The 10 Best Winter Light Festivals in the World to See in 2027

The Fête des Lumières returns December 5-8, 2026, four evenings when Lyon fills the Presqu’île and Vieux-Lyon with temporary light installations. It grew from 1852, when residents of Lyon put candles in coloured glasses on their window sills. The festival site does not publish a price.

The 15th edition of the Amsterdam Light Festival runs November 26, 2026 to January 17, 2027, with Cruise, Walk and Bike options. A canal cruise costs €29.75 for 75 minutes, and a boat including drinks costs €39.75. Edition 1 took place in 2012-2013.

Lux Helsinki runs eight days, December 30, 2026 to January 6, 2027, the first time the festival opens the day before New Year’s Eve. About 450,000 people attended in 2026, when it had 20 installations around the city and light art in ten downtown art galleries.

Sapporo White Illumination is on its 46th edition in 2026. The Sapporo Tourism Association lists November 20, 2026 - March 14, 2027 across Odori Park, Ekimae-dori, Minami 1-jo-dori, Kita 3-jo Plaza (Akapla) and the JR Sapporo Station South Exit Plaza. It began in 1981 with approximately 1,000 light bulbs in Odori Park.

Harbin Ice and Snow World has been expanded to 1.25 million square meters, using 400,000 cubic meters of ice and snow, with more than 1,000 ice-and-snow structures. Multicoloured lights give colour to the ice at night. Opening dates for 2026-27 had not been announced as of October 13, 2026, and it drew more than 120,000 visitors in a single day in February 2026.

Niagara Falls’ Winter Festival of Lights runs November 14, 2026 to January 10, 2027 in its 44th year, with three million twinkles and more than 25 new displays. It is free, and five-minute fireworks shows at 8:00 pm run nightly December 18, 2026 to January 2, 2027.

The 11th edition of Winter Lights at Canary Wharf runs January 19-30, 2027 with the theme RE(IMAGINE). It is free with no ticket or pre-booking required, the installations are switched on 5-10pm daily, and the suggested route takes two to three hours.

LUMINO, Montréal’s 17th edition, runs January 21 to March 7, 2027 with free entrance. Some thirty luminous and participatory works fill the Quartier des Spectacles and downtown Montréal, indoors and outdoors.

Christmas at Kew runs on selected dates from November 13, 2026 to January 3, 2027 at Kew Gardens in London, with tickets from £25.50. A Mycelium Network installation was new for 2025.

The Nagasaki Lantern Festival lights about 15,000 colorful Chinese lanterns at 11 locations including Shinchi Chinatown, Minato Park and Chūō Park, from 17:00 to 22:00. The 2026 festival ran February 6 to February 23, 2026; 2027 dates are not confirmed, and it is free though some facilities charge a fee.