A giant slinky toy and other spectacular illuminations…

A giant slinky toy and other spectacular illuminations will light up Salford Quays this winter

A giant, glowing slinky toy will be among the illuminations lighting up Salford Quays this winter as the Lightwaves Festival returns. The free, interactive light trail will take place this December and will showcase a series of mesmerising digital artworks from a variety of local, national and international artists.

Each spring of the the slinky sculpture, designed by Studio Vertigo, will be illuminated to create the familiar form of a slinky tumbling end over end into the shadows. It will be one of 13 free artworks to discover around the Quays and MediaCityUK during the festival.

Headlining the dramatic light art trail will be Navvies - an audio-visual installation projecting light and sound onto the Manchester Ship Canal. Designed by Matthew Rosier, and set against a backdrop of music performed by the BBC Philharmonic, the installation tells the story of the Quays and recognises the role of labourers who worked in harsh and often lethal conditions in the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal.

Looking down into the water of the Huron Basin, visitors will see a projection of dozens of anonymous individuals, who appear to be endlessly digging – only their white spades and wheelbarrows moving. The wider project includes several community workshops and a partnership with Salford Loaves and Fishes charity to create a Navvies Garden at MediaCity.

The Lightwaves festival will showcase a series of mesmerising digital artworks (Supplied)

Other highlights of the captivating showcase include Once We Were Water , an installation which allows visitors to ‘walk’ through the waters of a digitally recreated river. Created by award-winning studio, idontloveyouanymore, the project acts almost as the imaginings of distant future - an age where rivers and waterfalls no longer flow.

Elsewhere, visitors can took a closer look at Garden of the Deep, which showcases a display of 1000 flowers made from discarded plastic bottles. The unnatural garden will be displayed in the planters at the heart of the festival in MediaCity.

The sky around Salford Quays will also be lit up by a large mirror ball titled Our Beating Heart , and Butterfly Cluster , by Anne Bennett, an artwork created for this specific location on the Operations Tower. Visitors will be able to gaze up at hundreds of illuminated butterflies high in the night sky.

The winter markets at MediaCity (Supplied)

Alongside the performance for Lightwaves, the BBC Philharmonic have arranged an enchanting programme of music with a festive feel featuring Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s music from the Christmas Eve Suite amongst others. The evening of music will take place on Friday, December 9 and the ballot for tickets is now open until Sunday, November 27.

This winter, MediaCity and Salford Quays will also play host to a number of attractions and markets. In a new covered venues in the MediaCity Gardens, guests can experience Art Hall - where good food meats great art. With interiors designed by local art and design studio, MikeSian Studio, and in partnership with local craft brewery, Seven Bro7hers, it will offer a one-off mix of street food, local beer, hot drinks, art workshops, live music, and festive events.

The map of this year's Winter Fest at MediaCity (Supplied)

As well as art and food, every weekend from Saturday November 19 until Sunday December 18, local makers, bakers, and artisans, will curate a seasonal pick of festive food and drink, art and design, plus vintage and modern crafts. The Quayside Twilight Markets - a Friday night food market - will also take place with openings and stalls from independent vendors, and will run until December 18.

Lightwaves Festival takes place from 1-4 December, 4-10pm. The event is free.

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