The city of Lyon, lighting plan

Lyon is famous in France and abroad for being a pioneer in public lighting and lighting design. Backed by 150 years of experience and a flourishing reputation throughout the world, Lyon represente THE city of lighting:

• Festival of Lights around the 8th of December
• Lighting Plan in 1989, Lyon was the first city in the world to set up its Public Lighting Plan to highlight the public roads, buildings and monuments of the city.
  

Lyon as the lightspecialist

Today, lighting in Lyon is a given: every stroller who walks through the city at night will note how lighting has become an essential architectural component, one that reveals the city’s treasures without denaturing them.

Festival of lights in Lyon

The figures of the festival of lights 

• 4 million visitors
• 80 light projects
• 8 million small candles sold in Greater Lyon
• 3.5 million public transport users
• 400 000 broadcasted programs /edited14 television stations more than 250 newspaper articles / 250 articles
• 11 radio stations
• The city hotels are full during the whole duration of the festival ( 4days)
• 3 times the turnover for the city bars and restaurants compared to normal periods
• 47 public and private partners
• December 8th will forever be closely tied to the religious history of Lyon.
  

Lighting plan of Lyon

Artistic lighting illuminating 200 monuments and public squares in Lyon: City Hall, Hôtel Dieu, universities, banks and bridges of the Rhone River, Gerland Park, etc.

In 2007, Lyon reviewed its Lighting Plan with the aim of making it more creative, through new techniques and a better use of light as an integral part of urban, social and environmental development. The Lighting Plan and the top-level skills of local experts have made Lyon a major center of “light design” and urban lighting, whether temporary or long-term.

Started in 1989, the first Lighting Plan was a pioneering initiative with political, technical and artistic impact. By organizing permanent lighting for Lyon, it gave the city a new face and enabled lighting over 250 sites throughout the urban area. Light is no longer just for security; it has become an essential component of the urban landscape.

In 2004, the second Lighting Plan completed and reinforced the first one. This time, light freed itself from being just a way to emphasize monuments; it adapted to the activities and rhythms of the city, highlighting rivers, hills, silhouettes and major roadways.
Recognized as a distinct art and a profession, urban lighting has become an essential factor in the international impact of Lyon and its suburbs.
Companies from Lyon featuring light designers, artists or architects are invited to share their knowledge around the world.
Their expertise has been exported to outstanding sites: Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Castillo Del Moro in Havana, Ho Chi Minh City Museum, Ryadh el Feth Monument in Algiers, Menara Gardens in Marrakesh and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
In parallel to the growth of light engineering, specific training in the field of lighting has been developed (the professional Lighting Design Management degree, for example), as well as international events (like Lumiville show).

LUCI association : the international network of “cities of light”

City of Lyon, internationally renowned for its lighting plan and traditional Festival of Lights, had initiated the creation of an international network of “cities of light”. In December 2001, Lyon was awarded the presidency of the International Urban Community Lighting Association (LUCI).