Truro Cathedral to light up with The Storytellers in 2027

Every January for the past two years, Truro Cathedral has swapped its usual hush for arches full of colour and sound after dark. Now a third transformation is booked in, and this time the subject is the oldest habit humans have ever had: telling each other stories.

The show is called The Storytellers, and it comes from the artistic duo behind the cathedral’s last two winter spectaculars, Space in January 2025 and Time in January 2026.

📷Credit: Luxmuralis

What’s coming to the cathedral in January 2027

The Storytellers runs from Monday 11 to Saturday 16 January 2027. During the day the cathedral will look exactly as it always does. Once evening falls, the pillars, arches and vaulted ceiling become the canvas for a run of projected artworks, each paired with its own soundscape, building into an immersive walk through the history of storytelling itself.

The organisers describe it as a journey from the earliest oral traditions through to the classics of world literature, with each artwork acting as its own chapter. Visitors move through ancient texts and into the imagined worlds of famous authors, taking in children’s classics, fantasy, romance, poetry and legend along the way, all lit up and set to music inside the building.

📷Credit: Luxmuralis

From ancient voices to the classics

What sets The Storytellers apart from the previous two shows is the sheer range of material on offer. Rather than one theme running the whole way through, each artwork stands as its own chapter, meaning the walk through the cathedral touches everything from the earliest campfire tales to the novels people still return to today. It is as much a celebration of the art of storytelling as it is of any single story.

📷Credit: Luxmuralis

The team turning stone into a storybook

The show comes from Luxmuralis, the collaboration between sculptor Peter Walker and composer David Harper. Together they create immersive fine art, light and sound installations, and have brought their work to some of the most significant historic, cultural and sacred spaces in the UK and abroad, including St Paul’s, Westminster and Canterbury cathedrals, and Washington DC National Cathedral in the United States.

Peter Walker, artistic director of Luxmuralis, said the team wanted to explore something that connects every culture and every generation. “Long before books, stories were shared through voices, music and imagination, bringing people together and helping us understand the world around us,” he said. “We wanted to create an experience where visitors of all ages can lose themselves in that journey, surrounded by light, sound and the beauty of this remarkable space. Our hope is that people leave not only inspired by the stories we share but are reminded of the stories that have shaped their own lives.”

📷Credit: Luxmuralis

Third time at Truro, and a growing reputation

This will be the third year running that Truro has hosted a Luxmuralis show, following the strong response to both Space and Time. The Storytellers itself has already proved popular elsewhere, having found success at Winchester, Durham, Exeter and Chelmsford Cathedrals, with Luxmuralis installations seen by thousands of people at historic sites across the country.

Sean O’Neill, chief operating officer at Truro Cathedral, said Cornwall’s own storytelling tradition made the show a natural fit. “Cornwall is renowned as a place of rich storytelling and the cathedral is no exception,” Sean said. “In January, we look forward to honouring and adding to that tradition as Luxmuralis visits us again with another different spectacular show, this time celebrating an array of well-known storytellers.”

📷Credit: Luxmuralis

Dates, timings and how to find out about tickets

Tickets are not yet on sale, but anyone wanting to be first in line can register through the sign-up form on the cathedral’s website to hear when they go live.

The full light show takes around 45 minutes to complete, though visitors are welcome to stay as long as they like once they’ve entered at their designated time slot. A visit is expected to take around an hour altogether. Further details will be added to the cathedral’s website and social media channels as January 2027 draws closer.

Whatever chapter draws the biggest crowd this time, one thing looks certain: the cathedral’s quiet winter evenings are about to get a lot busier.

📷Credit: Luxmuralis

📷Credit: Luxmuralis

📷Credit: Luxmuralis