The 'Fete des Illuminations' was initially a night that inhabitants of Lyon light candles up and put them by their windows. It was a traditional event taken place on December 8th since the mid 19th century to thank Virgin Mary for saving/helping people of Lyon during hard times diseases epidemics. However, the tradition has changed a little bit the past decades... since technology has expanded and gone crazy! Now called 'Fetes des Lumieres', it happens around the 8th of December every year and lasts for 4 days. The entire city is lit up with traditional lights/candles or projections of animations on facades of important buildings, such as the City Hall, the Opera House, the Cathedral, the Basilica, etc.
My experience of the Light Festival in Lyon was EXCEPTIONAL. I was so amazed by the lights, so impressed by the decorations that I went back to childhood... At that moment, I was just a child feeling really, really free... I didn't think of anything and simply enjoyed what I was seeing. I had so much fun walking around the city, watching the projections. I took pictures, but they didn't do justice to the actual experience.
If you think that Times Square in New York is crazy crowded, then you should see Lyon. The festival is a very big 4-day annual event... 4 million people were there this year! CRAAAZZYYY!!! If you ever get the chance, you should ALL go to the 'Fete des Lumieres'... You will not regret it!
LOVED IT!!!
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