The light is dimming a bit on the Festival of Lights. In 2025, the Lyon Metropolis will no longer contribute to the funding of this iconic event, cutting a grant of 80,000 euros. This decision is justified by budget constraints, but it’s sure to spark reactions.
In a context where the community is looking to save money, it’s not just the Lyon lights that are suffering. Other cultural pillars of the region are also facing cuts: The Nuits de Fourvière loses 300,000 euros, the Dance Biennale sees its budget shrink by 200,000 euros, while the Lumière festival has to manage with 100,000 euros less. Even the planetarium in Vaulx-en-Velin and the Théâtre des Célestins are affected, just like the International City of Gastronomy, which will no longer receive the one million euros granted in 2024.
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Severe budget cuts for Lyon's culture
Overall, the budget for cultural grants drops from 7.2 to 6.6 million euros. Despite these restrictions, the Metropolis aims to be reassuring: the overall culture budget remains 1.5 million euros higher than in the previous mandate, reaching 37.1 million euros for the operation of cultural structures. The emphasis is on artistic education, which retains a budget five times higher than before the current administration took office.
While the Festival of Lights will have to do without the support of the Metropolis, other events like Quais du Polar see their grant slightly reduced, going from 50,000 euros in 2024 to 45,000 euros in 2025. A clear signal: major institutions are encouraged to make efforts to prepare.
to maintain the budgetary balance, even if it means fueling the debate on the cultural priorities of the Metropolis.