A 58-step gradient in shades of Pantone yellow turns Wembley Park’s Spanish Steps into a tribute to Coldplay’s “Yellow” as the band plays ten nights at Wembley.
Wembley Park has had a makeover — and this one’s pure gold. In a bold collaboration with colour experts Pantone, the north London neighbourhood has transformed its Spanish Steps into Yellow 25, a 58-step gradient tribute to the 25th anniversary of Coldplay’s breakthrough single, Yellow.
The installation arrives just as Coldplay gear up for their ten-night run at Wembley Stadium, part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour. First released on 26 June 2000, Yellow remains one of the band’s most enduring anthems — and here, it’s been translated into colour, verse by verse, chorus by chorus.
Pantone’s designers worked through the song’s emotional and melodic arc, assigning each step a specific shade from the Pantone Matching System™. The journey begins with soft, muted yellows for the track’s quieter moments, then deepens into luminous golds as the music swells, hitting peak intensity at the bridge before easing back into a warm, glowing calm. Even the spacing between tones has been plotted to echo the song’s rhythm and movement.
Jane Boddy, Creative Director at the Pantone Color Institute, said: “Colour, just like music, is a very emotional form of communication. We were inspired to explore how sound and colour can work together to express the feeling of Coldplay’s iconic Yellow, and how the emotional journey of the song could be visually represented through the steps at Wembley Park. It was a creative exercise that engaged all the senses and invited us to explore the song’s emotion and lyrics in a new way. We hope fans and visitors will enjoy the installation and connect with the music and Coldplay’s legacy from a new colourful perspective.”
The result is part art piece, part urban stage. The Spanish Steps connect two of Britain’s most iconic music venues — Wembley Stadium and the OVO Arena Wembley — and have previously hosted crowd-pleasers like Auras, Frank Styles’ Taylor Swift-inspired mural. Now, with Yellow 25, they’re channelling Coldplay’s London roots and global reach.
Yellow itself is more than a colour. Across centuries and cultures, it has symbolised sunlight, clarity, joy and devotion. Ancient Egyptians and Greeks linked it to the life-giving power of the sun; Coldplay’s Yellow distilled that light into a love song; and now Pantone has reimagined it as a public artwork you can literally walk through.
London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Justine Simons OBE, said: “London has once again shown that we are the global capital of music with a fantastic array of gigs and festivals this summer, including Coldplay’s record-breaking 10-night run at Wembley Stadium. It’s great that Wembley Park has joined with Pantone to mark this moment and celebrate the band’s long-lasting impact on music and our capital, as we build a better London for everyone.”
The piece also nods to Wembley Park’s sustainability goals. Printed on PVC-free film, free from chlorine, plasticisers and heavy metals, the steps will be fully recycled at the end of the run — reborn as practical items like street cones.
Yellow 25 is part of the free Wembley Park Art Trail, which features large-scale works dotted across the area, from murals dedicated to Lana Del Rey to the Square of Fame, where you’ll find handprints from the likes of Madonna, George Michael, The Who and Dolly Parton.
It’s free to explore until 30 September 2025. Whether you’re heading to a gig, passing through on your commute, or just curious to see a pop classic turned into a staircase of sunshine, the Spanish Steps are glowing — and waiting.
©2025 Pantone, Wembley Park
Contributing writer chronicling contemporary art’s beautiful mess — when he can get there. Survives on openings, opinions, one gallery, one artwork at a time. Considers espresso a meal.
