BRITAIN’S biggest light festival is poised to return next year after a report found it was worth almost £10million to the region’s economy.

The spectacular Lumiere festival attracted 200,000 visitors to Durham when it was staged in the city for the fourth time in November.

An independent report into the staging of the four-day festival found that it delivered a £9.6million boost to Durham’s economy, up by almost £4million on 2013, as audiences poured into the city to see spectacular artworks including a colossal whale in the River Wear, the history of the universe projected onto the Cathedral and a mysterious fog cascading down the riverbanks below the Castle.

Durham County Council’s cabinet is now being asked to agree to spend £600,000 to commission the return of Lumiere for the fifth time next year.

The remainder of the funds needed to stage the £1.8million festival would come from an Arts Council England grant and money raised by festival producers Artichoke through sponsorship, trusts and foundations and donations.

Council leader Cllr Simon Henig described Lumiere as “a world class event”.

He said: “When we commissioned the 2015 festival, we did so based on sound economic impact which demonstrated a clear and significant return on our investment for the county, businesses and residents.

“It’s tremendous to see that this was translated into even greater benefits not just in financial terms but also by creating that ‘feel good factor’ which you can’t put a price on.

“More than 90 per cent of those surveyed rated Lumiere 2015 as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ and said it ‘made them happy’ with 80 per cent of visitors saying they planned to come back.

“These benefits are ongoing for us and we know that events like these allow us to showcase our offer on a world stage, attracting new business, creating jobs and boosting our visitor economy”.

He added: “Not many organisations can enjoy a return on investment of nearly 1,400 per cent and make people happy at the same time.”

The independent evaluation, undertaken by Durham University, found that the council’s festival maker programme, which saw 190 volunteers take to the streets to help visitors make the most of the experience, was also valued by visitors.

Lumiere 2015 featured a conference which attracted delegates from around the world and proposals have been revealed to possibly host the Lighting Urban Community International Conference alongside the festival in 2017.

The council cabinet will also be asked to agree £100,000 of support in kind for the festival when they meet at Crook on Wednesday.