Lueurs de Mantes has quickly established itself as one of the must-see light trails in Île-de-France at the start of 2026. Just under an hour from Paris, Mantes-la-Jolie, nestled in the Yvelines department, transforms into a nighttime art gallery where luminous installations, grand projections, and sound creations interact with the region’s heritage. This year, the festival delves into the captivating theme of urban nature, exploring our relationship with living things through the lens of light and digital technology.
We strolled through the illuminated streets of Mantes-la-Jolie to explore this light trail promising unforgettable moments. As evening falls, three iconic spots in the city center come alive: Place du Marché au Blé, Place Saint-Maclou, and the Saint-Maclou Tower. These locations host eight installations created by renowned French and international artists. The route feels like a poetic walk, with each piece offering a unique sensory experience.
Our first stop is at the place du Marché au Blé, where Odonata, an installation by Lyon-based artist Julien Menzel, takes center stage. These giant dragonflies, spanning over two meters across, appear to hover effortlessly above the ground. Their bodies, illuminated by LEDs, produce subtle shifts in light that mimic the iridescent hues of real odonates. The installation encourages visitors to see the world from a different perspective, wandering among these tranquil insects whose slow, rhythmic movements foster a meditative atmosphere. The accompanying soundscape reproduces the characteristic hum of dragonfly flight, evoking the mythological messengers of Freya from Germanic legend.
Still located in Place du Marché au Blé, Cloud Memory, created by the Nantes-based collective YAM, captivates with its ethereal and organic design. This luminous sculpture brilliantly references both cloud formations and cellular structures. As night falls, the piece comes alive with dynamic light and sound flows, playing with transparency effects. This poetic installation prompts us to ponder our relationship with memory: at what point do our memories shift from biological brains to digital storage? A thought-provoking reflection on the evolution of humanity in the digital age.
The inflatable installation Lithosphere, created by Czech studio Visualove in collaboration with the Brno Observatory, offers a haunting experience. Imagine our planet stripped of all its water, revealing the seafloor mapped by sonar: canyons, ridges, and trenches emerge in shades of brown and ochre. This striking depiction of a dried-out Earth serves as a stark reminder of how fragile our water resources are. The three spheres initially referenced — representing Earth's total water, freshwater, and rivers and lakes — fade away, opening up to this invisible, mineral landscape that we normally can't see.
The Tour Saint-Maclou is hosting Lunalóon, a life-sized, highly detailed replica of the moon’s surface created by Visualove. Built using data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, this inflatable installation offers a chance to explore the mysterious "seas" of the moon, the largest impact crater in the solar system, and even the historic landing sites of Apollo missions, Luna landers, and China’s Yutu-2 rover on the moon’s far side. Each crater is mapped with impressive accuracy—around half a meter—giving visitors a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with our cosmic neighbor.
French-Belarusian artist Shandor Chury unveils Vers l'Aube, a stunning volumetric light installation hanging in mid-air at the Tour Saint-Maclou. The light gradually ascends in successive steps, symbolizing a journey toward a new state or a different generation. This dynamic, adaptable piece offers an immersive experience in three-dimensional illumination, reflecting themes of time and life’s cyclical nature. Chury, the founder of the immersive studio OVVO in Paris, blends cutting-edge technology with philosophical introspection in his work.
The Place Saint-Maclou transforms into a playground for the Allumeurs d'Images with their Jardin de Lumière installation. Five towering monumental flowers, each reaching five meters in height, spread across the square — a space usually crossed quickly without stopping. These interactive projection sculptures animate the area by casting shimmering, colorful reflections on walls, cobblestones, and trees through their rotating projection towers. Light reflects and diffracts within each blossom, creating a
The Berlin-based artist Philipp Artus takes us into Aquatics, a generative underwater ecosystem located at Place Saint-Maclou. This immersive light and sound installation explores life in all its diversity and unpredictability. The creatures move and interact independently, blending wonder with reflection. The piece highlights how complexity can emerge from simple rules, balancing between utopian harmony and dystopian chaos. Self-taught in animation and physics, Artus crafts worlds that delve into movement, sound, and imagery, inviting viewers into realms of infinite possibility.
Julien Menzel returns with Phenix, a bright, interactive installation displayed in Place Saint-Maclou. This
Beyond the enchanting light trail accessible every evening from Thursday to Sunday, from dusk until 10 p.m., Lueurs de Mantes offers two extraordinary events. On January 17, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., a spectacle of drones will illuminate the skies over Mantes, with showcases from the Quai des Cordeliers and the Rue Nationale. A total of 350 LED-lit drones and 50 pyrotechnic drones will perform an 18-minute aerial spectacle set to an original composition by Camille Rocailleux, an artist affiliated with the Maison de la Culture of Bourges.
Music lovers shouldn't miss the two "À la Lueur" concerts by the Paris Quartet. On January 23rd at 9 p.m., at Sainte-Anne Church, the program will spotlight Broadway hits, while on January 30th at 9 p.m., at Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church, the focus will be on the magical worlds of Disney and Pixar. These intimate, candlelit musical evenings promise a memorable experience as four soloists from top Parisian orchestras creatively reinterpret their repertoire. Free reservations are required to attend.
Mantes-la-Jolie is less than an hour from Paris. By car, it's about a 50-minute drive along the A13 from porte d'Auteuil. Public transportation offers convenient options: the Mantes-la-Jolie station on the Transilien line J connects directly to Paris Saint-Lazare in around 35 minutes. The town center and the illuminated trail are just a 10-minute walk from the station. A free parking lot is available near the Notre-Dame Collegiate Church.
In short, Lueurs de Mantes 2026 has established itself as one of the most stunning light trail experiences in Île-de-France, free to explore until February 1st. Featuring eight new artworks created by 11 internationally renowned artists, a drone show, and two intimate concerts, this festival turns Mantes-la-Jolie into a vibrant nocturnal cultural hotspot. Visitors can immerse themselves in enchanting light installations that explore our connection to nature and digital technology, all set amidst a magical, poetic atmosphere. A fantastic winter outing in the Yvelines not to be missed this season.
Lueurs de Mantes takes place from January 15 to February 1, 2026, in Mantes-la-Jolie, located in the Yvelines (78). The event runs from Thursday to Sunday, starting at dusk and continuing until 10 PM. Admission is free. For more details, visit the official website of Mantes-la-Jolie.
Dates and Opening Time
From January 15, 2026 to February 1, 2026
Location
Mantes-la-Jolie Town Hall
31 Rue Gambetta
78200 Mantes la Jolie
Prices
Free
Official website
www.manteslajolie.fr
More information
Free and open to all, from dusk until 10 p.m., Thursday through Sunday
