Célestins Theatre

Built in the late eighteenth century on land which formerly belonged to the Célestins convent, this theatre was inaugurated in 1792. It was destroyed by fire in 1871 and rebuilt by Gaspard André, who rebuilt it again in the Italian style after a second fire in 1880-1881.

Source: Lyon History Museum - Musées Gadagne • To learn more

What to see

Dimensions of light

Daytime program:
Thursday 5, Friday 6 & Saturday 7: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday 8: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Let’s take advantage of the ambiance created by these clever geometric shapes projected onto fabric to meditate for a moment.

Previous years

ROW

For the first time at the Festival of Lights, a work is being presented inside and during the day!

2023 Program

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Synergetics

Come closer to this bizarre geodesic dome and admire its neon lines and triangles criss-crossed by beams of light.

These represent the digital connections and communications made throughout t

2021 Festival

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Lightning Cloud

Floating through the air, particles of light disturb the peace of the Place des Célestins. Their movement seems to perform a strange, hypnotic ballet. As an allegory of the digital data sent every

2019 Festival

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Cells

"Every being and every organ has a pre-determined design" – inspired by this quote from Claude Bernard, LNLO has pictured the facade of the theatre as a mother matrix that breathes life into the ar

2018 Festival

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Vingt années lumière

Patrice Warrener is taking a nostalgic look back at his first participation in the Festival of Lights twenty (light) years ago when he explored the architectural details of the Célestins theatre an

2017 Festival

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Coups de cœur

Once upon a time there was an inflatable lighted heart that beat to the rhythms of the city and her lovers... Gigantic, unavoidable and palpitating, the heart invites you to feel and reveal your lo

2016 Festival

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Chromatic Fantasy

Light escaping from the Théâtre des Célestins gradually inundates the courtyard, the trees and the building facades, wrapping you in its soft, warm glow and caressing you with its joyful, soothing

2014 Festival

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Archipictural light

The facade of the theatre is a canvas onto which are projected ephemeral paintings, appearing one after another such as the marabout or a length of string. The concentrated gestures of the painter pro

2012 Program

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Urban Flipper

For the second year running, the Célestins Theater welcomes a creation encouraging interactivity with the public. The place des Célestins will be metamorphosed into a gambling arcade adorned with warm

2011 Program

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Operatic perspectives

What if the Théâtre des Célestins were redesigned? The magic of video with 3D effects transform the classical, symmetrical facade of this building to emphasize the richness of its lines, tracery and o

2010 Program

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