Sir Harold Hillier Gardens will once again be transformed into a Christmas wonderland of light and colour.
The award-winning Light Up Sir Harold Hillier Gardens At Christmas event will welcome visitors from November 28 to January 1 for a night-time trail of light art installations created by top artists and designers.
This year, the event is a finalist in two categories at the Tourism South East Beautiful South Tourism Awards.
The event will also feature staff and student scientists from the University of Southampton to inspire the next generation of physicists.
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"We want to engage with young people who are yet to even recognise the science in what they’re seeing."
The staff and students will meet visitors and discuss the physics research work at Cornerstone, the photonics innovation centre at the university.
The centre is pioneering the development and commercialisation of silicon photonics technology using light waves instead of electrical currents to transfer information.
Dr John adds: "Photonics is central to our world, it is an enabling technology, from arts and media to manufacturing and engineering.
"Yet we have a skills shortage in that there are not enough physicists and optical engineers coming through even though there are plenty of jobs – some of them very well paid – in this field."
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The directors of Light Up Trails, Libby Battaglia and Lucinda Croft, say: "The artists and designers we work with at Light Up Trails are absolutely brilliant, but so are the scientists and technologists who enable their work."
This year’s event promises more Christmas, more lights, more photo opportunities and more joy with a new route and new installations.
The star attractions include international sound artist Karen Monid’s Wild Yule, a large-scale soundscape encouraging visitors to experience the winter landscape as a living place that has inspired myths and imagination.
In recognition of the times we live in, there is a price freeze with off-peak and peak tickets the same price as last year.
A new super peak ticket is also available for a number of extra special nights when the light trail is enhanced by live entertainment.
For more information and to book tickets, visit lightuptrails.com.
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