2025 Wrapped: A Year With Art Reach

It’s been a year of big ideas, bold collaborations and moments that brought people together in powerful ways. We worked with artists, communities and organisations to imagine new possibilities, tell important stories and make creative experiences accessible to more people.

Our first major partnership of the year was Light Up Leicester in March, and as a founding partner, we were excited to once again be part of this ambitious celebration of art, light and public space. Across four nights, over 100,000 visitors explored the city centre, enjoying large-scale light installations, live performance and community-led events. Light Up Leicester is a testament to the power of collaboration, proudly presented by Leicester City Council, BID Leicester, Art Reach and Leicester Cathedral.

We’re delighted to hear that Light Up Leicester received multiple awards this year:

• Best Culture and Arts Scheme, ATCM Awards (BID Leicester)
• Best Free Event, Leicestershire Tourism Awards
• Placemaking Award, National Outdoor Events Association Awards

This year saw the return of our bi-annual climate-conscious outdoor festival, Re/action Festival. Centred in Jubilee Square and spreading across the city, the festival brought bold outdoor performance and sustainable creativity into the heart of the city, encouraging audiences to engage and reflect together. Re/action offered space for meaningful conversations about the climate and our collective responsibility, while remaining fun and accessible.

Re/action also marked a milestone for Passing It On, with the premiere of the documentary and an outdoor photography exhibition on Humberstone Gate. Developed in partnership with Leicester Nirvana FC and delivered alongside Opal 22 Arts & Edutainment, Good People Create and Lensi Photography, Passing It On celebrates the club’s activism, inclusive ethos and ambition to become the UK’s first carbon-neutral grassroots football club. Made possible with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project highlights stories of resilience, identity and belonging, showing how a football club born from activism continues to shape lives and unite communities.

2025 has been a great year for the Impact Network for Creatives (INC). We delivered 1-to-1 mentoring, workshops, networking events and immersive Go & See trips, giving our 158 members the chance to explore projects across the country and see the impact of arts in communities. Listening closely to our members, we have developed the INCdex, a new directory showcasing the creatives and arts professionals who make up the network. INCdex will go live on our website early in 2026 for everyone to explore. It’s been inspiring to watch members connect, share ideas, and develop their practice—and we looking forward to supporting even more creatives in the year ahead.

Alongside our public-facing work, we’ve had a busy year in consultancy. In 2025, we supported 19 organisations and individuals, providing guidance across strategy, access, evaluation and research. We also delivered our first ever commissioned research project, Developing Disabled Leadership in the Midlands, commissioned by Arts Council England. During our research we engaged with 45 organisations and individuals to ensure people with lived experience of disability and neurodivergence were consulted at every stage. This strand of our work continues to grow and we’re excited to build on these relationships and insights in the new year.

Journeys Festival International returned in October as a space for people to come together, slow down and listen. Across Leicester, audiences shared moments of connection through art and conversation, encountering stories shaped by migration and lived experience. At a time when difference is too often framed as something to fear, the festival created space for empathy and understanding, reminding us that listening to each other is where connection begins. Journeys Festival International will return in October 2026!

These highlights are just a glimpse of what 2025 has brought for us at Art Reach. From festivals that lit up the city to projects rooted in collaboration and community, it has been a year defined by creativity and connection. None of this work happens in isolation—we’re incredibly grateful to the artists, partners, funders and communities who make it possible.

As we look ahead to 2026, we can’t wait to keep listening, collaborating and creating space for extraordinary art that brings people together.