Since it’s been over a year since I wrote a decent post I thought I’d start up my blog again with something interesting.

I’d been looking forward to seeing the Fête des Lumières (Festival of Lights) in Lyon ever since I came across it accidentally when I saw the pictures of it on Flickr about a year ago… However, being in Australia it would be a little bit difficult to achieve this!

Then, when I found out I was going to France I said I was DEFINITELY going to go. However the prices for accommodation skyrocket during this period and it is extremely hard to find anything. I asked a friend if I could stay at her place but she was fully booked out too so I just decided not to go. That was until recently when another friend told me her brother has an apartment there and will actually be out of town during the festival and that we could both go and stay there – yippee! It is located in the heart of the city in between the 1st and 2nd arrondissements so I was very fortunate indeed, as during the hours of the festival all the roads are closed and public transport is not running so you are forced to walk everywhere.

The festival runs for only 4 days starting on the 8th December each year. The festival’s purpose is to give thanks to Mary (mother of Jesus) and actually started because of a plague in 1643 and it was the city’s way of paying tribute to Mary because the town was spared. (information paraphrased from Wikipedia).

The theme this year was about energy saving and reducing energy consumption. There were 75 different displays/sites so I only managed to see a handful of them.

I knew it would be crowded but I had no idea it would be THAT crowded. I should note that I went to Sydney’s Vivid Lights Festival and Macquarie Visions 3 times and not once was it that crowded. In fact, most nights it was near empty. I was really disappointed in Sydneysiders for not being more interested in the events like this that the city so generously puts on. Hardly anyone that I know went to see it.

In Lyon, people travel from all over the country to see it and it was mega crowded.

I saw the festival both Friday night (10th) and Saturday night (11th) – the last night. I should note that the temperature was around 0°C and yet there were still so many people out, both young and old. The shops were open late and the restaurants were all open and most were also serving fast take-away food and wine out the front. There were bands and music and it was just such a festive, happy atmosphere!

The pics:

Along the Saône, La Fourvière (cathedral) lit up and the moon

…with Moon projection on the left

La Cathédrale Saint Jean

Place Bellecour and the Grande Roue (Ferris Wheel)

Friday night crowds

Tour (tower) de la Charité, Place Antonin Poncet – Images Labos-Expérimentations étudiantes
The bricks moved in and out and ‘fell apart’, creating a 3D effect

Place de la République – Un air du large
Projections onto a pond/fountain

Rue de la République – Pailles-en-queue, Flamants Roses et Lampounettes
Origami looking birds and giant desk lamps

L’Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) with Saturday night crowds

Place des Terreaux – Hommage à Bartholdi
My favourite one! It was a beautiful display of rainbow-coloured projections, music and water giving a multi-sensory feel. On the Friday night I managed to get up close but on the Saturday night it was about 20 poeple deep!

Le Jardin du Musée des Beaux-Arts (Garden of Museum of Fine Arts) Palais Saint-Pierre – Jungle Urbaine
My second favourite one. It was in a courtyard and when it was lit up it almost felt like daytime. I stayed and watched the sequence about 6 times! The corridor was also gorgeously lit up.

Place des Terreaux
with Saturday night crowds

Cour de l’Hôtel de Ville (courtyard of the Town Hall) – Traboule de lumière

Looking in the other direction:

Place Louis Pradel, Opéra de Lyon

• View all pics on Flickr

• View all pics on Facebook (don’t forget to become a fan )

• Official website in English