Frequently asked questions

The Festival of Lights is a traditional local festival dating back to 1852, when the people of Lyon first placed lighted candles on their windowsills in celebration of the Virgin Mary.

For the past 25 years, the City of Lyon’s teams have been organising a free large-scale community event taking place on four evenings around December 8. The event has grown in popularity, extending far beyond the Rhône and Saone and, every year, some 2 million French and international tourists flock to the streets of Lyon. 
What is on the agenda? Every year, public spaces - from the city centre right out to the suburbs - become the playground for mapping and light art specialists producing around thirty different installations on show during the four-day event.

The Festival of Lights is a free festival, with no admission charge. It is financed by the City of Lyon, with the support of local businesses, who become sponsors of the festival in various ways: by contributing cash, by making a donation in kind or by directly financing a light project. Public partners also help to co-produce and finance certain works of art.

Les dates de l'édition 2026 seront annoncées au cours du 1er trimestre de l'année civile, 4 jours incluant un week-end, autour du 8 décembre.

The Tourist Office is your first port of call for accommodation and restaurants (book as soon as possible!): https://www.visiterlyon.com/

From early November, a digital version of this year's programme will be available on the website. 

From the end of November, a paper version will be available at information points: Lyon Tourist Office, Fête des Lumières information points, Only Lyon-approved reception desks and certain city centre shops.

Visitors with a disability can find all the information they need on our dedicated page.

Adapted arrangements are in place to welcome visitors with disabilities. Upon presenting a Mobility Inclusion Card, visitors can benefit from: skip-the-line access, a dedicated entrance, and parking for people with reduced mobility.

La Fête des Lumières est accessible à tous.

Des dispositifs adaptés sont mis en œuvre pour accueillir les personnes en situation de handicap sur présentation de la Carte Mobilité Inclusion (CMI) : coupe-files, entrées spécifiques, parkings pour les personnes à mobilité réduite, parcours adaptés... sont mis en œuvre pour les adultes et les enfants en situation de handicap. 

Vous trouverez toutes les informations sur notre page handi-accueil. 

The Festival of Lights is taking place in the city centre in a delimited, pedestrian zone. There are about forty pedestrian entry points, roughly one every 100 metres. Cars, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles and e-scooters are not authorised in the zone.

► Futher information

The Lumignons du Cœur campaign supports a different charity every year. A collaborative light installation is created using the candles bought by visitors and the proceeds go to charity.

If you are a bright spark with a great idea for a festival installation, you need to submit your project during the call for projects launched every year on the Festival of Lights website.

Pendant la Fête des Lumières, les ventes à l’étalage sont interdites. En dehors de l'appel à candidature de restauration éphémère, aucune installation d'ambulants n'est autorisée à l'intérieur du périmètre.

Si vous souhaitez tenir un stand pendant la Fête des Lumières, vous pouvez contacter  les services de la Ville de Lyon selon que vous soyez :

• Une association : une demande d’Occupation Temporaire de l’Espace Public est à réaliser sur la plateforme dématérialisée de la Ville de Lyon
• Un professionnel : une demande est à adresser à la Direction du Commerce et de l’Artisanat

La vente d’alcool à emporter, l'installation de terrasses et l'utilisation de contenants en verre sont interdits dans l’ensemble du périmètre. Nous vous invitons à prévoir des contenants en cartons ou d'autres matières recyclables. 
 

Un appel à candidature pour tenir un espace de restauration éphémère est diffusé sur notre site à partir fin juillet. Cet appel à candidature est soumis à un cahier des charges privilégiant notamment les circuits courts, la filière biologique, une politique tarifaire abordable ou encore un engagement dans la gestion des déchets. 

L'équipe de la Fête des Lumières est intéressée par tous les talents. Les opportunités sont disponibles sur le site de la Ville de Lyon. 
Vous pouvez adresser vos candidatures spontanées par courriel.

Are you wondering about the possibility of helping to support artists, accessibility, etc.? How can you become part of a network of economic players or unite your employees while benefiting from tax deductions? 
To find out under what conditions this is possible, go to the Partners page to find out more about the network of economic players.
If you have any questions, please contact the sponsorship officer in charge of the Fête des Lumières.

For many years, the City of Lyon has been particularly attentive to controlled energy consumption during the Festival of Lights, which is also a key pillar of the city’s lighting plan. The electricity consumption related to the Festival is estimated at only 0.1% of the city’s total annual electricity bill. At a citizen level, this corresponds to the annual electricity use of two households of four people.

Several factors explain this low consumption:

• Most light installations use LED technology, which is very energy-efficient.
• The equipment used offers high energy performance.
• Lighting for many heritage sites (Saint-Jean Cathedral, Palais de Justice, Basilica of Fourvière, Théâtre des Célestins, etc.) is turned off during the Festival.

Environmental impact is a key criterion in the selection of installations, as with all City of Lyon contracts, in line with the Framework for Socially and Environmentally Responsible Procurement. This approach is reinforced by the ISO 20121 certification obtained by the Department of Events and Animation.

The main purpose of  ISO 20121 is to factor sustainable development into events organisation.

Aligned with the City of Lyon’s ecological and sustainable transition policy, the Department of Events and Animation strives for greater eco-responsibility. In 2024, this long-term commitment was recognized through the ISO 20121 certification, which applies to all events organized by the City of Lyon, including the Festival of Lights. This certification was renewed in November 2025.

Our commitment is structured around three priority axes:

• Contribute to environmental policy across all our events
• Offer accessible and inclusive events by 2030
• Structure event planning and governance