Light trail marks start of Freedom Festival 2014

The long-awaited start of Freedom Festival 2014 will be marked by the unveiling this evening of 'The Long Walk to Freedom', a stunning light trail that will illuminate Hull's Old Town.

Eight local artists have been commissioned to create new installations to form the light trail, which is inspired by Nelson Mandela and highlights the parallels between Mandela's work in fighting for equality and the origins of Freedom Festival.

Along the light trail, Mandela's greatest moments and achievements, reimagined as installations of light, colour and sounds, will be played out on the cobbles of Hull's Old Town.

Audio-visual installations, dynamic interplays of light and shadow and a 75 metre mural created by 10 graffiti artists will all feature as the trail winds its way from Hull's Museum Quarter to a fire at dusk in the Nelson Mandela Peace Gardens.

The Hull Freedom Chorus will welcome the Freedom Flame - a Dutch flame symbolising the end of occupation during WWII - to officially mark the opening of the light trail and the start of the festival.

Leading the flame from the Gardens, street theatre performers Spark! will take the audience from the heart of the Old Town to the Yellow Bus Stage in the heart of the Marina.