Milton Keynes Lights Up: A Stellar Festival Uniting Community and Culture

Milton Keynes is preparing to host a unique light festival designed to celebrate and unite its diverse communities. The event, called City of Codes and Light, is organized by Milton Keynes Islamic Arts & Culture, known as MKIAC. This year’s theme is Constellations of Stars: Echoes Across the Sky, and the festival aims to highlight the city’s reputation for arts, culture, and innovation. MKIAC was founded in 2002 as a response to the September 11 attacks, with the goal of overcoming divisions in society and encouraging people to come together. Anouar Kassim, the founder and creative director, believes that community cohesion is more important now than ever before.

One of the festival’s main features is a large-scale projection at the city library, created by Limbic Cinema. This display will tell the story of astronomy, tracing the journey from ancient stargazers to modern discoveries. The event will also include a lantern parade, inviting people of all ages to participate and enjoy the vibrant atmosphere. The festival is free and open to everyone, making it an inclusive celebration for the whole city.

The festival also honors the contributions of Islamic astronomers such as al-Sufi and Ali Qushji, showing how the night sky has inspired stories across different cultures and generations. Each year, the festival explores a new theme. In 2019, it connected the work of Alan Turing, a mathematician from Bletchley Park, with Islamic art, demonstrating the links between mathematics and creativity. The festival will run until October 22 and will end with workshops at Centre:MK, designed to inspire young people through coding, mathematics, and critical thinking. The event is a chance for Milton Keynes to come together, celebrate its creativity, and reflect on its place in the universe.