ART AFTER DARK RETURNS WITH FREE PUBLIC ART AND MUSIC PROGRAMME IN LONDON

Art After Dark, Art of London’s free art and culture programme, returns from 03-10 February 2026 with a week-long celebration of London’s nightlife through art and music, including a special after-hours DJ-set at the National Gallery. Inspired by the city’s club culture, the programme brings together large-scale public artworks, late-night gallery openings and exclusive music experiences across the West End.  

Channelling the energy and spectacle of a live music festival, internationally acclaimed London based artist Lakwena Maciver (Tate Britain, Southbank Centre, Somerset House) will headline and launch the programme with her landmark public artwork, Rise and Shine, a 7-metre-tall tower of stacked disco lightboxes, in Piccadilly Circus.  

 Installed at one of the West End’s most recognisable landmarks, the soaring artwork reimagines the site’s analogue heritage through kaleidoscopic colour and a soundtrack inspired by community music culture. Its acid-bright visuals and illuminated forms reference the nightlife of the 1980s and 1990s, a period that influenced music genres from hip-hop to drum and bass. 

Art After Dark will also animate the West End with a programme of late-night events, including a special one-off after-hours DJ event at The National Gallery on 5 February. Celebrating music culture, guests will enjoy an exclusive live DJ set inside the Gallery after closing time, offering a rare chance to dance after dark with friends in one of London’s most iconic cultural institutions. Tickets available for ‘PARTY After Dark at The National Gallery’ via The National Gallery website here. 

The public art will be unveiled across the West End, with new digital artworks displayed daily on the giant Piccadilly Lights and screens within the West End, offering a vivid backdrop for culture seekers as they stroll through the district.   

Throughout the week, the West End will host late-night gallery openings, bookable art tours via Art of London Gallery HOP!, special offers and live performances at local bars and nightclubs, including the Hard Rock Café, The London Reign Showclub, BOX Piccadilly, and Haymarket Hotel, and an exclusive Q&A with Lakwena, in partnership with Apple. 

Art of London returns with its seasonal art and culture programme, Art After Dark led by artist Lakwena Maciver, from 03-10 February 2026. Visit artoflondon.co.uk/artafterdark.