The Lochinver Lights Festival brought colour and warmth to a winter evening in Assynt, transforming Culag Woods with a stunning woodland lighting display made possible through support from the Highland Council Strategic Events Grant Fund.

The lighting installation formed the centrepiece of an evening that included a Neon Family Fun Run, market stalls, refreshments, live music and a lantern-making workshop delivered by ACCYP. A storyteller-led lantern procession guided families through the illuminated woods to White Shore, where the ceremonial lighting of the Yule fire took place. The gathering also raised awareness of the Elm re-plantation project and celebrated Assynt’s landscape, heritage and community spirit.

We are extremely grateful to the Highland Council for their funding support, without which the lighting installation and wider festival programme would not have been possible.

A heartfelt thank you also goes to the many volunteers and community groups who assisted with setting up and running the event — from supporting the lighting installation and preparing the site, to delivering activities, helping with safety, serving refreshments and guiding the procession. Your time, effort and community spirit made the evening a success.

The festival highlighted what can be achieved when local organisations, volunteers and businesses work together, and we look forward to building on this collaborative approach in the future.