Iconic landmarks across the United Kingdom were illuminated in purple on Saturday night as part of the annual ‘Light the Darkness’ event marking Holocaust Memorial Day. Sites including the London Eye, Piccadilly Lights, Blackpool Tower, and Liverpool’s Albert Dock were among those participating in the national tribute.
The event, organised by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, serves as a moment of national solidarity to honour the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside millions of others killed under Nazi persecution and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.
From nightfall, buildings and monuments across all four nations of the UK were bathed in purple light, symbolising remembrance and reflection.
Landmarks Across the Country Participate
In London, major sites such as the Gherkin, Imperial War Museum, and Westminster Council buildings joined the commemoration. Elsewhere in England, Magdalen College Tower in Oxford, Gateshead Millennium Bridge, and Leeds Civic Hall were among those taking part. In Wales, locations such as the Wales Millennium Centre and South Wales Police Headquarters joined the tribute. Scotland and Northern Ireland also participated, with sites including Shetland Islands Town Hall and PwC headquarters in Belfast lighting up.
The illumination was accompanied by a powerful advertising campaign designed by creative agency St. Luke’s. A nationwide ‘digital vigil’ featured six million candles displayed on billboards, each representing a Jewish life lost during the Holocaust. The campaign appeared at key locations, including major railway stations in London such as Charing Cross, King’s Cross, and Victoria. Advertising space was provided by Global, Clear Channel, National Rail, Ocean Outdoor, and JCDecaux UK.
Nationwide Commemoration
Alongside the landmark illuminations, members of the public were invited to take part in the commemoration by lighting a candle in their windows at 8pm. The symbolic gesture aimed to encourage personal reflection and a commitment to challenging hatred in today’s society.
Holocaust Memorial Day Trust CEO Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE emphasised the importance of collective remembrance, stating: “At 8pm, people across the UK will light a candle in their homes while iconic landmarks light up purple in a powerful moment of collective remembrance of those murdered for who they were. The theme of this year’s commemorations, ‘The Fragility of Freedom,’ presents an opportunity to reflect on the freedoms that we hold dear, and ways that we can challenge prejudice today. In the face of rising antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred, it is more important than ever that we come together to create a world free from identity-based persecution.”
Ed Palmer, Managing Director of St. Luke’s, explained the impact of the visual campaign: “It’s hard to grasp the sheer enormity of the six million lives lost in the Holocaust. By seeing six million virtual candles light up across hundreds of poster sites around the UK, one for each life lost, it puts these atrocities in a new light.”
The Light the Darkness event continues to serve as a powerful reminder of the consequences of intolerance and the importance of standing against discrimination in all its forms.
