A Christmas magic lantern show on at Scarborough Art Gallery

Step back in time at Scarborough Art Gallery this Christmas with a dazzling Victorian magic lantern show.

The showwill feature stories, songs and advertisements from 1880 to 1910.

The show will feature stories, songs and adverts from 1880 to 1910placeholder image
The show will feature stories, songs and adverts from 1880 to 1910

It will be hosted by Dr Nick Hiley, a magic lantern collector and enthusiast, who will take the audience on an illuminating journey using a special selection of slides from his collection.

Dr Hiley said: “Magic lanterns project images from glass slides onto a screen or a wall, showing distant places, telling stories, and entertaining with jokes.

"The Victorians and Edwardians loved magic lanterns as a form of entertainment both at home and in halls or theatres.

“The ‘lantern season’ ran from October to March, when nights were dark, cold, and drab, and people were starved of colour. Lantern shows were especially popular at Christmas, and this one will use a variety of original glass slides, photographic, hand-coloured, and moving, to recreate some of the delight that audiences felt a century ago.”

A Christmas Magic Lantern is on at Scarborough Art Gallery, The Crescent, on Thursday December 15 starts at 7pm, doors open at 6.30pm.

Tickets are £5, including light refreshments, and can be booked at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/christmas-magic-lantern-show-tickets-465756278567

News you can trust since 1882
Follow us
© 2026 Iconic Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice