ACCESS details for this year’s biennial celebration of light, set to sparkle across a city next month, have been announced.

Tickets for the latest Lumiere festival, in Durham, will be available to the public from next week.

The fifth festival takes place from Thursday November 16 to Sunday November 19, from 4.30 to 11pm on all four days.

It will feature 29 artworks across the city, with more than half away from the cathedral and castle peninsula.

To avoid over-congestion during the early evening peak, tickets will be required for access to the peninsula, between 4.30 and 7.30pm, although queueing is expected for some time afterwards.

Event organiser Artichoke has worked with Durham County Council developing the ticketing plans, due to problems with overcrowding at the second festival, in 2011.

These were put in place for Lumiere, in 2013, and were repeated at the 2015 festival, which attracted an estimated 200,000 visitors to the city, bringing an estimated total economic benefit to the region, of £9.6m.

Artichoke’s head of production, Ian Bone, said the arrangements appeared to prove a success.

“As always, the top priority is the need to manage large numbers safely in the centre of this small city.

“We are confident that the 2017 plan takes account of the needs of festival visitors, local businesses and residents within this context.”

County council leader, Simon Henig, said Lumiere has proved, “a phenomenally popular event.”

He added: “Understandably, with tens of thousands of people expected again, a vast amount of planning is undertaken over a long period of time.

“As a result next month’s festival looks set to be the greatest yet, and, every effort has been made to ensure the best possible festival experience.”

Tickets will be available from 10am, on Tuesday October 17, with a limit of six per household.

They can be collected in person, subject to availability, from 11 county council venues, including libraries in Barnard Castle, Chester-le-Street, Consett, Crook, Peterlee and Seaham.

They are also available at Bishop Auckland Town Hall, from Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor leisure centres, and from the Gala Theatre, in Durham, where queues are likely.

Anyone planning to collect a ticket is advised to check on www.durham.gov.uk/lumiere for further details, including opening times, before going to any of the venues.

Tickets can also be booked in advance, online, also from 10am on October 17, and again with a limit of six per household.

There will be a £2 transaction charge and £1 postage fee for all online bookings.

Details are available via Lumiere-festival.com, the festival website.

Residents, businesses and university personnel living or working in the central area, or students having have to attend lectures and seminars, will be provided with an application form to request a Gold Pass, to enable them to come and go freely.

A full list of road closures will be available at www.durham.gov.uk/lumiere closer to the start of the festival.

The county council’s park and ride facilities will be extended each day to help cater for the number of visitors.

There will be a £2 per person return charge, although under 16s go free.