The Festival of Lights in Lyon, 2012
Lights, camera and action! One more year, Lyon kicks off the Festival of Lights . From December 7 at 8:00 p.m. the streets of the French city will shine for four nights. A show full of color, light and music which will create a magical atmosphere.
On December 7, Lyon is transformed into an open-air theater. The Festival of Lights turns squares, streets and monuments in the city center into authentic canvases for multimedia artists . Since 1999, the inhabitants of the city and visitors from different parts of the world have enjoyed this event for free. in honor of the Day of the Immaculate.
The Festival of Lights in Lyon, 2012
Despite being a modern party, this tradition has a religious origin . In the 17th century Lyon promised to erect a statue in honor of the Virgin Mary if she protected the city from the plague. So it was. For this reason, since 1852 its citizens they commemorate it with several days of nightly parties in which they fill the streets with light.
The famous **Fourvière hill (where people pray) ** and the **Croix-Rousse hill (where they work) ** light up. It is at this moment that the party begins at the foot of the two hills. The facades of sculptures, monuments and buildings come to life thanks to numerous projections. The windows of the houses join the light festival with multicolored crystals and candles. the rhone river It acts as a giant mirror, reflecting the fully illuminated city and waving its silhouette in the water. This is how it is created in Lyon a totally dreamlike atmosphere.
The Place des Terreaux in one of the editions of the Festival of Lights
With scenes that combine video, sound creations, 3D animations and living arts , multiple stories are told.
We anticipate you some of the surprises of this edition that will transport us to a universe full of surrealism: on the Place des Terreaux , Nathanaëlle Picot tells the story of a western girl and her dog; at the Fourvière Gallo-Roman Theater **‘Balāha ** is projected ’ Based on an Indian novel, this performance tells the story of a winged horse fleeing the darkness of the night; on Fourviere hill the facades will be filled with wonderful northern lights; at the Saint-Jean Cathedral , Madeinhl-Helen Eastwood & Laurent Brun have created 'Unison' , an exhibition where through music and lights the cathedral is composed and decomposed; on Place Bellecour grows a garden of giant plants and at Place de la Republique two owls fly over the fountain where their nest with three eggs is located; in Rue du President Carnot the innovators Benedetto & Benoìt Deseille will turn the cabin of an excavator into an aquarium full of aquatic plants and exotic fish; and our last revelation, the fountain of the Place des Jacobins it will be transformed into a 19th century clock.
The Place Bellecour at the Festival of Lights, 2013
About 50 projects are presented this year and they are all original creations. Thanks to the prestige of this event, Lyon has served as a benchmark for other countries such as France, Hong Kong or Bogota where installations with lights have also been carried out. Furthermore, in 2002, at the initiative of the city, a the International Urban Lighting Community , an international network of around 70 cities that understand light as an important tool for sustainable urban, social and economic development.
Schedule will be from 8:00 p.m. to midnight on December 7, 8 and 9. And on Sunday 10, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m..
The Lyon Festival of Lights is the best way to dust off the Christmas spirit. Let the show begin!
Screening of 'The Little Prince' at the Place des Terreaux, 2013