FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS IN LYON, FRANCE
Fête des Lumières… I mean truly have never seen ANYTHING else even remotely like it.
A beautiful cathedral tells an emotional story through a spectacle of unique colors, patterns, and images right before your eyes. You enter what is an ordinary office building/ shopping mall and it’s like you were plopped in the middle of an EDM concert with the endless reflecting light beams encompassing the space around you. You watch a fountain rise and fall as it changes into rainbow colors and feel the triumphant music to your core.
I 10/10 recommend this festival if you can get to Lyon, France during the first weekend in December (usually). The only drawback is then you have to experience Lyon during its busiest time of the year, which means higher hotel prices (that book out a year in advance) and hard to make restaurant reservations. Lyon is known as one of the gastronomical capitals of the world. They have a unique cuisine corned on ingenuity. What do I mean? Lyon for a long time was just the feeder-program to Paris. They would raise the cattle, butcher, and send the “good” meat to Paris. The Lyonnaise people had to work with what they got, and they did just that. That’s why you’ll find some interesting selections on their menus like andouillette (pig intestines) or cow tongue (yes, for real). My best suggestion, don’t worry what it is, just eat it! They also have a more unique geographical location than Paris, so they had many other countries influence them along the way. Anyway, the town will be busy, no doubt, but if you can swing it during the festival weekend, do it!
So how did this cool thing even start??? Well, take out your textbooks fam bc you about to get schooled !! The origin of Fete des Lumieres, or the Festival of Lights, dates back to 1643. The plague was running rampant throughout Europe, sparing no one in its path. The city of Lyon prayed to Virgin Mary and on December 8, and a procession of people prayed and brought candles up to the basilica as offerings to spare them from the tragedies. Well, spoiler alert… it worked!
As if that wasn’t enough, years later in 1852, Lyonnaise were all eager in anticipation to celebrate their beloved Virgin Mary on December 8th… but then that morning a horrible storm struck the city. The festivities were postponed until Sunday. Then miraculously the sky cleared and spontaneously people started to light candles in their windows and descended into the streets for a big party. So, as you can see, it’s only grown each year there after! (Important to note that Mary is Marie in french: so don’t get confused if you see that around town! Same gal!).
Now the event spans from Thursday-Sunday every year in early December. Try to go on Thursday or Sunday night to really take in each individual light display, and save Friday and Saturday for hot wine and partying in the streets. Because to me, nothing is more annoying than trying to get through a big crowd. So if you just save those two busy days for fun, you won’t be stressed about only seeing one or two displays.
There are displays all over the city. A map of the displays can be found online each year or in pamphlets passed out by staff members with little rolling carts. I’ve been to the festival twice, and my consistent favorite is the St. Jean’s Cathedral in Vieux-Lyon. It’s always the most trippy (and I mean that in the best way possible). This year it featured different flowers, and almost seemed to signify rebirth in its tone. But every year everything is transformed into something new, so don’t hesitate to go more than one year!
I first went when I studied abroad in 2016. I had already lived in the city for months at that point, so it was relatively easy to navigate. But my biggest advice would just be to use the two rivers as your guides. There are two rivers that split the city, the Rhône and the Saône. When looking a a map of the city, to the right of the second river (Rhône) is the University area. There won’t be any of the major light displays here, but it’s probably the best place to stay if you’re looking to save some money on accommodations. It’s a pretty walkable city, and the metro (underground line) even runs for free during the hours of the festival.
When you cross the bridge over the Rhone river, your next biggest landmark will be Place Bellecour. This is where you will find the big ferris wheel every year AND your first cup of hot wine (because who can go to a festival and not drink, right!?). There will be stands set up all over, take your pick! You’ll also find Hotel Dieu which is a new shopping/office space in the city. This one they didn’t have my first year going, but was definitely worth the wait the second time. Last major attraction in this part of the city is right before you cross over to the next river, looking up to Fourvière Hill. They project a huge display on to many buildings from across the river.
Okay now you cross over the Saône river, and you’re in Vieux-Lyon or old-town. This neighborhood was the first protected area in France, so it saved from any destruction as the city’s demand for roads and infrastructure increased. This makes it nearly impossible to travel by car, which is great for us walkers! In 1998, it was even classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This part of town dates back to 43 BC and still has remnants from the romans, but the city really started to flourish in the 15th century due to it’s geographical location (close to Paris, Geneva, Italy, etc.). In this part of the city you’ll find my personal favorite, the St. Jean’s Cathedral as well as a few others. I really recommend this part of town to get some food at the many locations weaved in and out of the small streets. All of the restaurants will set up right in front of their storefront and sell modified versions of their menu and/or the festival classics.
Enjoying yummy fries at Bintje & Zoet.
If you get a chance stop by Bintje & Zoet for a big cone of Belgian french fries with the curry sauce on top. I don’t know why it works so well together, but trust me… it does! And if you’re not a big sauce person, the fries are good by themselves too.
Also on this side of the river would be how you get up the Fourvière Hill, but you can’t do so at night time. Though, I highly suggest taking the funicular to the top of the hill to explore the oldest part of town. Here lies the roman ruins as well as a beautiful Basilica of Notre Dame of Fourvière. It SHOULD NOT be missed when visiting this city, even if you’re only there for just a weekend.
If you continue on to late night, there are great bars scattered all throughout the city. I tried to hit the old stomping grounds from when I studied abroad, Ayers Rock, but quickly realized I was one of the oldest people there. So VERY fun for 18-21 year olds, total college vibe… but you know me I’m classy now. L O L NOT!!! Maybe it was an off night, but definitely still had fun on the dance floor— they play all the American hits. Ready for late-late night? There are some great clubs scattered about as well. My best suggestion? Google is great… but follow the people. Met local boys at the bar that are going somewhere? Meet them there (but SAFELY PLEASE). Walking by and see a big line of people? Join the line. These are usually good signs for a good time.
All in all, my words are fine… the video shows about 10% of the magic… but you have to see it for yourself to truly understand the beauty, creativity, and sheer fun of this festival.