For Illuminate 2026, we asked the community to help uncover the hidden details that make Boston such a special place.

This year’s parade theme, Looking Up, celebrates the sculptures, carvings, decorative features and architectural details that adorn buildings across the town. Some are centuries old, while others are surprisingly modern. Many are hidden in plain sight.

We asked you to explore Boston with fresh eyes and share your discoveries, as they could help inspire the designs for this year’s Illuminate Parade artworks and be featured on our website.

The deadline has now passed. Photo submissions were open from 1 August to 31 August 2026.

Here are the entries from the community:

Religious building spires in Boston
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
A boat-shaped weather vain above a building with trees behind it
By Nicola Payne
Photo looking up at the Scala building on Boston's Marketplace
By Liz Quiney, Scala Building
Photo of the historic refurbished Boston Five Lamps
By Christopher Lewis, Boston Historic Five Lamps
Dolphin Lane in Boston's arched signage
By Liz Quiney, Dolphin Lane
A weather vain shaped like a cat against a blue sky
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
Close up image of statue adorned with gold outside of Boston Guildhall's upper windows on facing South Street
By Kerry Wint, Boston Guildhall
Mechanical hook at Black Sluice Water Treatment Centre
By Johanna Taylor, Mechanical hook at Black Sluice Water Treatment Centre
A stone, eroded statue of a blindfolded figures holds what appears to be a sword
By Ruth Pigott, Boston Sessions House
Machinery at Black Sluice Water Treatment Centre
By Johanna Taylor, Black Sluice Water Treatment Centre
View of ceiling at Black Sluice Water Treatment Centre
By Johanna Taylor, Black Sluice Water Treatment Centre
Carved wooden face feature in the wooden beams of the Great Hall room in Boston Guildhall
By Johanna Taylor, Boston Guildhall
Georgian interior room of Fydell House, blue walls and ceiling decorated with Rococo styling motifs
By Johanna Taylor, Fydell House
A view of the Boston Stump from afar, framed by trees
By Bartosz Fedkowicz, Boston Stump
The large window with stained glass features at the end of the Hall in Boston Guildhall
By Johanna Taylor, Boston Guildhall
A view looking up the main turret of St Botolphs (Boston Stump)
By Johanna Taylor, Boston Stump
Machine cog at Black Sluice Water Treatment Centre
By Johanna Taylor, Black Sluice Water Treatment Centre
Image of the neo-Egyptian portico of the Grade II listed Freemason's Hall in Boston
By Johanna Taylor, Freemansons’ Hall
Image of the neo-Egyptian portico of the Grade II listed Freemason's Hall in Boston
By Johanna Taylor, Freemansons’ Hall
A row of three building chimneys in Boston
By Johanna Taylor
Close up of a Tudor-esque building in Boston's woodcarved barge board
By Johanna Taylor
Decorative black cast iron box shaped rainwater hopper head in Boston
By Johanna Taylor
Image of corbel on a building in Boston, decorated with grapes and feathers
By Johanna Taylor
Stained glass window in Boston featuring a fish
By Johanna Taylor
Stained glass window in Boston decorated in an art nouveau style
By Johanna Taylor
Upper window, attic room of a building in Boston
By Johanna Taylor
Image of a geometric, cast iron rainwater hopper head attachment on a building in Boston
By Johanna Taylor
Image of an S-anchor plate on a brick building in Boston
By Johanna Taylor
Circular iron wall anchor plate on an old brick building in Boston
By Johanna Taylor
Decorative patterns and adornments on a red brick building in Boston
By Johanna Taylor
A high small window in Boston with blooming plants and small picket windowsill fence on the windowsill
By Johanna Taylor
A metal decorative balcony fencing on an art deco-style building in Boston featuring an 'M' initial
By Johanna Taylor
A stone statue on the Arbor Club building supposedly from the Dominican Friary
By Jane Keightley, Arbor Club
Decorative stone and painted head of a grumpy woman on the old Midlands Bank building near the White Hart in Boston
By Jane Keightley, Old Midlands Bank
A stone lion gargoyle on the top of the building where Lanasana Yoga is based, Market Pl, Boston PE21 6DY, UK
By Jan Legge, Market Place, Boston
Stone gargoyle face on the side of the building in Market Pl, Boston PE21 6DY, UK
By Jan Legge, Market Place, Boston
Stone gargoyle face on top of the building in Market Pl, Boston PE21 6DY, UK
By Jan Legge, Market Place, Boston
Close up of a metal safety fence on a balcony in art deco style
By Iain Braid, Wide Bargate
Gargoyle of a human face carved in stone on the Boston stump
By Ruth Pigott of the Boston Stump
A wide shot of the art deco Cammack's building in Boston on Wide Bargae
By Iain Braid, Wide Bargate
Mid shot of art deco building in Boston with a metal safety fence on a balcony in art deco style
By Iain Braid, Strait Bargate
Decorative stone carving above a window arch in Boston
By Christopher Lewis
The top of Boston's Sessions House featuring intricate stone carvings
By Christopher Lewis
A close up image of a the face of a weathered bronze statue of a girl at the Herbert Ingram Memorial in Boston
By Christopher Lewis, Ingram Memorial
A carved stone face on a historic building
By Nicola Payne
Close up image of Shodfriars Hall's Tudor-esque exterior
By Christopher Lewis, Shodfriars Hall
An ornate building chimney
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
A metal sculpture of a person in a hoop hanging by a tree
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
Stone gargoyle on a building
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
Stone gargoyle on a building
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
A window with an image of a boat in vinyl
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
Stone carved lion atop Boston Session's House
By Bartosz Fedkowicz, Boston Sessions House
Stone carved bust attached to a building
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
Stone carving of a human face by Ruth Pigott of the Boston Stump
By Ruth Pigott, Boston Stump
Window and roof details of Boston's Sessions House
By Ruth Pigott, Boston Sessions House
Stone carved heading adjoining the Boston Stump building
By Ruth Pigott, Boston Stump
A photo of a weathered bell on what may have been the Johnson's Seed Merchants building opposite the Sam Newsom Music Academy
By Peter Henson, opposite Sam Newsom Music Academy
Wide shot of The Swan House, Boston
By Patrick Ward, Swan House
Sign on a building in Boston stating 'Gentleman and Disabled'
By Patrick Ward
Wide shot of the St Botolph's Tower
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
Wide shot image of electrical pylon
By Patrick Ward
Wide shot view of St Botolph's tower, Assembly Rooms and bridge
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs and Assembly Rooms
An old oil lamp above a doorway in Boston, converted to say 'Freehouse' inside
By Patrick Ward
Detail of limestone building edge
By Patrick Ward
An image of the United Kingdom's coat of arms on the side of a building
By Patrick Ward
Image of a square skylight, looking from below
By Patrick Ward
Wide shot of Boston's Sessions House
By Patrick Ward, Sessions House
Low shot of St Botolphs Tower
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
Close up of a stonecarved face in limestone
By Patrick Ward
Wide shot of a wobbly historic Tudor house, Church House by St Botolphs in Boston
By Patrick Ward, Church House
Wide shot of the side of wobbly historic Tudor house, Church House with St Botolphs seen beyond in Boston
By Patrick Ward
Wide shot of the side of wobbly historic Tudor house, Church House with St Botolphs seen beyond in Boston
By Patrick Ward
Low angle mid shot image of overhanging tuder-esque window of Shodfriars Hall, taken from Shodfriars Lane
By Patrick Ward, Shodfriars
Low angle close of up of a street finder sign in Boston, Lincolnshire
By Patrick Ward
Close up of the wooden features of the tudor-esque exterior of Shodfriars Hall in Boston
By Patrick Ward, Shodfriars
An image of the United Kingdom's coat of arms on the side of a building, above Custom House's doorway in Boston
By Patrick Ward, Custom House
Custom House Lane modern street sign beneath vintage stone signage
By Patrick Ward, Custom House
Doorway of Custom House Boston, a Georgian doorway featuring a colourful 3D emblem of the UK Coat of Arms
By Patrick Ward, Custom House
An overhanging window on a historic building on Boston's South Street
By Patrick Ward
Wide shot view of St Botolph's tower, Assembly Rooms and bridge
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs and Assembly Rooms
Wide shot of The Swan House, Boston
By Patrick Ward, Swan House
A picture of the interior of St Botolphs, focused on the colourful ceiling
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
A picture of the interior of St Botolphs, focused on the colourful ceiling
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
A picture of the interior of St Botolphs, focused on a mirror showing the colourful ceiling
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
A picture of the interior of St Botolphs, focused on a mirror showing the colourful ceiling
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
A green man decorative stone carving on a building in Boston
By Sue Oliver
A picture of the interior of St Botolphs, showing a collection of lit prayer candles with stained glass windows beyond
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
Exterior of St Botolphs Church Tower against a blue sky
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
Image of an intricate grey stone-carved church bell tower in Boston
By Patrick Ward
Image of stone carved features on exterior of St Botolphs Church, Boston
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
Image of stone carved features on exterior of St Botolphs Church, Boston
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
Image of stone carved features on exterior of St Botolphs Church, Boston
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
Image of stone carved features on exterior of St Botolphs Church, Boston
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
Image of stone carved features on exterior of St Botolphs Church, Boston
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
Image of stone carved features on exterior of St Botolphs Church, Boston
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
Close up of stone carved windows at the top of St Botolphs Bell Tower
By Patrick Ward, St Botolphs
Herbert Ingram memorial statue with a seagull sat atop the statue's head
By Ruth Pigott, Herbert Ingram Memorial
Turret building with a weather vain atop with a sunset behind
By Bartosz Fedkowicz

What Were we Looking for?

As a guide, we advised that participants might spot:

  • Carved faces in stonework
  • Decorative brickwork or architectural features
  • Weather vanes and rooftop ornaments
  • Wooden carvings and foliage details
  • Sculptures and public artworks
  • Historic building details
  • Modern decorative features
  • Hidden gems you’ve noticed around town

Whether it’s medieval, Victorian, contemporary or something in between, we love seeing the range of submissions!

About Illuminate

Illuminate is Transported’s annual winter lantern parade in Boston. Each year, the event explores a different aspect of the town’s heritage through community creativity, large-scale artwork and public celebration.

Illuminated Griffin lantern puppet held above a crowd at night during Boston’s Illuminate parade

FUNDING

The Illuminate Parade and bespoke artwork creations are made possible through funding from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants, delivered by Transported and supported by Boston Borough Council and the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership StoryTellers NPO programme.

Image Submission Consent

By submitting photographs to the Looking Up Snapshot Gallery, you confirm that you are the photographer or have permission from the photographer to share the images with Transported.

You grant Transported, hosted by the University of Lincoln, permission to use your submitted photographs for purposes connected with the Illuminate Parade and related promotional activities. This may include use on Transported’s website, social media channels, printed materials, exhibitions, reports to funders and other marketing or publicity materials.

You retain ownership of your photographs at all times.

Any personal data submitted through your photo submission will be processed by Transported solely for the administration of this project and in accordance with the University of Lincoln’s Privacy Policy: https://online.lincoln.ac.uk/privacy-policy/

For enquiries, please contact: transported@lincoln.ac.uk