PILOT EXHIBITION: FOUNDATIONS OF THE FESTIVAL
26 OCTOBER – 7 NOVEMBER 2024

 

 Photography displays integrated within a historic Chester heritage site, St John's Church during the 2024 Pilot Exhibition.Public audience exploring the photographic narratives during the foundational 2024 Pilot Exhibition.Large-scale photographic works showcased against the architectural backdrop of a landmark Chester venue, Grosvenor Museum

 nterior gallery view of the 2024 Pilot showcase, featuring contemporary photography from local participantsPublic audience visiting the main exhibition site at 2024 Pilot Exhibition.The curatorial team preparing the installations and venue activations for the Chester Photo Festival Pilot.

 

The Pilot Exhibition 2024 was an interim series of exhibitions and events that served as a vital preparatory stage for the inaugural Chester Photo Festival in May 2025.

 

Held across key heritage sites, this showcase allowed the curatorial team to test multi-venue activations and engage with the local community. The Pilot successfully demonstrated the public's appetite for contemporary photography in Chester, laying the essential groundwork for what has become an annual city-wide celebration.

 

We are deeply grateful to our Pilot Exhibition 2024 participants, partners, sponsors, and trustees—without whom this learning process and the subsequent festival would not be possible.

 

» Visit the original Pilot exhibition page and participants here

 

chester photo festival is for everyone

 

This archive serves as a reference of the events and activities, documented cronologically