Fête des Lumières – Lyon, France

At night fall, the festival begins.

According to the program, there are 78 performances, displays and light shows around the city of Lyon. It is daunting, if not impossible, to see all in one night. So we decided to focus on one area and see as much as possible in that area.

Since we were already in Vieux Lyon, we started the walk from there…

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Encounters @Saint-Jean Cathedral As you arrive to the square lighted at 360° from a mysterious monolith, you will enter into a flood of light and discover the architecture of the cathedral and the buildings around the square in a new way. Variations in colors, intensity and patterns trace pathways across the city to the accompaniment of interweaving musical compositions.

Then we moved across the Bonaparte bridge, following the opening theme of Lawrence of Arabia (see video recording below), to this grand symphony show on the banks of the Saône river.

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From the Saône to the Fourvière Basilica, each aquatic, vegetation or mineral element in the landscape becomes an instrumental part of the « Great Orchestra of Fourvière ». To the opening theme of the film « Lawrence of Arabia », composed by Maurice Jarre, a Lyonnais, the hill becomes a symphony. The river sparkles with violas and violins, the riverbanks come to life with cellos and oboes, the Palais de Justice resounds with piano, harp and brasses.

At Place Bellecour, we encountered a spectacular light show projected on the Ferris wheel followed by an outburst of fireworks.

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PIERROT LE FEU @Place Bellecour. This 15-minute show mixes video projection, lighting and fireworks to tell the story of Pierrot’s awakening on the big wheel of the Place Bellecour. He joyously discovers the world around him and wants only to amuse himself! And there he goes, jumping from the screen thanks to his magical power, he mischievously plays with the mechanical movement; sounds and space cause flames to appear here and there. This playfulness ends by making the ghost of Louis XIV angry. He begins to chase after the clown…

But our favorite show of the night is “Candles of the Heart” at Place des Célestines.

It is dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Little Brothers of the Poor (Les Petits Frères des Pauvres), a non-profit organization committed to help the elderly people who suffer from loneliness, poverty, exclusion and serious diseases.

There’s also the light installments of Climatic Caress at Hotel Dieu

Welcome to a jungle invaded by strange delicate vines! White and brittle in winter, they become invasive and clinging in the rainy season; when summer comes, they offer the warm caress of wild grass.

A shimmering flower garden with sparkling arches on Rue de la République

And a bouquets of roses wrapped in lace and tied with satin ribbons

carrying the silhouette of the famous fashion and lingerie designer, Chantal Thomass, at Place de la Bourse.

As it was getting late and the temperature dropped below zero, we decided to call it a night. We found Lyon to be a beautiful and manageable city and we hope to see more of it tomorrow.

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!!! Wishing you ALL a HAPPY holiday!!!

15 thoughts on “Fête des Lumières – Lyon, France”

  3. WOW! Actually triple wow! To see one is awesome enough, but to see a series of it from different places it projects that sense of a community or like a harmony. You most definitely filled your holiday nights with much festivity and lights. Awesome displays! I most liked the one at the hotel.

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  5. Lovely to see some pictures from a different year in the Fête des Lumières’ history – I particularly like the arches on Rue de la République and the huge bouquet of flowers. Sub zero temperatures made it a challenge for us too!!

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  7. I had the opportunity to go see la fete des Lumieres this year, and I was so glad that I went! Lyon certainly had a magical atmosphere to it, and it is great to see that you enjoyed it as well a few years back. Hope to visit there again someday! Happy holidays. 🙂

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  8. Pingback: Lyon, France – Travel-Gourmand.com
  9. Pingback: Fête Des Lumières – Cont’d – Travel-Gourmand.com

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