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River of Light 2018: A fabulous 15 minutes along the waterfront

Mixed reviews and stunning views

| UPDATED

On Sunday 4th November 2018, a visual and musical display took place along the waterfront at the Albert Docks. The fireworks started at 6:30pm and lasted around 15 minutes. This city's Bonfire Night event, the River of Light 2018, brought Liverpool's communities together: families, students and couples alike.

Contrary to the negative feedback of 2016, this year, the public took to twitter to voice their positive reviews. 

However, some attendees expressed their disappointment about the duration of  the firework display. Laroslava, an international student from the Ukraine, went to see the fireworks in 2017 and said it was better last year. "The fireworks were alright. It got better towards the end but I thought it would be 30 minutes."

In addition to the spectacular fireworks, a series of art installations surrounding the theme of Chinese philosophy were displayed: water, fire, earth, metal and wood were amongst the focal topics. This exhibition also marked the finale of the nine-month art season, China Dream, a Culture Liverpool event.

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Ann, a Chinese student at University of Liverpool loved the event: "It was an amazing bonfire night with all the Chinese elements. There is a suspicious creature in the water, which looks a bit like a Chinese dragon. Haha! It's pretty cute. They tried."

Along the riverside, there was additional entertainment provided. This included a very photogenic light installation called 'The Elements', which consisted of blue neon triangles. The classic Albert Dock merry-go-round was also open for the young families that attended the event.

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Yulin, an international student from China, told The Liverpool Tab that she'd felt homesick when she saw the fireworks, as they reminded her of New Year back home: "It was fabulous and I made a wish on the fireworks. But it also made me very homesick."

The feedback was much more positive than in previous years, and crowds were left satisfied after a very successful event. Culture Liverpool also felt the event was a huge success. We can't wait till next year!