There are some beautiful holiday light shows au Pays du Mont-Blanc and in 🇫🇷 neighbouring France, 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 🇮🇹 Italy, and every year they seem to get more innovative : mapping, son & lumières . . .

Mostly these light show take place over the winter holidays and in January and February, and light up villages, towns and cities ( and in one case a forest! ) on the short winter days, when the dark arrives so early !

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Colour code for listings

Pays du Mont-Blanc

Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc

🇫🇷 Further France 

🇨🇭 Switzerland 

🇮🇹 Italy 

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A special mention first of all for the bewitching light show ✨ Alta Lumina, which runs throughout the year, over the school holidays, when it is dark ! It is especially magical over the wintertime, with snow underfoot !

✨ Alta Lumina ( LES GETS ) – over the main school holidays

 ” Un parcours nocturne enchanté par-delà les montagnes ” . . .

Conceived by Moment Factory, and brought to you by Les Gets Tourisme and Auvergne Rhône Alpes Tourisme,  Alta Lumina is a unique immersive night time stroll in the forest of Les Gets. The immersive trail tells the story of a music-making colporteur (a peddler), who with his mongolfière ( hot air balloon ), wants to share  his melodies beyond the Alps and to faraway lands. As a spectator, you follow the colporteur on his travels, and you’ll be fully immersed – through storms and more tranquil settings – on  an enchanted, sparkling son et lumière night-time journey through  the forest.

[ ⇒ to read about MBFF’s 2022 visit to  Alta Lumina in the snow, see separate article here ]

FB page & website

address: 736 route du Lac, 74260, Les Gets

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PAYS du MONT-BLANC

There are some very impressive ✨ village lluminations and light installations organised 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc over the advent and Christmas period . . . and also light-filled déambulations and spectacles . . .

What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to go and ✨ wander in one of our magical villages at night ?

Every year, in late December, Saint-Gervais treats us to :

✨ « Lumières Saint-Gervais » – 27th December 2023 ⇒ 7th January 2024

For the last week in December and early January, you can enjoy ✨ « Lumières Saint-Gervais », inspired by, and originally directed by ✨ Lyon’s « Fête des Lumières » (the first edition was in 2016!). ✨ Several light installations and mapping works are placed around town (the church, Place du Village, Maison Forte de Hautetour, Esplanade Marie Paradis).

when? evenings, from 17h until 21h;

🇫🇷 FURTHER FRANCE

🇫🇷✨ ANNECY’s Noël des Alpes – holiday season

There are street illuminations and mapping in the old town . . .

🇫🇷✨ EVIAN holiday illuminations – holiday season

This pretty lakeside town, is all the more spectacular with ✨ winter lights a-sparkling, the majestic Palais Lumière all illuminated (and recounting the history of this spa town!), and Evian’s very own holiday event : Le Fabuleux Village ou la Légende des Flottins.

🇫🇷✨ Thonon holiday illuminations – holiday season

A Christmas market and a parcours illuminé ( see below ), the Hotel de Ville all lit up . . . Thonon sparkles for the event Thonon les Féeriques in December.

🇫🇷✨ Fête des Lumières ( LYON ) – 7th ⇒ 9th December 2023

This very ✨ special light festival in Lyon is actually steeped in history (which you can read about here), and there are new parcours and installations for each new edition!

It does get busy in Lyon over the weekend during the light festival, so you should book well ahead.

I don’t’ think I’d want to head to a busy event like this with young chilren or with a buggy!

website & FB page

🇫🇷✨ Festival Lumières Sauvages ( Safari de Peaugres, ARDECHE ) – November ⇒ March 

✨ « Festival des Lumières Sauvages » is a beautiful light festival that is on display in the largest animal park of Rhône-Alpes: le Safari de Peaugres.

At nightfall, 500+ luminous sculptures of animals and plants, all made by hand in the traditional Chinese way, light up the trails of the animal park!

website & FB page

🇨🇭 NEARBY SWITZERLAND

🇨🇭✨ Carouge Magique : les illuminations ( CAROUGE ) – holiday season

As part of the winter event 🎄 Carouge Magique, there are beautiful illuminations in Carouge! And there are also guided tours of the illuminations!

❤ coup de cœur – if you have never visited Carouge, then Christmastime is a lovely time to head there and explore . . . Carouge is considered as the ” Greenwich Village ” of Geneva, with architecture showing its Sardinian roots (terraces, passageways) and boutique shops, lovely cafés and restaurants.

FB page

🇮🇹 AOSTA VALLEY  (ITALY)

🇮🇹✨ Luci di Natale al Forte di Bard (Aosta Valley, Italy) – holiday season

Every evening from 17h ( and for a duration of 10 miutes each hour ) you’ll be treated to a fairytale 360° light mapping show at this impressive fortress in the Aosta Valley!

website

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LIGHT SHOW & ILLUMINATIONS in January and February

If you’re feeling sad that the holiday season has come to an end, there are some nearby light festivals to warm your coggles . . .

🇨🇭✨ Licht Festival Luzern  ( LUZERN ) – 11th ⇒ 21st January 2024

The pretty town of Lucerne, all lit up in January !

website & FB page

🇨🇭✨ Murten Licht-Festival (Morat Festival de Lumières) in MORAT – 17th ⇒ 28th January 2024

During this light festival, the old town of Morat transforms into a ” spectacle lumineux de tous les superlatifs. Les rues, monuments et remparts illuminés plongent le visiteur dans un monde magique “, with both regional and international light artists.

Every evening, there is a spectacle son et lumière.

website & FB page

🇨🇭✨ Festival Geneva Lux ( GENEVA ) – 19th January ⇒ 4th February 2024

Just after the holiday season, you can still enjoy another light festival in Geneva ✨ Festival Geneva Lux. It was conceived and developped by conseiller administratif Guillaume Barazzone, and was started in 2014.

Light installations from Swiss and international artists are dotted around the beautiful city . . .

website & FB page