Lumiere in Vancouver's West End

Lumiere is an arts and lights event featuring installations that illuminate Vancouver’s West End in winter. It’s outdoors, free and pretty to see.

It’s not a Christmas event, although it does take place just prior to the holiday season. Lumiere does, however, involve Christmas-y lights. It isn’t exactly a festival either, although some years it does include festival-like events. For the most part, it’s a series of attractive light displays and art installations that make the West End look extra pretty on cold winter nights.

Other free places to check out Christmas-y light displays include Granville Island, West Vancouver’s Dundarave Beach, Burnaby Village and the waterfront at Harrison Hot Springs.

Lumiere Bear and Bird Light Displays — Light Sculptures at English Bay in 2020

Vancouver’s Lumiere Lights and Art

Lumiere is an annual event that showcases illuminated art installations within the City of Vancouver. Each year, large works of art are outdoors around the West End for folk to admire and photograph.

In 2021 the event ran from November 12th until the 30th. Lumiere featured over a dozen installations last year. The event always offers pretty sights to see during dark winter days, and it’s free to check out.

In normal years, there are typically a few other activities for folk to enjoy alongside the main exhibits. In fact, 2019 featured the Lumiere Block Party which was hosted by Public Disco. It included live music, dance performances and other entertainment over a span of 3 days. In past years there have also been fire spinning performances.

Because of COVID-19, there wasn’t much happening in 2020 except for the light displays, and this was the case again in 2021. Hopefully more can happen in 2022.

Lumiere Dates and Locations

Lumiere ran from November 5th to 30th in 2020. Most of the light displays at the English Bay venue, however, stayed up until at least part way through February of 2021.

In 2021 Lumiere ran from November 12th to the 30th. About 14 installations were set up at various locations. There were installations to see at English Bay‘s Morton Park (at 1800 Morton Avenue), Jim Deva Plaza (at 1200 Bute Street), and the Bentall Centre (at 1055 Dunsmuir Street). Also returning were three installations to admire at Granville Island.

The Morton Park and Jim Deva Plaza locations in Vancouver’s West End are only a 15-minute walk away from each other, and the Bentall Centre is another 15 or so minutes away. Walking from venue to venue makes for a nice evening stroll in and around downtown.

One of the art installations announced for 2021’s Morton Park location was the return of Luna, pictured below. Luna represents whales in nearby waters that continue to astound us. This structure is about 7 meters in length and consists of over 6,000 lights! Other light sculptures near English Bay in 2021 included a heron, a giant teddy bear and a decorated tree.