A year since London’s Illuminated River project was revealed; first four bridges on the River Thames were lit on at 10pm on July 17th, 2019.

The four bridges, London, Cannon Street, Southwark and Millennium, were illuminated with a massive cheer when project leaders pressed the button.

(Image:James Newton/Signify)

Signify, who is the lighting partner of the project, has programmed nearly 2,000 light points to display over 16.9 million different light colors for each bridge. “To ensure everything went smoothly we had a team of our and Leo’s people on hand at each bridge. It all went flawlessly,” said Iain Byrne, Project Manager, Illuminated River project, Signify.

“Physical work on the first four bridges began in January this year,” explained Joao Pola, Signify’s UK and Ireland CEO, “the bridges use our Color Kinetics lighting monitored by Interact Landmark. Our software can also be used to control the lighting, for example to commemorate special occasions.”

Consultants Atelier 10 ensured the lighting minimizes direct light spill onto the river. And as it is LED, it reduces energy consumption. Previously, the lighting ran all night, from dusk to dawn. Now that it’s connected, it’s switched off at 2.00am to offer extra energy savings.

It’s estimated the artwork on the first four bridges will be seen more than 60 million times each year by Londoners and visitors alike. And that number, like the project itself, will continue to grow.