Lyon's Fête des Lumières: four nights, about 2 million people, and it's free

Four nights a year, Lyon turns into a light show. And it's free ✨ Go on the Monday. I think Saturday is the worst of the four nights. 📅 Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December 2026 🕖 19:00 to 23:00 on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday 🕕 Sunday runs 18:00 to 22:00, an hour earlier at both ends 🎟️ Free, funded by the city It started in 1852, when Lyon lit candles in its windows for the Virgin Mary on Fourvière hill. Locals still put lumignons on their windowsills on the 8th, and since 1999 the city has built a whole festival around that night: more than 25 artworks across the streets, plus a few surprises. The catch is the bed. About 2 million people come over the four nights, and the festival's own advice is to book through the tourist office as early as you can. 👉 Swipe for the dates, the hours and what to book. Save this for your trip and send it to who you'd go with. Saturday crowds or a quieter Monday, which would you pick? 👇 📷 Dmitrii E., Bastien Nvs, Jonne Mäkikyrö, Andréa Villiers, Madalina Zamfira, Mike Benna / Unsplash