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Festival of Lights
All the information about this unmissable event of Lyon!
Festivals
Last updated date : 16/12/2024
When Lyon is dressed in lights, everybody comes down into the streets to take in the sights. The facades of the city’s most beautiful buildings spring to life under the lights of projectors and the people of Lyon take part by placing ‘lumignons’ (small lanterns) on their windowsills and balconies on the 8th of December. Lyon’s greatest celebration awaits you from 5 to 8 December 2024!
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Presentation of the Festival of Lights
4 evenings to shine!
From the tradional lumignons (small candles) which locals place on their balconies, to the various visual and interactive shows that are put on around the city, the Festival of Lights is an absolute must for anybody looking to discover Lyon.
Immerse yourself in this major celebration that is free and open to all!
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Sound and light
Festival of Lights
Lieux divers - 69002 Lyon 2ème2024, an anniversary year!
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Fête des Lumières (Festival of Lights), the 2024 event is focussing on the memories of those who have experienced it over the years. Six iconic works from previous editions that marked the collective imagination with their originality and visual appeal have been selected. Festival-goers will be able to (re)discover:
- I Love Lyon and the Louis XIV statue under a snow globe, a work by Jacques Rival presented in 2006 and 2007.
- Les Anooki, the loveable characters that explored the facades of Saint-Paul station, the Opera House and Place Bellecour, are returning at Tête d’Or park!
- Le retour du petit géant (Return of the Little Giant), a huge, colourful, swirling fresco that lit up the facades of the Museum of Fine Arts and the City Hall in 2008.
- Paseo d’hiver (Winter Promenade), a crystal sky and a gallery of arabesques offering an enchanting perspective of Rue de la République. Work by Faniuolo.
- Laniakea - horizon24: ten years after it was first shown on the same spot, Laniakea horizon24 is returning to Place Antonin-Poncet.
- Jacobins - act 4: this work allows the time to gaze, from a distance or close up, at the fountain on Place des Jacobins draped in a myriad of colours.
A look back at the 2024 Festival of Lights
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Classics and new arrivals at the festival
The 8th of December is the day of the Festival of Lights. If you want to experience the event the traditional way, follow the ‘montée aux flambeaux’, a procession beginning each year at around 6:30 pm, from the square in front of Lyon Cathedral up to the basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière on the eponymous hill.
In addition to the six works mentioned above, attractions not to be missed in 2024 include the always eagerly awaited illumination of the cathedral. This year, you can see Julian Hölscher’s Mother, which will use colours to transform the cathedral into a landscape where the elements of nature dance to the music.
The basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière will also come to life with Fourvière en voix, a light show filled with 3D animations and accompanied by a soundtrack including vocal music, opera and jazz.
Two cultural institutions will be joining the festival for the first time, the Auditorium-Orchestre national de Lyon and the Musée de l’Automobile. At the auditorium, the Lyon-based plastic artist Nawelle Aïnèche invites us into an immersive experience like no other. Outside is a huge installation in the form of a cumulus cloud woven from video tapes.
At the Henri Malartre Automobile Museum, discover Post-idols. Two unique totems will stand in its magnificent grounds: light sculptures that change as you approach them!
Finally, the festival will be involving children with special opening hours and activities provided. At Sergent-Blandan park, for example, kids can let loose at the Boum de lumières (Party of Lights) starting at 5:30 pm. Get ready to dance, create or play in a magical fairground atmosphere.
Get ready for four dazzling days beginning on Thursday 5 December.
The origins of Lyon’s Festival of Lights
The story behind Lyon’s Festival of Lights
The origins of the Fête des Lumières go back to the inauguration of the gilded statue of the Virgin Mary on Fourvière.
The inauguration was initially scheduled to take place on the 8th of September 1852, but was delayed until the 8th of December when the Saône broke its banks and flooded the workshop of the sculptor Joseph-Hugues Fabisch.
When the big day arrived, heavy rains threatened the planned illuminations, but as evening came the skies cleared and the locals spontaneously placed small lanterns (known as ‘lumignons’) on their window sills – the ‘Fête des Illuminations’ was born!
This tradition has lived on and every 8th of December, the people of Lyon light up their windows and take to the streets to admire their beautifully lit city.
In 1999, the 8th of December became the ‘Fête des Lumières’ that we know and love.
It now lasts for four days and attracts visitors from all over the world.
This tradition lives on and, every 8th of December, the people of Lyon put lights on their windowsills and go out into the streets to see their city transformed by lights.
In 1999, the 8th of December became the Festival of Lights as we know it, now lasting four days and attracting visitors from around the world.
Getting around during the Festival of Lights
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Around the Festival of Lights
Practical questions
If you come by car: car parks and traffic during the Festival of Lights
Parking in the centre of Lyon is limited. We advise you to park your car on the outskirts and use public transport to get to the festivities.
You can park in the car and motorbike parks:
- 23 TCL park-and-ride sites open to users of the TCL network, More information
- Lyon Parc Auto (LPA) car parks: Roziers, Cordeliers (exits via Place des Cordeliers to Quai Jean Moulin), Bourse (access blocked, exits possible), Confluence, Antonin Poncet (access blocked, exits possible), Gros Caillou, Croix Rousse, Saint Just, St Georges (access blocked, exits via rue St Georges),
- Indigo car parks: Tolozan.
Please note! Vehicle exits will be authorised 1h30 after the end of the illuminations when traffic reopens. If you wish to pick up your vehicle after the shows, please park outside the perimeter.
Car park reserved for people with reduced mobility:
- Bellecour district: rue Biennier for the Bellecour district (2nd arrondissement),
- Parc de la Tête d'Or district, Lyon 6th arrondissement: rue Vendôme, between rue Commandant Faurax and avenue de Grande Bretagne
Car parks for tourist coaches during the Fête des Lumières
Car parks provided on : Quai Augagneur, Quai Sarrail, with additional parking possible on Quai Rambaud (on 10 and 11 December)
Along the Saône, between cours Bayard and Rue Dugas-Montbel.
There is no dedicated motorhome parking available in the city centre. We recommend that you park your vehicle on the outskirts of Lyon and use public transport to get to the Festival.
How to get around on the TCL public transport network
First and foremost, to get around town, leave your car at home and use public transport!
During the festival, the metro (until 2 am from 5 to 8 December), tramway and specific bus lines will run more frequently.
Buses no longer run in the city centre from 4pm on Thursdays to Saturdays and from 3pm on Sundays, and the routes of some lines are limited.
You can pay for and validate your tickets directly using your bank card.
On the 8th of December, public transport (Bus, metro, tram and funicular) is free from 4 pm until the end of the service.
On the other three days, from 5 to 7 December 2024, journeys will be unlimited from 4 pm until the end of the service with the ticket ‘TCL en fête’ priced at €3.60.
Long duration tickets: 24 hr (€6,70), 48 hr (€12,90) and 72 hr (€17.50)
Family ticket at €6,70: unlimited access for 2 to 5 people travelling together (with or without family ties), with a maximum of 2 adults and 3 children aged 4 to 17.
All information (tickets, park-and-ride, etc.) on www.tcl.fr/en
Ask for the flier ‘Destination Fête des Lumières avec TCL’ (Destination Festival of Lights with TCL) available in TCL branches and at the ONLYLYON Tourist office, Place Bellecour.
Where is the pedestrian area located?
The Festival of Lights is held in the city centre in a fully pedestrianised area, which is shut off and secure. Forty or so entrance points for pedestrians are located every 100 metres or so. The festival area will be closed to traffic. This restriction also applies to motorcycles, electric scooters and bicycles.
Only the following footbridges will be closed on 5, 6 and 7 December from 5pm to midnight and on 8 December from 4pm to 11pm:
- Passerelle du Palais de Justice,
- Passerelle de l’Homme de la Roche,
- Passerelle Saint Vincent.
- Passerelle paul Couturier
Where to find the programme?
You can consult the Festival of Lights programme on the festival’s website.
Also, you can pick up a paper version at the Lyon Tourist Office, at the information kiosks that are set up in the city centre during the event, as well as at ONLYLYON-certified receptions and members of the organisation My Presqu'île.
Opening hours of the Place Bellecour Tourist Office during the Festival: 5 to 8 December, 9am to 8pm
Information huts:
- Place Louis Pradel (Lyon 1st)
- Place de la République (Lyon 2nd)
- Place Edouard Commette (Lyon 5th)
What are the dates and times of the Festival of Lights?
The Festival of Lights runs from Thursday 5th to Saturday 7th from 7pm to 11pm, and on Sunday 8th December from 6pm to 10pm.
Parc Tête d'Or: open all 4 evenings, doors close at 10pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 9pm on Sunday (the illuminations will end at 11pm and 10pm respectively). Please note that access to Parc Blandan and Parc de la Tête d'Or is closed 30 minutes before the end of each evening. The Parc de la Tête d'Or is evacuated 2 hours before the start of the evening.
Please note that access to Parc Blandan and Parc de la Tête d'Or is closed 30 minutes before the end of each evening.
How can disabled people enjoy the festival?
For People with disabilities, you can find all the information you need on the Handi-Accueil page of the Festival of Lights’ website.
Where to take a gourmet break?
Remember to book a restaurant especially if you're a gourmet and want to dine at the time of your choice, and in your favourite restaurant!
This year, refreshment areas are being provided where you will find quality snacks: Place Bellecour and Parc Blandan
Where are the public toilets?
You can look up the location of public toilets in Lyon on the interactive map of the city.
Toilets adapted to people with a disability are located:
• Place Louis Pradel (1st district): underground Hôtel de Ville de Lyon (Lyon City hall) car park
• Place Rambaud (1st district)
I go by alternative transportation
Public transit
24 park-and-ride facilities to get to the city centre; 4 metro lines.
Metro A or D stop Bellecour to be at the heart of the party.
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