Festival of Lights

Vows and stormy beginnings

The festival traces its roots to 1643, when plague threatened Lyon. City leaders promised to pay tribute to the Virgin Mary if the town was spared from the epidemic. Residents continued this pledge by holding an annual procession on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. In 1852, sculptor Joseph-Hugues Fabisch created a statue of Mary for Fourvière Hill. Floods along the Saône River delayed its planned September dedication until December. When severe storms threatened the rescheduled event, organizers called off the official celebration. As the sky cleared that evening, local residents spontaneously placed candles on outside windowsills, lit flares, and walked the streets singing together.

Candles on window sills

At the heart of the festival is a domestic ritual shared across Lyon. Near the end of November, shops begin selling stout, fluted candles. Families set aside collections of clear and coloured glass holders, keeping them alongside their holiday ornaments. On the night of December 8, households across the city place these lighted glasses along exterior windowsills. The collective glow creates rows of flickering light down residential streets. While modern visitors often associate the event with large public spectacles, this simple act of domestic lighting remains the central custom that connects local households to the 1852 celebration.

Public shows and plazas

Over four December evenings, central Lyon turns into a pedestrian zone filled with outdoor light installations, live performances, and food stalls. The festival culminates on December 8, when public attendance peaks. Two primary focal points anchor the displays: Place des Terreaux, which presents an original light show each year, and the Basilica of Fourvière, which is bathed in colourful lighting high above the city. Projections cover monumental façades, while luminous sculptures sit in parks and public squares. Between three and four million people travel through the city centre during the four-day event.

Adaptations and security

Security concerns have shaped the festival in recent years. Following national emergency measures in late 2015, municipal authorities cancelled the main public art installations. Lyon instead marked the date solely with traditional window candles and a light display along river quays bearing the names of attack victims. The following year, the city introduced strict entry checkpoints, shortened the schedule to three days, and contained the exhibits within a tighter perimeter under heightened security. Despite adjustments to scale and organization, the festival continues as a major civic gathering that blends private remembrance with public spectacle.

How Festival of Lights is kept

Families prepare by buying fluted candles and arranging glass holders along their outside window ledges. On December 8, people light these candles at dusk to illuminate their homes. Meanwhile, a church procession travels to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière to present offerings and prayers. Throughout four consecutive evenings, pedestrian streets open across central Lyon. Crowds walk between illuminated public squares, viewing architectural video projections, glowing art installations, and musical performances, while buying snacks from outdoor street stalls.

When and where

The festival takes place every year in December for four days, scheduled around the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. The peak of public activity and traditional window lighting happens on the evening of the 8th.

The event is held throughout Lyon in south-eastern France. Major activities centre on Fourvière Hill, Place des Terreaux, public parks, and the pedestrianised streets of the city centre.

What Festival of Lights means

The tradition originated as an expression of thanksgiving to Mary for protecting Lyon from disease and disaster. The candles lit on windowsills recall the spontaneous community illumination of 1852, when citizens celebrated their shared civic and religious heritage despite cancelled municipal plans. For modern Lyonnais, the lights represent civic unity, local identity, and the formal start of the winter holiday season.

Questions people ask about Festival of Lights

See also

CandlemasA Christian feast of candle blessings marking the end of the Christmas seasonRéveillonA luxurious late-night feast that stretches until dawn across the winter holidaysChristmasA festival of Jesus's birth, kept on 25 December with gifts, lights and shared mealsChristmas marketA seasonal street market held during Advent in German-speaking regions and beyond, featuring stalls, food, and crafts.

Good reading and sources

• Festival of Lights (Lyon) on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.