What is the name of the annual light festival in Lyon, France?

The annual light festival in Lyon, France, is called Fête des Lumières.

The festival takes place around December 8 and grew from Lyon’s tradition of honoring the Virgin Mary. In 1852, residents placed small candles, known as lumignons, in their windows after bad weather disrupted planned celebrations for a statue on Fourvière hill. The spontaneous display became an annual custom.

The modern citywide event developed much later. Municipal light-based artistic programming began in the late 1980s, and the contemporary four-day festival was established around 1999. Today it combines window candles with large-scale projections, installations and illuminated public spaces. “Festival of Lights” is a useful English translation, but it is not the event’s official French name. Fête de la Lumière is also a tempting near-miss: the established title is plural, Fête des Lumières.