A festive light and lantern festival will not go ahead this Christmas time after the company running the event went into administration last year.

Crystal Palace Park was left strewn with lanterns last winter after the light show's organising company, Outreach Creative Ltd, went into administration.

The Lightopia event, described as an “ultimate neon winter wonderland experience”, enchanted park-goers from mid-November to early January last year.

The installations included The Wonders of the Dragon, The Magical Forest, and the Land of Fairy Literature.

The firm's financial troubles resulted in a clean-up delay of the festival decorations, which were originally due for removal on January 12, 2023 but took until February 6, 2023 to fully remove.

Outreach Creative Ltd managed Lightopia installations beyond the south London park - including ventures at Manchester and Alton Towers resort in Staffordshire, along with an overseas installation in Belgium.

The Crystal Palace Park festival ran last year from November 17, 2022, to January 2 with promises of “creating magical family memories”.

The park was adorned with light up Christmas decorations, magical illuminated trails, and an assortment of whimsically lighted animal characters.

Outreach Creative Ltd found themselves in administrative straits mere days after the festival's end, on January 9.

The Crystal Palace Park Trust, the overseeing body, began removal of the event's equipment late last year.

Outreach Creative's website remains active, albeit only mentioning dates from last year.

It preserves a glimpse into Lightopia's previous offerings: "An award-winning and visually spectacular lantern and light festival. Who is saying this?

"Explore interactive exhibits, immersive light installations, and the magical illuminated trails."

A spokesperson for the Crystal Palace Park Trust told the Local Democracy Reporting Service last year: “The Trust was dismayed to learn that Outreach Creative was going into administration immediately prior to the fulfilment of their responsibilities to vacate the park and complete necessary site reinstatement.

"We are urgently seeking to mitigate any impact that this unfortunate and unexpected set of events has on the park and its users.

“We are working to quickly facilitate the removal of the remaining equipment and commence site reinstatement, and the Trust is prepared to contract directly if Outreach Creative cannot complete these undertakings in the immediate future.

"Administration is a legal process, and there are steps that must be observed, but we are committed to completing these tasks as quickly as possible.”