Name

Artichoke Trust

Legal name

Artichoke Trust

Website

https://artichoke.uk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Outdoor Arts & Public Art Events

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Arts, Crafts & Maker Fairs (MPAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Public art commissions
• Outdoor art events
• Light art festivals
• Large-scale theatre
• Community participation programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Arts Council England Funding: As a registered charity, Artichoke's primary revenue stream is grant funding from Arts Council England, its main funder, which provides ongoing support for operations and projects.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Local and national businesses provide sponsorship for specific events and the Lumiere festival, contributing funds in exchange for association with major public art events.
3. Individual Donations: Individual supporters donate through various channels including The Big Give Christmas Challenge campaign, with options for Hearts membership providing regular updates.
4. Trusts and Foundations: Charitable trusts and foundations provide grant funding for specific projects and ongoing organizational support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Artichoke Trust produces and delivers large-scale, free outdoor art events, light festivals, theatrical productions and public art installations for general audiences across UK cities. Its ongoing flagship programmes are Lumiere (the UK's light art biennial, produced in Durham since 2009), The Gallery (a billboard art programme running since 2022) and PROCESSIONS (a mass-participation banner artwork), complemented by one-off landmark commissions such as The Sultan's Elephant, La Machine, One & Other and The Telectroscope, plus Learning and Participation programmes engaging schools and communities.

Product overview

Artichoke Trust is a UK-based registered charity (No.1112716) that produces large-scale outdoor art events and public installations. The organization's core offering is a portfolio of event programmes including: Lumiere (the UK's light art biennial), The Gallery (billboard art programme), and PROCESSIONS (mass participation banner artwork). These flagship products are complemented by individual landmark events such as The Sultan's Elephant, La Machine, One & Other, The Telectroscope, and The Magical Menagerie. The organization also delivers Learning and Participation programmes engaging schools and communities. Artichoke operates dedicated websites for Lumiere (lumiere-festival.com) and The Gallery (thegallery.org.uk).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lumiere (UK's light art biennial) The UK's light art biennial produced by Artichoke, transforming UK cities with large-scale light installations and projections; runs as a recurring biennial with flagship editions in Durham (Lumiere Durham 2025 attracted 120,000 visitors).
• The Gallery (billboard art programme) A multi-season billboard art programme featuring artworks by emerging and established artists displayed on digital billboards across the UK, responding to pressing contemporary issues.
• PROCESSIONS Mass-participation artwork featuring handmade centenary banners created by 100 women artists working with UK communities to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the first British women voting.
• The Sultan's Elephant Landmark outdoor theatrical production by Royal de Luxe featuring a giant mechanical elephant and giant girl puppet, performed in Trafalgar Square, St James's Park, Horse Guards Parade and Piccadilly in May 2006.
• La Machine (Liverpool 2008) Large-scale mechanical installation featuring the giant spider 'La Princesse' by François Delarozière's La Machine, produced for Liverpool's European Capital of Culture celebrations.
• One & Other (Fourth Plinth) Public art commission by Antony Gormley for London's Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, placing 2,400 members of the public on the plinth for one hour each over 100 continuous days.
• The Magical Menagerie Giant fairground carousel populated with fantastical mythical mechanical creatures designed by François Delarozière, presented at IF Milton Keynes International Festival 2010.
• The Telectroscope Interactive installation by Paul St George that physically connected London and New York through a giant telescope, allowing audiences on both sides of the Atlantic to see and interact with each other in real time.
• Peace Camp Sound and visual art installation by Deborah Warner in collaboration with Fiona Shaw, with soundscape by Mel Mercier.
• Sanctuary Immersive experience by David Best (with Imagineer) featuring ornate structures where people placed mementos before the structures were ceremonially set alight in moments of collective reflection and healing.
• HERD Installation of 23 musical sheep sculptures (devised by Orlando Gough) in St George's Square, produced as part of Kirklees Year of Music 2023.
• Learning and Participation Programmes Educational programmes delivered with schools, communities and local partners, providing opportunities to develop new skills and build confidence through participation in Artichoke's projects; over 100,000 people have taken part over 20 years.

Quantifiable outcome

• 120,000 visitors and £10m economic impact for Lumiere Durham 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Durham County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDurham County Council is the commissioning partner for Lumiere Durham, the UK's light art biennial. This long-standing partnership has made Durham a cultural destination and driven significant economic impact for the region.
• Mayor of LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mayor of London has commissioned multiple Artichoke projects including One & Other for the Fourth Plinth and events through the City Lights programme.
• Royal de LuxeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench street theatre company founded by Jean-Luc Courdecourt, world-renowned for giant outdoor theatre. Artichoke produced The Sultan's Elephant with Royal de Luxe in 2006, their first project.
• La MachineflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench company led by François Delarozière, creators of giant mechanical creatures. Artichoke has collaborated with La Machine on multiple projects including La Machine spider in Liverpool 2008.
• BBC LondonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBBC London served as media partner for The Sultan's Elephant, providing broadcast coverage and visibility.
• 14-18 NOWflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner14-18 NOW is the UK's arts programme for the First World War centenary. They commissioned PROCESSIONS, Artichoke's mass-participation artwork marking the centenary of women voting.
• Sky ArtscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSky Arts partnered with Artichoke for multiple seasons, providing live streaming of One & Other and sponsorship across the Artichoke season of programming.
• Antony GormleyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternationally renowned artist commissioned for One & Other, Artichoke's Fourth Plinth project that placed 2,400 people on the plinth over 100 days.
• Bloomberg ConnectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to make Artichoke's work accessible through Bloomberg's digital arts and culture platform.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greenwich + Docklands International Festival: UK's leading annual outdoor performing arts festival, producing free public events with international street theatre companies. Direct peer in commissioning outdoor spectacle and free public event production.
• Norfolk & Norwich Festival: Major UK arts festival where Artichoke premiered Dining with Alice (2009). Comparable in producing ambitious outdoor and immersive arts productions and operating as an Arts Council-funded cultural organization.
• Without Walls: UK consortium of outdoor arts producers and festivals, including many organizations working in the same space as Artichoke. Represents the broader network of outdoor arts producers Artichoke competes with and partners alongside.
• Walk the Plank: UK-based outdoor arts charity producing large-scale free public spectacles, fireworks, and pyrotechnic events. Closely comparable to Artichoke in mission (free public outdoor art), funding model (Arts Council NPO), and project scale.
• Emergency Exit Arts: London-based charity creating ambitious outdoor arts events and community participation projects. Comparable in charitable structure, public art focus, and emphasis on free community engagement through spectacle.

Broad incumbents

• Meow Wolf: US-based immersive arts company producing large-scale permanent and temporary exhibition experiences. Broader incumbent operating in adjacent space of large-scale public-facing art experiences with much larger commercial scale.
• Fever: Global platform for immersive experiences and large-scale events including light festivals. Comparable in curating and distributing large-scale art and cultural experiences, but operates as a commercial technology-enabled marketplace at much larger scale.
• Vivid Sydney: Australia's largest light art festival and one of the world's leading outdoor illumination events. Comparable product category (large-scale light festival) but operates at significantly larger scale and is a more established global brand than Artichoke's Lumiere.

Regional players

• Signal Festival: Prague's major annual light art festival featuring large-scale installations across the city's historic center. Directly comparable to Lumiere Durham in format (citywide light installations, free admission) but operates in Central Europe rather than UK.

Emerging players

• Imagine Belfast: Belfast-based arts organization producing large-scale outdoor public art events including PROCESSIONS (2018, in which Artichoke was a co-producer). Comparable in producing free commemorative and participatory public artworks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/artichoketrust
• YouTubesoundcloud.com/artichoketrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Artichoke Trust