please empty your brain below

This looks fantastic, but why is it only on for such a short time...??
Surely the cost of provision and disruption would justify a longer duration, and a more comfortable viewing experience?

dg writes: Because of the cost of provision and disruption.
Ah, I wondered why all that scaffolding was cluttering up the middle of Grosvenor Square as I passed by yesterday morning, and now I know.

Nothing in or particularly near the City then.
' ...but they hadn't been trained to know where the art is', trained, TRAINED, huh, WTF - hopefully he was being sarcastic?

dg writes: Yes, she was.
That's a relief, there is still sanity in the world, Lumiere does put all these pre-Christmas 'festivals' to shame, and January less of a slog.

I'm guessing the planning for 'Voyage' in Piccadilly Circus was done while the advertising screens were dark when being replaced last year. Sadly their brightness completely overwhelms this projection. A better view was some way down Lower Regent Street where the buildings screen off the advertising, but the detail cannot then be so easily made out.
A distinct lack of toilet provision slightly marred this for me and the stewards were no help (Try that bar: No entry without a reservation - or Pret: Can I use your loo if I buy a cake? Sorry, we haven't got a loo). Otherwise thoroughly enjoyed Mayfair and Victoria Street, which was quite enough for me for one evening! Isn't that Tesco's by Parliament Square weird?
Took me two nights to see (almost) everything. Overall it's well worth spending a few hours in the cold for, but I thought there were fewer must-see pieces compared with the 2016 event.

David's suggestion about where to watch 'Voyage' is spot on. I wasted time being blinded by the advertisements for soft drinks at Piccadilly Circus then later discovered that the view Lower Regent Street nicely does away with the light pollution.

I particularly enjoyed the Chinatown flamingos, the neon wire in St James Square, Waterlight in KX and of course Westminster Abbey. An honourable mention goes to the nightingale in Berkeley Square just for its originality.
It feels like I may be shouting into a vacuum here, but surely the cost of provision and disruption are fixed costs, irrespective of duration..?
I would have thought that an extended duration would only affect variable costs.

dg writes: Each exhibit is overseen by several stewards and crowd management personnel. Their nightly wage bill won't be cheap. The disruption caused is considerable, and includes closed roads and diverted traffic. London couldn't support more than a few nights of this.
Fair enough. I see your point.
Thanks for the clarification.
Many thanks for this. As our trusted eyes on the ground in London we have been able to plan a visit more efficiently
I was rather disappointed compared with last time. I kept passing sites and remembering the much better things they had, especuially down Regent St.

The crowds were building by 7.30 when I decamped to Canary Wharf, which I enjoyed much more, especially the twangy optical fibres and spinning teardrops.

(I didn't try KX, I remember the queues trying to get onto the Victoria line last time)
Thanks for alerting us. Very busy last night (Saturday) and some stuff is "is that it?".
But all is forgiven when you see Westminster abbey, quite breathtaking
Underwhelmed compared to 2016’s triumph but I liked the choreographed balloons in Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey was an utter triumph (again!).
There were a couple of installations that were hard to find based on the app. I found the gallery one you struggled with as it said it was best viewed from Upperground, and the feet were there too. You didn't miss much. I started at Victoria 'The Rose' on the first night, walked down to south bank and then up to blackfriars where I got the tube and then resumed west end and mayfair on the first night. St. James' church shut early so I couldn't see the others (this is where the app was incorrect as the two sculptures were at the back/side). My feet were dead and back hurt as I was lugging around work laptop on my back. I had to go back the second night to finish the one at st. james' church, then walked to see the permanent ones at carnaby and the oxford circus one before heading to fitzrovia and then walking to KingsX to see the ones there... KingsX was heaving on friday night.

here's my write-up: http://jenikya.com/blog/2018/01/london-lumiere-2018.html
Overall, I preferred the 2016 edition (http://jenikya.com/blog/2016/01/lumiere-london.html). I thought it was too spread out this year and some of them were under-whelming. However, everyone has a different opinion of what they liked or didn't like and I've heard or seen people say they like one that I didn't care for.
Great review, Jenn, thanks.

And I agree, not quite at 2016 standards.










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