Fetes des Lumieres

The Fetes des Lumieres (Festival of Lights) is the largest and most well-known of the many festivals that occur in Lyon each year.  Lorraine and I have been excited about joining this festival since we arrived.  It occurs early in December each year, so the weather is always a potential problem, but it doesn’t deter the Lyonnaise or the many visitors to the city.  This year it was cold (around freezing) but there was no rain, so all was well. 

We were happy to have good friends Gordon and Lettie MacCleery visiting from Virginia during the Fetes.  We ventured out among the crowds for two of the four nights of the festival.   The city was packed – which meant that the metros were packed – but everyone was happy and glad to be there.

Our first stop was the Place des Jacobins, where lasers in the middle of the central statue were drawing patterns on the fountain below and the buildings around the place.

We then made our way to the banks of the Soane River.  Here the lights were projected across the river the buildings on the other side. 

The St. Jean Cathedral has been one of the most iconic locations for the Fetes, and the crowds crossing the Soane to Vieux Lyon were huge, as expected.  The city had done a fantastic job of crowd control, however, directing us in a circular path to the Place St. Jean, rather than the most direct route.  This kept the people moving (slowly) in the same directions rather than having to fight people coming and going in the same area.

 Our second night of viewing started off closer to home in the Place Terraux, just one metro stop away from us.  We got there plenty early only to find (after sitting on cold concrete stumps for a good while) that we were over an hour early for the beginning of the show.  We found a close-by Boston-themed pub to get a bottle of wine to pass the time.  Here is a picture for Daughter-in-law Brooke, who is from Massachusetts and went to Boston College.

When the show actually started, we were totally blown away.  There were projections on both the Hotel de Ville, and the Musee de Beaux Arts on two sides of the Place.   It was fantastic!

My favorites are the tableaux that emphasize the actual elements of the building, like the two above.

At one point there were lights that showed the facade of the Musee de Beaux Artes that suddenly swept to the left while compressing.  The effect was that the building facade was just swept away.  It was magical.

From the Place Terraux, we walked all the way down to Place Bellecour, stopping by the Palais de Bourse, where two industrial robots were starting a romantic relationship.  It was quite interesting, but, for the sake of my young readers, I have no photographs.

Place Bellecour displayed an enchanted forest with flying fish who changed their colors.  It was really impressive. 

After a bottle of wine and some warmth at Café Bellecour, we made our way with the rest of the crowds on the metro back to our home in the Croix Rousse, delighted with the spectacular festival we had seen.

Be sure and check out Lorraine’s blog Lorraineforayear.blogspot.com for more on the festival, including a website that shows all 36 locations for the festival.