Wembley Park Unveils ‘Yellow 25’ Pantone Art Installation Inspired By Coldplay Hit

A Golden tribute to Coldplay–inspired by their hit record Yellow–has been unveiled at Wembley Park to celebrate the band’s enduring legacy in luminous style. The art installation Yellow 25 comes shortly after Brothers–a critically acclaimed outdoor photography exhibition of the Gallagher Brothers–was revealed to coincide with the Oasis tour.

The Spanish Steps in Wembley Park, long a functional thoroughfare connecting the iconic Wembley Stadium to the OVO Arena, have undergone a radiant transformation. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Coldplay’s breakout hit Yellow–and to mark the beginning of the band’s record-breaking 10-night run at Wembley Stadium–the stairs now shimmer in a kaleidoscope of yellow hues. Aptly named Yellow 25, the new public art installation is as much a visual love letter to the band’s music as it is a bold statement about the evolving cultural identity of Wembley Park.

Conceived and executed by the creative team at Pantone–led by renowned creative director Jane Boddy–Yellow 25 is a thoughtfully curated, large-scale artwork that merges music, emotion, and colour theory. Each of the 58 steps has been assigned a unique shade of yellow, selected from the Pantone Matching System™. But this is no arbitrary gradient. The tones have been meticulously mapped to the emotional and melodic journey of Coldplay’s Yellow, a song that has become synonymous with 21st-century alt-rock optimism.

An Emotion in Every Step

To understand Yellow 25, one must first appreciate the emotional DNA of the song it honours. When Yellowfirst hit airwaves in 2000, it was lauded for its stripped-back sincerity–a ballad of unadulterated devotion underscored by haunting chords and a rising melody that crests with warmth and resolution. Pantone’s visual interpretation of that progression is deeply nuanced. Starting at the base of the steps, viewers are greeted with pale, almost translucent yellows, invoking the song’s quiet vulnerability. As one ascends, the shades intensify–sun-washed ochres, goldenrods, and deep ambers reflecting the build-up to the song’s emotional high point.

Pantone didn’t just assign colours based on mood–they considered saturation levels, tonal depth, and even the visual space between steps to echo the song’s tempo and crescendo. The installation’s real power lies in its subtlety. It doesn’t scream for attention; instead, it beckons the viewer to slow down, to walk the path of the melody, one hue at a time.

Public Art That Resonates

Yellow 25 is more than a commemorative installation–it’s a symbol of how public art can amplify collective emotion. In a landscape where urban design often prioritises utility over experience, Wembley Park has boldly redefined its stairway as a canvas for culture. The piece also marks a rare moment when a globally recognised brand like Pantone steps beyond industry palettes and into the emotional realm of popular music.

This isn’t Pantone’s first foray into art and pop culture, but it may be its most lyrical. Under Boddy’s leadership, the project treads new ground in synesthetic storytelling, the idea of translating one sensory experience (music) into another (colour). It’s an ambitious concept–but one that finds elegant execution here.

The steps themselves are now a living tribute: functional, interactive, and emotional. As Wembley Park welcomes Coldplay fans from around the world this August, Yellow 25 offers more than just a photo opportunity–it provides a moment of reflection, an invitation to feel as deeply as Chris Martin sings.

Coldplay’s Cultural Colour

That Coldplay’s anthem has endured for 25 years is a testament to its simplicity and sincerity. In a world increasingly driven by algorithms and spectacle, Yellow remains a song about human connection, vulnerability, and the quiet, powerful resonance of love. It’s fitting that an art installation born of the same ethos now resides in Wembley Park, itself a neighbourhood undergoing its own emotional and aesthetic transformation.

From its historical roots as the UK’s most iconic live music venue to its present-day evolution into a vibrant cultural district, Wembley Park is redefining what urban regeneration can look like. With Yellow 25, the neighbourhood continues its streak of creative commissions–including viral tributes to Taylor Swift, a mural honouring Lana Del Rey, and the Square of Fame, home to handprints from legends like George Michael, Kylie Minogue, and The Who.

But Yellow 25 stands apart. It doesn’t rely on likenesses or lyrics. It doesn’t need Coldplay’s logo or Chris Martin’s silhouette. Its emotional resonance is enough.

The Role of Colour in Music, Memory, and Place

There’s something poetic about the collaboration between Pantone–the authority on colour–and Coldplay–a band often lauded for their technicolour vision of the world. This is not merely an anniversary project or a tour launch. Yellow 25 is a meditation on how art lives in memory. How songs become more than sounds. How steps can become scores.

At a time when many city art projects struggle to connect with audiences beyond the niche or the Instagrammable, Yellow 25 achieves a rare feat: it’s accessible, profound, and strikingly beautiful. Its conceptual depth doesn’t alienate; instead, it invites exploration by fans, tourists and local residents.

As Coldplay prepare to take the stage this August for what promises to be a historic 10-night run, Yellow 25 sets the stage with an intelligent piece of public art that balances subtlety with spectacle. Yellow 25 doesn’t just pay homage to a song–it brings it to life, one step at a time.

More information on the Yellow 25 art installation can be found here.