Fete des Lumieres 2011 - Saint Georges, Lyon (http://www.fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr)
Lyon’s Fête des Lumières kicked off once again on December 8th, estimated this year to attract nearly 4 million visitors to this Rhone-Alps cultural hub. I’m dying of envy looking at the photos sprinkling in, after experiencing it last year I can confidently say la Fête des Lumières is a spectacular sight worth seeing. Each year beginning on December 8th and stretching through the weekend, the city of Lyon transforms into a nighttime light show. It’s breathtaking and my heart hurts not being able to witness it in person. Thanks to the internet, however, we can all get a glimpse even if, like me, we are 6,000 miles away. So that everyone can experience this, I’ve tried to compile the best pictures and video I can find so far.
Fete des Lumieres 2011 Place des Terreaux, Lyon (http://www.fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr)
While the festival in its current incarnation is on its 13th year, the tradition behind it has endured since 1850′s. Originally la Fête des Lumières was a religious celebration thanking the Virgin Mary for protecting the city of Lyon from the plague. Traditionally the Lyonnais have placed candles in their windows every 8th of December.
Now, the city comes alive for four nights as light displays take place in nearly every neighborhood and at all the major Lyon historic attractions. Euronews did a good report on the festival this year (in English) and you can get more peaks at this year’s edition at the official Fête des Lumières website (in English & French).
Videos Worth Watching:
Lyon Tourism Official 2011 Video Gallery
France 3 Fête des Lumières Playlist – Dailymotion
Most of the year, the streets of France‘s cities and villages are already sublimely well-lit. There’s a je ne sais quoi about how the natural sunlight falls on the ancient buildings and historic architecture. From sunrise to sunset, the lighting changes ever so slightly and regularly stops you in your tracks just to observe how its rays are falling at that moment.Then when the sunlight expires, there are the sights by night. On normal nights in cities like Lyon or towns like Chambery, the way the streetlights and spotlights are engineered is already breathtaking.
Lyon, France on a normal day...
Yet the Fête des Lumières finds a way to take it to a whole other level with sound, special effects and vin chaud, partout. The streets are flooded with people all night long, laughing and gasping at the clever, and occasionally odd, displays. Here are some wonderful photos of this year’s awesome installations, make sure to click through for the full gallery at the City of Lyon’s official Fête des Lumières website:
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