Art After Dark Returns to Light Up London’s West End with Music, Colour and Community | My Soho Times

On a wet Tuesday afternoon in London, as pavements glisten and the pace of Piccadilly Circus rarely slows, Art After Dark returns to the West End with a burst of colour, music and late-night energy. Running from 3–10 February 2026, Art of London’s annual evening programme launches with a striking new public artwork by Lakwena Maciver, transforming one of the capital’s busiest junctions into a place to pause, gather and feel something joyful.

Towering seven metres high above Piccadilly Circus, Rise and Shine is hard to miss. The installation features 30 stacked, glowing disco lightboxes, pulsing with acid-bright colour and set to a soundtrack of hip-hop, funk and soul. Drawing inspiration from London’s nightlife, carnival culture and sound system heritage, the work references the club scenes of the 1980s and 1990s — eras that helped shape genres from hip-hop to drum and bass.

By day, Piccadilly Circus is a constant blur of commuters, tourists and traffic. By night, and especially under rain-slicked skies, Rise and Shine cuts through the grey with luminous intensity. The artwork reimagines the area’s analogue past — once dominated by cinema marquees and hand-painted signage — into a contemporary kaleidoscope of light and sound. Custom digital visuals, including a shimmering white dove and bold geometric patterns, ripple across major West End screens, from Piccadilly Lights to Leicester Square, extending Maciver’s vision beyond the physical structure itself.

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For Maciver, whose work is internationally recognised for its vibrant colour palettes and uplifting messages, the installation is rooted in ideas of community, gathering and shared experience.

“I wanted this installation to be a space where people could just stop, look, and feel a bit of joy together,” she explains. “Piccadilly Circus is such a busy, everyday place, and turning it into something playful with colour, light, and music gives the city an experience everyone can share.”

Music plays a central role in the piece — not as background, but as an emotional anchor. The soundtrack invites viewers to linger, transporting them to different moods, memories and moments. It’s an approach that reflects Maciver’s wider practice, which blends art, language and cultural references to reframe how public spaces are experienced.

Art After Dark: From Public Art to After-Hours Culture

Rise and Shine marks the opening moment of Art After Dark, Art of London’s free cultural programme designed to animate the West End through interactive public art, late-night openings and after-hours events. This year’s edition places music firmly centre stage, extending the celebration beyond the streets and into some of London’s most iconic cultural venues.

On Thursday 5 February, the programme culminates in PARTY After Dark, an after-hours DJ night at The National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing. The event brings together an eclectic line-up including drag queen and TV icon Bimini, French-Canadian DJ Karaba, and emerging DJ and musician Mia Lily, who opens the night in the Sainsbury Wing foyer.

Rising to fame on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Bimini brings a genre-spanning mix of electronic, pop and club sounds — and a sense of joyful disruption to a space traditionally associated with quiet contemplation.

“The idea of performing in The National Gallery feels a bit surreal in the best way,” Bimini says. “I grew up thinking galleries were these quiet, untouchable spaces, so to walk in as a queer artist and get to make noise, take up space, and be fully myself feels really special.”

For Paul Gray, Deputy Director and COO of The National Gallery, the collaboration offers a chance to reintroduce the institution in a new light.

“Hosting the after-hours DJ event in our Sainsbury Wing foyer lets people see the Gallery in a completely different way — listening to music, experiencing the space with fresh eyes.”

Gallery HOP! and Late-Night Discoveries

Alongside headline installations and DJ events, Gallery HOP! returns as part of Art After Dark, encouraging visitors to explore the West End’s gallery scene after hours. On Thursday 5 February, a mix of self-guided and guided routes will lead audiences through independent St James’s galleries, including Cristea Roberts Gallery, The Mayor Gallery and Iconic Images Gallery, spanning traditional to contemporary art.

Culture seekers can also expect special offers, live performances and collaborations across local bars, hotels and venues — from BOX Piccadilly to Haymarket Hotel — alongside a limited-edition “Rise and Shine” cocktail, created with Maciver exclusively for Estiatorio Milos London. An exclusive artist Q&A at the Apple Store adds another layer to the week’s programme.

Lighting Up the West End

For Kirsty Tullett-Jones, Director of Art of London, Art After Dark is about revealing the West End’s creative identity after hours.

“Nightlife is part of the West End’s DNA,” she says. “Putting music centre stage to celebrate the area’s vibrant arts and culture scene is a natural fit.”

Whether you stop to dance, listen, or just take a breath beneath the glow of disco lights, Art After Dark invites the city to experience the West End differently.

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Event Information

WHAT: Art of London Presents: Art After Dark
ARTIST: Lakwena Maciver
WHERE: London West End
DATES: 3–10 February 2026

Talk: Art After Dark with Lakwena Maciver and Art of London
📍 No. 1–7 The Piazza, London, WC2E 8HB
🗓 Wednesday 4 February 2026 | 18:30–19:30
🎟 Sign up via the Apple website here 

PARTY After Dark
🎧 DJs: Bimini, Karaba, Mia Lily
📍 Sainsbury Wing Foyer, The National Gallery
🗓 Thursday 5 February 2026 | 20:00–00:00
🎟 Via the National Gallery website here for £5 – all proceeds go towards The National Gallery 

Gallery HOP!
📍 Independent St James’s galleries
🗓 Thursday 5 February 2026 | 18:00–20:00
🎟 Via Eventbrite here 

For full programme details, visit www.artoflondon.co.uk/artafterdark.

Written by My Soho Times Lifestyle Team | Images courtesy of Art of London

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