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2mo ago

Lyon’s Fête des Lumières Opens With 500-Drone Ballet as Citywide Installations Draw Crowds

A pared-back program funded partly by patrons such as Netflix reflects a push for joyful, locally rooted works under tight security.

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Cette photographie montre la basilique de Fourvière illuminée, lors de l'avant-première de l'édition annuelle de la Fête des Lumières à Lyon, le 4 décembre 2025.

Overview

  • The four-day festival runs December 5–8 with 23 installations across sites including Vieux Lyon, Place des Terreaux and Parc de la Tête d'Or.
  • A 500-drone show by local collective Allumée is scheduled nightly over Parc de la Tête d'Or after a rehearsal antenna glitch was resolved, with takeoffs planned every 30 minutes from nightfall.
  • Authorities activated two security perimeters with 68 access points staffed by 415 private agents, 200 municipal police and more than 500 national police.
  • The city cut its net outlay to €2.1 million within a €3.4 million budget, offset by sponsorship that includes a Netflix-funded Stranger Things installation.
  • Highlights include László Zsolt Bordos’s projections on Saint-Jean Cathedral, a 40th‑anniversary skate spectacle at Place Louis‑Pradel and Tigrelab’s gastronomic homage at Place des Terreaux, with about 2 million visitors expected.