A Lightbulb Moment
In recent decades, light festivals have become increasingly popular ways for cities around the world to create cultural attractions and boost tourism. Time to flip the switch here too.
The Idea
In 1895, Sacramento held the mother of all light festivals. The “Carnival of Light” featured a dozen floats festooned with light bulbs. The Sacramento Union hailed it as “the grandest display of electricity ever witnessed on Earth.” An estimated 60,000 people attended the parade and carnival at a time when the county’s population was under 40,000.
Word reached Paris, which held its own such event three years later. Yes, the City of Trees inspired the City of Light with our brilliant idea.
Our Carnival of Light has since gone dark, but it’s not too late for us. Increasingly, cities across the globe are getting their glow on. Sure, the Global Winter Wonderland stops by Cal Expo most years, but we’re not suggesting a for-profit, site-specific festival. These other displays are primarily citywide events that are mostly or completely free to the public, and some of the installations end up becoming permanent public sculptures, adding to the visual vitality of their respective regions.
Among the biggest of these celebrations is Vivid Sydney in Australia. Now in its 12th year, the event drew nearly 2.6 million visitors during its three-week run starting in late May this year. The 11-year-old Amsterdam Light Festival, which attracted 900,000 visitors before the pandemic, kicks off this year on Dec. 1.
Closer to home, the Illuminate SF Festival of Light in San Francisco is marking its 10th year and runs from the day after Thanksgiving through Jan. 31. It launched a decade ago with just six light installations and has grown to include over 50.
In 2018, Swiss artist Gary Hofstetter lit up the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament downtown in a variety of bold and bright designs. (Photo by Rob Turner)
In other words, we can start small and grow too. In fact, why not kick off the first one downtown (where struggling retailers could use a boost), utilizing our bridges and the Sacramento River, as well as buildings along Capitol Mall, Downtown Commons and Old Sacramento (which already hosts the block-long Theatre of Lights every holiday season) that would make for amazing light art canvases. The State Capitol has been illuminated many times over the years, and the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was spectacularly lit up one night a few years ago by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter.
Want to breathe life into the central city? Light it up.
The Players
Every festival is different, so it really comes down to who is willing to step up. In London, the mayor commissioned its Lumiere festival, while The San Francisco Travel Association is the organizing body of Illuminate SF. Meanwhile, the Amsterdam Light Festival is a nonprofit foundation described as “a private initiative in collaboration with the municipality, the cultural sector and various businesses,” and the Portland Winter Light Festival, which launched seven years ago and drew nearly 200,000 visitors earlier this year, is put on by a nonprofit arts organization called the Willamette Light Brigade.
The Bottom Line
Not only are light festivals fast-growing and popular civic attractions in cities around the world, but they can also boost the local economy. The folks behind the Portland Winter Light Festival estimate that the event had a $3.7 million economic impact during its weeklong run in February. The smaller Napa Lighted Art Festival, launched in 2017, had a $2.4 million economic impact in 2020. But the real benefit is the boost of civic pride, a more beautiful city and a bright light in a part of town that could really use a little sparkle right about now.
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