The Festival of Lights opens at Lyons under high security – BFMTV.COM

The iconic sights on a glossy, sets, light adorning the streets of visions of fairy-tale: the traditional Festival of Lights in Lyon is open on Thursday evening under heavy security.

The festivities were launched shortly before 20 hours by the mayor of Lyon, Gérard Collomb, the Prime minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, and the prince Albert II of Monaco, who have supported the concert on the button, triggering the lights everywhere in the city.

Cancelled in 2015 after the attacks of Paris, this internationally famous event focuses this year on three evenings – instead of four – in a perimeter that is reduced.

“This evening, millions of visitors that will bring the demonstration of the resilience that is the strength of your city and our country”, said the Prime minister, during his first trip as head of government. And for him, Lyon had “made the choice of dignity” by cancelling the festival last year.

thousands of visitors this Thursday night

Braving the cold, thousands of visitors déambulaient in the “presqu’île”, the Old Lyon and, for the first time, the ancient theatre of Fourvière to admire forty original creations. As well, Place des Terreaux, in front of the Hotel de Ville, the work of Joseph Couturier plunges the viewer into the universe of Jules Verne, the tour of the center of the Earth at the north pole, following a mad scientist. One way to think about the climate and its disturbances.

Place Bellecour, the visitor is transported to the heart of a funfair proposed by Nathanaëlle Picot, who has beaten the great wheel of images recalling the works of Tim Burton, Fellini, or Nino Rota.

In the Old Lyon, Yann Nguema and the music group EZ3kiel, have highlighted the 12,000 stones of the facade of the cathedral Saint-Jean with effects chiseled as those of a stonemason. Further, a cement mixer Lafarge, set of a hundred mirrors under the guidance of the artist Benedetto Bufalino, is set to become a disco ball giant.

1.100 agents mobilized

For this edition, the number of personnel and relief supplies were lined with a total of 1,100 agents mobilized, of which 860 police officers and military. The mobile patrols will operate within the perimeter, while the means of heavy intervention specialist (RAID, BRI BAC) are pre-positioned. In the periphery, the police will ensure the security of access with random checks. Finally a drone watching the air force will monitor the area.

in addition, the prefect has stopped a Orsec plan specifically relating to aid, with 160 firefighters mobilized each night and about 50 volunteers and medical personnel of the Red Cross and the Ambulance service. In the framework of the state of emergency, the prefect has issued to the forces of the order of the permissions to allow all searches, controls and openings of boxes and bags.

The 2014 edition of the Festival of Lights had attracted nearly 3 million visitors.