Portland Winter Light Festival 2025

The Portland Winter Light Festival is an annual winter holiday event in Portland, Oregon that features the latest light-art innovations and technology. A few dozens of light-based art installations, about 60 performances by drummers, bands, marching bands, opera, circus acts and much more take place around the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, the Portland Spirit, and across the Willamette River at Zidell Yards. The family-friendly community festival promotes renewable energy and is free for the public.

The Art Lantern Parade marches along Southeast Water Avenue and the Eastbank Esplanade. The 1.5-mile route features lots of live entertainment.

The Portland Light Festival is organized by the nonprofit Willamette Light Brigade and powered by the Portland General Electric. The festival was inspired by European winter events like the Festival of Lights in Lyon, France. The Festival showcases creativity combined with various forms of light. Most artworks feature fire, tungsten lights, and LEDs. They play with colors, reflections, and shadows, creating jaw-dropping art objects. About 150,000 people from all over Pacific Northwest attend the event every year. The most dazzling festival of the year invigorates the city of Portland and keeps people's spirits up on the gloomy winter days.