Glow up: Celebrate the 200th birthday of London’s oldest university at UCL Illuminated!
Book your tickets now for UCL Illuminated, a spectacular central London sound and light show and opening event, celebrating 200 years of UCL.
Running on the evenings of 11, 12 and 13 February 2026, with multiple shows each night, UCL’s iconic Wilkins Building, Portico and newly remodelled Quad will be transformed into a Son et lumiére – an immersive sound and light experience using state-of-the-art 3D projection mapping.
As evening falls, attendees will be transported back to the streets of London in 1826, where they’ll watch the story of UCL’s foundation. A tour de force of light, music and animation, projected onto the historic Wilkins Building, will chronicle 200 years of UCL history, from a small community of intellectuals on the city’s edge to the global powerhouse of science, arts and humanities research it is today.
The show will pay homage to UCL’s most notable figures, from Nobel Prize winners to Oscar winners, finishing with an optimistic look to the university’s future.
Produced by Double Take Projections, the display will kick off a year of bicentennial celebrations as the university marks its 200th anniversary. This is not just for staff, students and alumni – everyone is invited!
Post-show, attendees will be invited to step beyond the illumination’s ‘canvas’, gaining early access to the newly renovated Wilkins Building and new exhibition Two Centuries Here. The exhibition offers an opportunity to go deeper and explore UCL’s origins as the first university in London and discover the ground-breaking work that happens here today. Expect photography, objects, artefacts, stories, dialogue, and interactive installations.
Also in the Wilkins Building will be a new AI installation, The UCL Eye. The high-resolution, micro-LED screen will use generative AI to visualise a kaleidoscope-esque impression of UCL research.
Make an evening of it, with food and drink options available from a range of stalls and food trucks while student performances, courtesy of Students’ Union UCL, will keep you entertained throughout the night. Get your hands on UCL200 merchandise and three new books, tracing two centuries of discoveries, architecture, and generational stories of student life.
Professor Dame Hazel Genn (Pro-Provost Bicentennial) said: “UCL Illuminated is a spectacular way to launch our bicentennial year – marking UCL’s founding values and celebrating 200 years of ground-breaking research and student life in the capital. Since 1826, people from all over the globe have come to London to make UCL their home and do remarkable things of lasting benefit to society. This unique, immersive sound and light experience, displayed on the iconic Wilkins Building, will bring to life our story of innovation, inclusion and impact. We want everyone to join us and be part of it!”
Tickets are available to book online and cost £5 each, which includes entry to UCL Illuminated and a UCL souvenir gift. Running time of UCL Illuminated is 12 minutes and visitors will have plenty of time to explore the Quad, stalls and exhibition. Proceeds from the sale of all tickets will support UCL200 Scholarships, helping to create a lasting legacy for UCL’s Bicentenary.
Under-16s will be able to attend for free, as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
