JulieVikmanis

I've become obsessed with the Lyon Fete des Lumieres, what appears to be an incredibly beautiful sound and light show of several days each year surrounding December 8. The public buildings in several of the city squares are lit up with a magical colored light show/story in commemoration of the city's connection to the Virgin Mary. See this explanation from Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fete_des_Lumieres and this Youtube video of this year's festival http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W0EHLyQ8JU

I want to plan now to attend next year but I'd like to hear from someone who has actually been there about this spectacle. Do you need tickets? Are the crowds overwhelming making it actually better to see second hand rather than being there in person? I already know that hotel rooms go for a big premium at that time, but that is to be expected. I'd appreciate hearing any helpful hints someone who has attended this can provide. Thanks.

DonTopaz

I went to Lyon for the festival a few years ago: it was absolutely fantastic. The light shows are amazing, beyond my wildest dreams. But for me maybe the best part was the great atmosphere throughout the city -- the streets were transformed from places where cars rule to places where people just ambled about and enjoyed themselves. Sure, there are lots of people, but hardly a mob environment. And, because virtually everything is outside, it's easy to put some distance between yourself and everyone else when you feel like it.

To answer your questions, no you don't need tickets, at least to the outdoor events/buildings. I stayed at the Boscolo (now B4) Grand Hotel. Fantastic location, but the hotel was a bit dated.

Stopping in Lyon was part of a much bigger trip, and I'd made plans for it about 8 or 10 months in advance. Plenty of hotels rooms were available at that point, and they seemed to be readily available until about 6 months in advance.

I'd taken my camcorder along and put together a video, at http://vimeo.com/17805567 .

DonTopaz

Also noticed that I wrote a little bit about the festival and Lyon while I was staying there.

Go to http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...-hong-kong.cfm , and then scroll down to entries from "Dec 8, 10 at 8:12pm." [If your computer is set to other than U.S. Eastern time, adjust the "8:12pm" accordingly]

JulieVikmanis

Don thank you so much. Can't imagine that they can do this wonderful thing without some kind of charge but you gotta love it. My research says that it's scheduled for Dec. 5 to 8 in 2014 so I can try to reserve hotels well ahead of time. I was actually looking at the Boscolo so I'm glad to get your candid review and will steer clear. Enjoyed your video. From my research of Youtube videos of the last couple of years it looks like they've definitely gone more and more over the top with color and effect as the festivals have progressed.

a few more questions if you can recall. Do people bring chairs to sit on or are all the performance short so you just keep walking and make a stop here and there as you go? Was it very cold while you were there? Any other hints you can give me to make the whole thing as enjoyable as possible? Sure sounds worthy of a special journey as the Michelin folks say. Again, thanks for sharing your experience.

DonTopaz

I don't recall seeing anyone with portable chairs. Because you're walking around a fair bit of the time going from installation to installation, I think a folding chair would be more a hindrance than a help.

There are certainly plenty of places to sit and rest as you walk from place to place -- public benches, stoops, and certainly plenty of cafés where you can rest and get some refreshment. A specialty is a mulled wine -- I forget the name, but it's omnipresent and delicious.

It was chilly, probably around 40-45F, but by no means bitter cold.

If I were doing it over again, I'd probably plan to stay for at least 3 nights. You really need a minimum of 2 nights to get a good feel for the event (maybe 1 night on each side of the river), and the 1 extra night in case of bad weather and/or to see more installations. I probably got to around 8 or 10 each night, and I'd guess I was out on the street for about 3 hours each night.

And, yes, it the Festival is very definitely worth a grand detour.

JulieVikmanis

Thanks so much. Exactly the kind of information I need to plan this great adventure.

Laidback

Julie,

Haven't been to the Festival of Lights but we were in Lyon this past spring and stayed at Le Royal Lyon in a junior suite and enjoyed being on Place Bellecour. It was one of the rotunde rooms on the 2nd or 3rd floor and was right on the Place. We had no noise problem. I expect that those rooms may be more expensive than usual during the festival time. The room and décor were lovely but the bath was quite small, if that matters to you. It was our second trip to Lyon. We were on our way back to Paris after two weeks in the Barcelona/Girona/Figueras area.

Don Topaz,

Really enjoyed your video, makes me want to go!

JulieVikmanis

Laidback, Thanks for the rec for Royal Lyon. We have stayed there on 2 of our trips to Lyon and really enjoy the hotel. In fact, it's one of our favorites anywhere. Unfortunately, yes, their rates are nearly double during the Festival and therefore more than we want to pay for 3 or 4 nights so I'm looking for alternatives. I'm sure that nothing will make us as happy as the Royal Lyon, but sometimes we have to make more prudent choices. Too bad. We love that place, as apparently, do you.