Fête des Lumières – Cont’d

The best show of festival 2013 was at Place des Terreaux, where lights were projected on two historical buildings around the square – namely Lyon City Hall

And Saint-Pierre Palace, a former Benedictine convent turned Museum of Fine Arts.

The shadow or Adam by Rodin (On the left)

The award-winning show transformed the square into a remote planet where the “Prince of Lights” was the only inhabitant, who plunged into darkness by swallowing the light. The facades of the buildings swung and swayed as he explored exotic regions on the back of a giant insect, amidst sprawling plants, and under the starry sky.

As you might have guessed, the show was inspired by Le Petit Prince – a book by French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who was born in the city of Lyon.

The show won the Trophy of Lights award and was played again at Dubaï festival of lights in 2014.

Another award-winning installation was at La Fresque des Lyonnais, an impressive seven-story mural known for its depiction of the famous residents of Lyon –

including loom inventor Joseph-Marie Jacquard, Renaissance poet Maurice Scève, celebrity chef Paul Bocuse, puppet Guignol, and of course the Little Prince along with his creator.

At night, the mural sprang to life

with “Draw me…Lights” – This was the first and only time that La Fresque des Lyonnais was deployed in the Festival of Lights, and what a show it was!

On the evening of December 8th, fireworks lit up the sky near the banks of the Rhone river.

Drawing a crescendo to our short stay in Lyon. It was yet another cold night, even colder than the night before, but our spirits – very much helped by du vin chaud –  were high. We were sad to have to leave this lovely city, but we vowed to come back!