These festivals of light that go on and on

Thoiry Lumières Sauvages

To brighten up the long winter evenings, there is still time to enjoy these enchanting light installations in several places in France. In Blagnac near Toulouse, at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris or at Selles-sur-Cher in the Loir-et-Cher department and even in the Thoiry animal park in the Yvelines. All these places are still open to the public, sometimes until the beginning of March, for a night-time stroll in a magical atmosphere.

In Paris

Open until 30 January, the Festival of Lights at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, which welcomes more than 300,000 visitors, is back for its third edition on the theme: Evolution in the process of enlightenment. Located on the lawns of the Jardin des Plantes, you will take a step back in time and be transported with your family, by the light of huge structures, into a magical universe where extinct species have never lived with man. A 600-million-year-old nocturnal journey awaits you here.

To make the most of the night show, the Paris Campsite **** on the banks of the Seine remains open all year round.

In the Lot et Garonne

Located in the Parc du Ritouret in Blagnac, near the beautiful city of Toulouse in the Lot et Garonne, the Lantern Festival will run until February 1st, so there is still time to marvel at the grandiose spectacle of 2000 gigantic lanterns in the varied shapes of animals such as reindeer, pandas or dragons. Originating from Sichuan in China, the art of lanterns is a thousand-year-old Chinese tradition. Here, you can also watch a troupe of actors from the Sichuan Opera every evening. A unique night show that will enchant the whole family!

Festival des Lanternes in Blagnac© ©infinitygraphic-fr
Festival des Lanternes in Blagnac© ©infinitygraphic-fr

In the Loir-et-Cher

It is at the castle of Selles-sur-Cher that the next and second edition of the Celestial Lights Festival will take place. Indeed, this edition having been postponed, it is with a little advance that we announce it here since it will take place from December 1st, 2022 to February 19th, 2023 until 10 pm. You will be able to admire nearly 40 immense luminous structures, up to 12 metres high, in the historic setting of the castle, in an area of 5 hectares lit by more than 100,000 LEDs. Having welcomed 70,000 visitors last year, it was important to repeat this event to satisfy the greatest number of people, with different themes: France and its castles of course, but also China and its New Year and Christmas and its luminous enchantment.

In the Yvelines

Thoiry Lumières Sauvage is the name given to the largest Chinese lantern festival in Ile-de-France. An enchanted universe during a magnificent night-time tour with a thousand lanterns of all colours that you can discover with your family or even with friends. This new edition will take you through the animals of the forest and the farm, then into the world of insects, fruits and flowers, you can't miss the snails and the giant spider located in front of the entrance of the castle to finish with the animals of the African savannah. Known for its Safari Zoo, Thoiry Park offers a package that includes a visit to the zoo, a safari and a lantern festival at dusk, which you can enjoy until 6 March.

Thoiry Lumières Sauvages
Thoiry Lumières Sauvages

To take full advantage of the great lantern festival of Thoiry, the town of Épône, located only 10 km away, will welcome you in its pretty Canada *** campsite open all year round where you can enjoy an indoor swimming pool as well as a hammam and a sauna.