PEAK-TIME access to Durham city centre during Lumiere will again be ticketed, organisers of the light spectacular have announced – while stressing there will be much more to see outside the Peninsula this year.

Ticket-only entry to the Peninsula between 4.30pm and 7.30pm was first introduced at Lumiere 2013 and helped reduce crowd congestion – although many visitors still struggled to reach installations around the Cathedral.

The system will return for Lumiere 2015, which will run from November 12 to 15, and the tickets will be released to the public on Thursday, October 15.

But commissioners Durham County Council and producers Artichoke say more than half of the 26 artworks will be sited outside the central zone and so can be visited without a ticket at any time between 4.30pm and 11pm.

These will include Janet Echelman’s 1.26 Durham, a huge illuminated net that will float above the River Wear, and Novak’s projected story Fool’s Paradise.

Ian Bone, Artichoke’s head of production for Lumiere, said: "Artichoke has been working closely with Durham County Council and Durham Constabulary to develop this festival plan, based on the success of the measures we put in place in 2013.

“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 2015 plan takes account of the needs of festival visitors, local businesses and residents within this context.”

Terry Collins, the council’s corporate director of neighbourhood services, said: “Lumiere is a phenomenally popular event and we are proud to be hosting it for the fourth time.

“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 best yet and every effort has been made to try to ensure everyone has a fantastic festival experience.”

The three Lumiere Durham festivals to date are said to have generated £11m for the local economy and the 2013 event attracted 175,000 visitors.

The 2015 festival will run from 4.30pm to 11pm each night from November 12 to 15.

Tickets will be required to access the central zone between 4.30pm and 7.30pm. They will be released on Thursday, October 15 and will be free when collected from the Gala Theatre or council offices in Barnard Castle, Chester-le-Street, Clayport in Durham, Consett, Crook, Seaham, Spennymoor and Stanley. Tickets booked online at ticketmaster.co.uk/lumiere will incur a £1 booking charge and postage costs.

Numbers will be limited to six per household.

People who live, work or study in the central area can request a Gold Pass to come and go freely.

For more information, visit durham.gov.uk/lumiere