Lyon Light Festival Experience - Fête des Lumières

Hello everyone. Last month we went to see the illuminated installations set up in our city in honor of the Light Festival. The festival officially ran on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But I wanted to visit without the massive crowds, so I decided to do some exploration on Thursday. We arrived around 5:30 pm and it was already completely dark. After stopping by a store, we headed to the city center.

We reached the main square of the city. Even on the metro, it was clear that many tourists had come to Lyon. Everyone wanted to see this festival. The crowd was enormous.it was even hard to get off the metro. Security guards were checking bags. But they didn’t inspect them thoroughly. There were a few interesting spots in the square and the first thing we visited was a giant glass snow globe. It was built around the statue of Louis XIV in Bellecour square.

A Ferris wheel was set up in the square for Christmas. I rode it last year with my friends, but I can’t say I enjoyed it much, as the view wasn’t very clear. Surprisingly, even this crowd was small compared to what would happen on Saturday and Sunday. From the top of the square, you could see the Fourvière basilica with the words Merci Marie lit up in large letters.

Finally we got closer to the snow globe. It was designed to enclose the Louis XIV statue. Inside, snowflakes were swirling around and there was a sign that said I Love Lyon. However, the snow was so dense that it was hard to read the sign clearly. The crowd was immense and all the streets were closed to traffic. Meanwhile, the square had stalls selling mulled wine (glühwein) and crepes. Since we had brought our own snacks, we didn’t need to buy anything. We found a place to sit nearby and took a short break. There was another light installation there that everyone was talking about.

The Lyon Light Festival lasts about four days. This last festival ran from December 5th to December 8th. We went on December 5th. The festival is also linked to a day of honoring the Virgin Mary on December 8th. On that day, people place candles by their windows to thank Mary for protecting the city. The Merci Marie sign we saw at Fourvière was related to this tradition. After exploring the city a bit more, our next stop was the theater.

There were many people waiting there. I think we made a mistake by arriving early, as nothing had started yet. The main events were set to begin in about 20 minutes. Time passed and we watched the first installation before moving to the next one. At this stop, there was lighting on a fountain, but no show. Still the colorful lights were beautiful.

At our second stop, there was a massive coral sculpture. To be honest, I didn’t fully understand what it represented. It was introduced as a giant coral, but it wasn’t particularly impressive to me. The number of people kept increasing exponentially by the minute. I was glad we had come on Thursday.

We arrived at another installation, which was quite fascinating. It featured a setup symbolizing dynamics and bass sounds. As we got closer, we could feel the vibrations. Some installations had shows, while others were just illuminated objects. However, there was an interesting twist. There was also a strike happening in the city at the same time. From what I understood, taxi drivers or firefighters were trying to disrupt the event. They were blowing whistles and making noise to interfere with the concerts. Despite this, we didn’t give up.

The strike was organized by firefighters and the atmosphere was quite intense. Firework-like devices were being set off. From what I understood, the firefighters were staging this demonstration to voice their demands during the festival.

The streets were very crowded and access was restricted. However, even this couldn’t disrupt the festival. Interestingly, the festival and the strike continued simultaneously. This gave us a chance to observe how the firefighters were conducting their strike.

With the festival crowd combined with the strike crowd, things became even more chaotic. Nevertheless, we didn’t give up. We headed to our final stop, as it was cold and we were getting tired. Still a longer festival journey awaited us.

We moved toward Place des Terreaux, but the area was extremely crowded and the smell of smoke bombs filled the air. Fireworks were going off and I felt the urge to leave as soon as possible. Taking photos became difficult due to the chaos around us. The weather was getting colder too.

We decided to explore the surroundings a bit. Along the street, red lanterns were hung, creating a pleasant visual effect. Normally, this street is open to vehicle traffic, but it was pedestrian-only that day. People were walking along the street, making it an enjoyable experience. At the end of the road, we saw another light installation, but it didn’t look very impressive.

The atmosphere was unique. It felt as though the entire city had come together. People were united and there was a festive spirit in the air. Although the crowd was large, it wasn’t overwhelming. Just enough to make it feel like a proper celebration. However, the firefighters’ strike continued.

Our planned destination was taken over by the strikers, so there was no point in going there. We had planned to meet some friends visiting from Paris, but due to the strike, we decided to head home. We thought about returning on another day to experience the festival at a calmer time.

We took the metro and returned home. A new day began and we headed back to the city center to explore the Light Festival again. I expected it to be even more crowded that day, but at least the events were scheduled to start earlier, around 6:00 PM.

In another square, not the main one a Christmas market was set up. The market looked lovely, but our priority that day was the Light Festival.

On the way, we admired the city decorations. The street connecting the train station to Place Bellecour, where we had visited the previous day, was beautifully lit. Along the way, there were stalls selling crepes and waffles. There were even more people than the day before.

Some stalls also sold mulled wine. While it’s not my favorite drink, it adds to the festive atmosphere, especially when wandering around in winter. Young people dressed as Santa Claus were preparing mulled wine and singing songs to attract passersby.

We grabbed a quick snack and continued our city tour. Farther along, there was another installation that resembled shop windows, perhaps inspired by Thailand or China. It was amazing how every corner of the festival had something new to see.

The next day the Christmas market and the Light Festival awaited us. The crowd was the largest I had ever seen. The Lyon Christmas Market was so packed that moving around was nearly impossible. This was likely because it was a Saturday and the Light Festival had drawn an enormous number of visitors. In my three years here, I’d never seen the market this crowded. People were moving very slowly, which was a bit tiring.

The market had many small stalls selling mulled wine, French cuisine, decorations and handmade gifts. Normally, you can stroll through the market at your leisure, enjoying food and drinks, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case that day.

Later we went to Parc de la Tête d'Or and saw another installation. This one was made of plastic bottles, seemingly meant to highlight plastic pollution. However, it was hard to see how it fit with the overall theme of the Light Festival. While the idea was meaningful, it felt a bit out of place.

Another stop featured giant dancing figures. These figures were similar to inflatable tube men often seen at gas stations, moving with the wind. It was an interesting installation and its location in front of the opera house created a stunning visual.

The Lyon Light Festival originated as a tradition to thank the Virgin Mary, who is believed to have saved the city from the plague. As part of this tradition, people place candles on their balconies. We joined in this custom and lit candles. It was lovely to see our neighbors decorating their balconies with candles, creating a beautiful atmosphere.

This year’s Light Festival was both exhausting and enjoyable for us. We walked approximately 25,000 steps each day, braving the weather to share everything with you. Afterward, we set off for Paris, but that’s a story for another time. Wishing everyone a wonderful day!