# Winter Light Festivals: Lyon, Amsterdam, Tivoli, Vigo and Kew Gardens > Winter light festivals 2026/27: Fête des Lumières in Lyon, Amsterdam Light Festival, Christmas in Tivoli, Vigo's lights and Christmas at Kew. Dates, prices, photo tips. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/festyvali-svitla-vzymku/ - Language: en - Published: 2026-11-06 - Categories: Travel, Culture, Leisure, Denmark, France, Events, Нідерланди --- The oldest of the **winter light festivals** started because of bad weather. On 8 December 1852 Lyon was due to consecrate a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary on Fourvière hill, foul weather forced the planned illuminations to be called off, and when the sky cleared, residents put lit candles on their windowsills themselves. Ever since, on the night of 8 December, small lights in glass holders stand in the windows of ordinary Lyon flats, and that domestic detail is what keeps the festival alive, even though tourists come for the projections on churches. ## Lyon: four nights around 8 December The Fête des Lumières runs in 2026 from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December. Entry is free, installations come on at dusk and run until about 23:00 or midnight, and the city publishes the full programme and route map in the autumn on the [official festival site](https://www.fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr/). Well over a million people come every year, so the centre turns into a pedestrian zone with one-way foot traffic: some streets and bridges can only be walked in one direction, and a short hop on the map can easily take half an hour. Lyon hotels sell out months ahead for these dates, so many visitors stay in Dijon, Grenoble or even Geneva and come in by train. Saturday is the busiest night. Sunday and Monday are calmer, and Tuesday 8 December is the most interesting, because that is the evening locals put candles in their windows. The little glass lumignons are sold in supermarkets and bakeries, and one makes a souvenir that costs next to nothing. ## Amsterdam: light designed to be seen from the water The **Amsterdam Light Festival** holds its fifteenth edition from 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027. Several dozen installations by artists from around the world line the canals, and the route is new this year. The works stand right by the water, so you can walk the route on your own, and the festival app adds an audio guide to the stroll. Still, the installations are designed to be seen from a boat: from the quayside part of the effect is lost behind railings and trees. Cruise tickets go on sale on 1 October, and evening departures on December weekends sell out early. The choice of boat matters more than you might think. A closed glass-topped boat is warm, but the glass reflects the cabin and your photos come out with your own reflection in them. An open boat is cold and damp but gives a clean shot. With children, take the closed one and spare yourself. Times and the route map are on the [festival site](https://amsterdamlightfestival.com/en). ## Tivoli, Copenhagen: Christmas in an amusement park from 1843 The Christmas season at **Tivoli** runs from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Hundreds of thousands of lights wrap the trees, pavilions and the Chinese pagoda over the lake, and there is a Christmas market inside. Entry is paid, roughly two hundred Danish kroner, and rides cost extra. The park is usually closed on 24 December, so check Tivoli's site before you go. In Copenhagen the sun sets around 15:40 in December, so the best plan is to arrive in daylight, at about three, and wait for the moment the park lights up. The first hour of darkness gives the best photos, because the sky is still blue rather than black. At weekends the lakeside is crowded; weekday evenings are far quieter. ## Vigo: the city competing with New York The Galician port of Vigo has turned its Christmas lights into a matter of civic pride. Every year Mayor Abel Caballero declares that Vigo's lights beat New York, Paris or Tokyo, and the city does put its money where its mouth is: for 2026/27 it has announced more than 12 million LEDs across roughly 500 streets, with installation starting back in late July. The mayor announces the switch-on date himself, and it is awaited like a premiere. In 2025 the lights went on on 15 November, so this year's date will probably fall mid-month too. The lights usually stay on until mid-January, every evening from around 18:00. The main spots are the giant tree at Porta do Sol, the Ferris wheel and the old town streets, where garlands hang as a continuous canopy. Galicia is rainy in December, so an umbrella will see more use than a warm coat. Vigo pairs easily with Santiago de Compostela, about an hour away by train. ## Kew Gardens, London: a trail through a botanic garden Christmas at Kew runs in 2026 on selected evenings from 13 November to 3 January; the gardens are closed on 25 December and on a few November dates. Entry is by timed ticket, with the first slots at 16:20 and the last around 19:40. An adult ticket costs £29.50 off-peak and £37 at peak times, a child ticket £20 and £24. Dates, prices and available slots are given as of October 2026, so check them on the [Kew website](https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/christmas) before buying. The most popular December evenings sell out in the autumn. The trail runs through tunnels of light and illuminated trees and ends at the Palm House, where a light show plays over the pond. It is a long walk and the ground is wet in places, so comfortable shoes matter more than a festive outfit. ## Why are Berlin and Łódź not on this list? Both often turn up in winter round-ups, but both actually happen in autumn. Berlin's Festival of Lights is held in October, and Łódź's Light Move Festival took place on 25-27 September in 2026. In December Berlin is about Christmas markets; the light shows there are long over. ## When to go and how not to freeze in the crowd - Arrive just after 17:00, or earlier, as soon as it gets dark. For the first 30-40 minutes after sunset the sky is still deep blue, and that is the best time for photos. - Weekday evenings are calmer than weekends in every one of these cities, and the difference is greatest in Lyon. - On a phone, switch on night mode and turn off the flash: it blinds your neighbours and kills the installation itself. Tripods are often banned in crowds. - In the dense crowds of Lyon and Amsterdam, keep your phone and wallet in an inside pocket. - Warm socks and touchscreen-friendly gloves do more for you than another jumper. FestivalCityDates 2026/27EntryTipFête des LumièresLyon, France5-8 Decemberfreecandles in windows on 8 December, book a bed earlyAmsterdam Light FestivalAmsterdam, Netherlands26 November - 17 Januaryfree from the quays, cruise paidsee it from a boatChristmas in TivoliCopenhagen, Denmark13 November - 3 Januarypaidarrive in daylight and wait for the lightsChristmas lightsVigo, Spainmid-November to mid-Januaryfreethe mayor announces the switch-onChristmas at KewLondon, UK13 November - 3 January, selected datestimed ticketbuy in autumn, December sells outLight festivals fit neatly into a holiday trip: Amsterdam and Copenhagen pair well with ideas from our guide to [where to spend New Year in Europe](https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/de-zustrity-novyy-rik-v-yevropi/), and Tivoli and Kew, with their early evenings, suit even small children, as we covered in our piece on [winter holidays with kids](https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/zymovi-kanikuly-z-ditmy/). The one rule that holds in all five cities: go on a weekday, right after sunset, and leave plenty of time to get back.