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Oldham's winter skyline will be redrawn next February when the Illuminate Light Night spreads more than 40 glowing installations through the town centre, echoing the scale of Blackpool's famous seafront show. Council chiefs quietly confirmed the 2026 date in a low-key notice, promising residents a free evening trail that turns familiar streets into a pop-up gallery of light.

The festival's return lands barely a year after TV personality Katie Price drew sold-out Easter crowds to her first Oldham panto role, proof that outside headlines can translate into packed local seats. Her March 2025 appearance at the Coliseum bumped box-office takings up 30 % on the previous spring season, theatre accounts show.

Those Christmas crowds you battled in November were record-breakers too. More than 12,000 people squeezed into Parliament Square for the 2024 lights switch-on, where Bluey's walk-about lasted exactly 18 minutes before stewards whisked the costume character away for safety reasons.

While the streets sparkle, Northmoor Library is preparing its own quiet glow-up. A £168,400 grant approved last March will let the council replace the leaking 1980s roof and install low-energy lighting, keeping the building open for evening study hours that currently end at 5 pm.