Book your tickets for UCL Illuminated!

Celebrating UCL’s past, present and future

UCL Illuminated will be a night to remember, celebrating UCL’s past, present and future and launching a year of celebrations for our 200th anniversary! This is not just for staff, students and alumni, UCL Illuminated is open to everyone! 

Running on the evenings of 11, 12 and 13 February 2026, UCL’s iconic Wilkins Building and newly remodelled Quad will be transformed into a dazzling Son et Lumière - an immersive experience brought to life with cutting-edge 3D projection mapping, light, music, storytelling and animation. 

Step back in time to London, 1826 - the year UCL was founded - and journey through 200 years of history, projected onto the Wilkins building. Watch UCL’s story unfold, from a small community of intellectuals on the city’s edge to the global powerhouse of science, arts and humanities it is today – home to Nobel Prize and Oscar winners alike and where research and innovation changes lives. 

After the show, step inside the Wilkins Building to explore Two Centuries Here, the new UCL200 exhibition. The exhibition offers an opportunity to go deeper and explore UCL’s origins as the first university in London, get to know some of the remarkable staff and students who lived and worked here, and discover the ground-breaking work that happens here today. Expect photography, objects, artefacts, stories, dialogue, and interactive installations. 

Make an evening of it, with food and drink options available from a range of stalls and food trucks. Get your hands on brand-new UCL merchandise and three new books, tracing two centuries of ground-breaking discoveries, architecture, and generational stories of student life. 

Tickets on sale now!

Tickets cost £5 each, which includes entry to UCL Illuminated and a UCL200 souvenir gift. All proceeds  from the sale of tickets will support UCL200 Scholarships, helping to create a lasting legacy for UCL’s Bicentenary. 

Please note: The time you select is your entry time, not the show start. The show will begin approximately 30 minutes after doors open. Running time of UCL Illuminated is 12 minutes and visitors will have plenty of time to explore the Quad, stalls and Two Centuries Here exhibition. 

Under-16s go free (with an accompanying adult).  

Also available, a relaxed performance at 5:15pm on Thursday 12 February, designed to offer a more comfortable and inclusive experience for anyone who would prefer a relaxed environment. Features include BSL interpretation, captioning, and a limited number of seats. 

At 9:45pm each evening, there will be a special late-night performance exclusively for current UCL students. This showing will include special performances inside the building and an opportunity for UCL students to celebrate the occasion together!  

We want everyone to be able to attend, so if the cost is a barrier, you'll be able to request a complimentary ticket.  Please get in touch with UCL ticketing via  to request a free ticket. ticketing@ucl.ac.uk

Please be aware that filming and photography will take place throughout the event. By attending, you give your consent to potentially be included. 

Can’t make it to London? No problem! For those not able to join us in person, you can watch online from anywhere in the world. Please sign up for your online stream ticket and be part of the celebration from home.  The online stream will take place at 6pm on Wednesday 11 February, just select this option when you book your tickets. 

Top image courtesy of Double Take productions.