupage your hot air balloon paper lantern, then light it up.
Gallery	Solar-Powered Lego Cars	CITC: Johnathan Gratus	Build and drive a mini solar-powered Lego car.
Gallery	Face Painting	LMC: Specialist Makeup	Have your face painted by the Specialist Makeup students from LMC.
Extra	DIY Activity Tables
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Tuesday 27 October 2026
LOCATION	ACTIVITY	ARTIST / ORGANISATION	DESCRIPTION
Auditorium	Painting with Light	Ethan Ward	Paint with light itself captured through long exposure photography.
Reading Room	Clay Glow Houses	Ingrid’s Pottery	Sculpt glowing clay houses inspired by Lancaster’s historic buildings.
Music Room	A Sky Full of Stars	Creative Ewe	Paint a beautiful night sky, then reveal a constellation of twinkling stars.
Gallery	Global Geli Plate Printing	Jess Levine Artist	Make unique geli plate prints inspired by the colours of world flags.
Gallery	Seaside Cinema	CITC: Film Studies	An archival treasure trove of Morecambe’s cinema history to explore.
Gallery	Arctic Music Making
Gallery	Face Painting	LMC: Specialist Makeup	Have your face painted by the Specialist Makeup students from LMC.
Extra	DIY Activity Tables
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Wednesday 28 October 2026
LOCATION	ACTIVITY	ARTIST / ORGANISATION	DESCRIPTION
Auditorium	Gadgets, Gizmos and Thingamajigs	Lancaster Makerspace	Back by popular demand… explore, discover and play!
Reading Room	Willow Bird Lanterns	Mudfolk	Weave your own bird-inspired light-up willow lantern.
Music Room	Geometric Mobile Making	Molly Bland	Create your own Alexander Calder inspired geometric hanging mobile.
Gallery	Solar-Powered Lego Cars	CITC: Johnathan Gratus	Build and drive a mini solar-powered Lego car.
Gallery	Under Your Skin: Inside the Human Body	CITC: Fidelis Chibhabha	Explore human anatomy through four fun hands-on activities.
Gallery	Future Health Fortune Tellers	CITC: Benjamin Dalton	Discover and influence what the fortune teller’s tarot cards foretell.
Gallery	Face Painting	LMC: Specialist Makeup	Have your face painted by the Specialist Makeup students from LMC.
Extra	DIY Activity Tables
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Thursday 29 October 2026
LOCATION	ACTIVITY	ARTIST / ORGANISATION	DESCRIPTION
Auditorium	Gadgets, Gizmos and Thingamajigs	Lancaster Makerspace	Back by popular demand… explore, discover and play!
Reading Room	Glow-in-the-Dark Flags	Artscool	Design your own flag and watch it glow under UV light.
Music Room	Drawn to the Moon	Rachel Allsop	Make glowing paper moths and graffiti a giant handmade moon.
Gallery	Clodhoppers, Jackbit and Snigs – oh my!	CITC: Lancashire Voices	Discover the weird and wonderful world of Lancashire dialect.
Gallery	Chinese Shadow Puppet Papercutting	Lancaster University: Confucius Institute	Create shadow puppets through the art of papercutting to tell a story.
Gallery	AI Investigators: Spot the Bot	CITC: Sophie Nightingale & Justin Lo	Can you tell what’s real, and what’s AI?
Gallery	Face Painting	LMC: Specialist Makeup	Have your face painted by the Specialist Makeup students from LMC.
Extra	DIY Activity Tables
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Friday 30 October 2026
LOCATION	ACTIVITY	ARTIST / ORGANISATION	DESCRIPTION
Auditorium	UV Street Signs	Escape2Make	Design reinvented street signs through UV and mixed media under blacklight.
Reading Room	Shadow Theatre Books	Rebecca Lanyon Willmott	Create a little illuminated world where shadow puppets can play.
Music Room	South Asian Cultural Crafts	Preston City Mela	Henna, Macrame, Flower Garlands, Warli Painting, Jar Lanterns, Calligraphy and more!
Gallery	South Asian Cultural Crafts	Preston City Mela	Henna, Macrame, Flower Garlands, Warli Painting, Jar Lanterns, Calligraphy and more!
Gallery	AI Investigators: Spot the Bot	CITC: Sophie Nightingale & Justin Lo	Can you tell what’s real, and what’s AI?
Gallery	Face Painting	LMC: Specialist Makeup	Have your face painted by the Specialist Makeup students from LMC.
Extra	DIY Activity Tables