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Lyon’s Fête des Lumières Opens With First 500‑Drone Nightly Ballet

The city reduced its net outlay to €2.1 million, relying on private sponsorship that includes Netflix.

Overview

  • The four‑day edition runs December 5–8 with 23 light works across the city and an expected crowd of about 2 million.
  • A new aerial show at Parc de la Tête d’Or deploys 500 drones for roughly eight minutes each evening, produced by the local collective Allumée.
  • Mayor Grégory Doucet launched the festivities after preview tests, highlighting unprecedented installations and tributes to Lyon’s culture.
  • Programming features Nicolas Paolozzi’s homage to 40 years of skateboarding at Place Louis‑Pradel, a cathedral projection by László Zsolt Bordos, a pop tribute to the city’s ‘mères’ by Tigrelab, and Tundra’s holographic work at the Opéra.
  • Authorities set two security perimeters with 68 entry and exit points staffed by 415 private agents, 200 municipal police officers, and more than 500 national police.