Courtney Tait

Courtney Tait is a writer from Victoria, B.C. who lives in Portland. Read More

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Each February, the Portland Winter Light Festival fills the city with illuminated art installations and lively events.

Portland Winter Light Festival

Brighten your February with glowing sculptures and thousands of dynamic light displays.

4 min read

Courtney Tait

Courtney Tait is a writer from Victoria, B.C. who lives in Portland. Read More

For a week or two each year, the Portland Winter Light Festival transforms the City of Roses into a city of lights. Designed to bring light to the wintry darkness, this free festival is a favorite tradition that returns every winter season with imaginative works combining light and technology to create interactive experiences.

The festival showcases illuminated art installations, dozens of performances and live events, educational programming, mesmerizing kinetic fire sculptures and more, all throughout the city. In 2025 it’s being held Feb. 7–15, and the theme is “A Light For Tomorrow: A Technicolor Future,” exploring how light, creativity and innovation shape the future.

Where to See the Winter Lights

The festivities are centered on three key anchor sites: Pioneer Courthouse Square, World Trade Center Portland and the Electric Blocks. This trio of central city locations feature large interactive artworks and performances — they’ll be open on both Fridays and Saturdays (Feb. 7–8 and 14–15) from 6–10 p.m.

Glow Bar, a pop-up bar and lounge offering more art and light installations, DJs, food, drinks and more, will also be open both Fridays and Saturdays (Feb. 7–8 and 14–15), 6 p.m.–midnight — note that it’s 21+ from 8 p.m. onward. Find Glow Bar at Columbia Square in downtown Portland (at 111 Southwest Columbia St.).

There are also numerous pop-up sites and displays throughout the city — in places like storefronts, public spaces and front yards — some of which are illuminated all nine nights of the festival, 6–10 p.m.

And the fun doesn’t stop there — the festival features dozens of lively events, many of which you can participate in yourself. Highlights include an opening ceremony, an illuminated bike ride, a lantern procession and more — be sure to check the Portland Winter Light Festival’s website for the full events calendar. The festival is also held the same days as Dumpling Week, a citywide celebration featuring a variety of delicious dumplings in many different styles at a range of participating restaurants — filling up on dumplings then heading out to see the lights is a recipe for an excellent winter evening.

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Credit: James A.M. Crawford

Ready to get in on the fun? We’ve got tools to help. Our map-based Near Me Now app (a great tool to level up a Portland visit any time of year) offers a special filter that lets you view the locations of the festival’s highlighted art installations — download it now and start exploring. The festival has also created an interactive Google Map featuring all festival locations and installations. Both of these resources can help you map a route and get the most out of your time at the festival.

History of the Winter Light Festival

The renewable-energy-powered festival is an extension of the Willamette Light Brigade, a nonprofit that’s been lighting Portland’s bridges since 1987. The mission of the Portland Winter Light Festival is to build community by bringing art and technology to inclusive audiences while invigorating Portland in the winter and lighting up the darkest time of the year. The first festival was held in 2016.

“We’re doing it to bring people together and also to bring people out of the dark,” says festival Creative Director Chris Herring. “We are trying to be the stepping stone to spring.”

Inspired by European celebrations like the Festival of Lights in Lyon, France — an annual event that Herring says “blew his mind” when he attended in 2007 — the Portland Winter Light Festival combines creativity with various forms of light. Artworks might feature fire, tungsten lights and LED lights, along with the playful use of reflections and shadows.

Art at the Festival

Artists throughout Cascadia (Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho and Northern California) submit proposals for these displays to a volunteer committee months in advance. During the festival, the chosen artists are on hand to speak with festival-goers and answer questions about their work.

Herring says that while the festival has no restrictions on installation size, artists must follow one rule: No white light. That ubiquitous shade is considered harsher and less aesthetically pleasing than other light forms. “The lighting that America uses all the time is super utilitarian,” he says. “The technology’s here to make it dynamic. You can create your own world.”

“The [festival] has become a favorite wintertime destination for [our] community,” Herring says. “And nothing showcases that more than our ability to bring in artists and performers from around the region.”

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