Lyon's Festival of Lights will run this year from December 5th to 8th. Starting at 6pm every evening, light shows and installations will illuminate every district. The theme of this year's main attractions is Enchantment.
The most sophisticated lighting techniques will enhance the magic of this event, creating superb "lightscapes."
Like every year, the city's major monuments will be illuminated with unique new works: Saint Jean Cathedral, Place des Jacobins with multicolored fish, the façade of Célestins Theater transformed into a stage, and Place Bellecour where graffiti artists will try their hand at luminous calligraphy, with photographer Guillaume J. Plisson creating a permanent record of their work.
The great new feature this year is the must-see installation on the left bank of the Rhone river. The show, "Déambulations Abyssales," will take visitors on a 1.2 km journey all the way to Tête d'Or Park where they will encounter sea monsters, giant algae and other creatures. It is the quest for Atlantis, leading the bravest souls to the greatest of treasures: their inner child.
Also for the first time, the Palais du Commerce (Chamber of Commerce) will sparkle as never before with more than 1000 new-generation candle lamps glowing in the windows and on the balconies of the southern façade of the 19th century building every evening of the festival.
Lighting is one of Lyon's key attractions: anyone who strolls the city at night will be amazed at how lighting has become an essential element in enhancing Lyon's architecture, revealing its many treasures without altering them.
Given its long experience in this area, Lyon took the initiative in 2002 of creating a global association known as LUCI (Lighting Urban Community International), presided by Lyon and bringing together cities such as Turin, Glasgow, Liege, Montreal, Shanghai and Jericho.
In addition to the Festival of Lights, the Lyon Public Lighting Plan and the many local experts in this field have made Lyon a capital of lighting design and urban lighting, be it for permanent or temporary installations. Sustainable development also plays a fundamental role in urban lighting: it is now crucial to provide better lighting while consuming less energy. In this regard, the Festival of Lights event is a prime reference, representing only 0.1% of the city's total annual lighting consumption.
Every year, the Festival offers the opportunity to make permanent additions to the city's illuminations. This year it is Saint-Just High School that will receive special treatment, making it part of the regular nightscape of Fourvière hill. The installation fits in naturally with the Public Lighting Plan and its requirements for sustainable development. The equipment consists of diodes which are much more long-lasting than standard models. Energy provided by a solar power unit, installed on the roof of the school cafeteria, will finance the added consumption.
Lyon: a tradition of innovation +
