Landmark

Every evening the Bay Lights turn the San Francisco Bay Bridge into a shimmering, mesmerizing nighttime LED light sculpture.

Starting Spring 2023 - The Bay lights are off awaiting a major upgrade.

The Bay Lights is 1.8 miles wide and 500 feet high LED light sculpture. Inspired by the Bay Bridge’s 75th Anniversary, artist Leo Villareal creates a never-repeating, dazzling display of 25,000 LED white lights through March 2015 across the western span of the Bay Bridge.

Technology

The Bay Lights is a monumental light sculpture inspired by the 75th anniversary of the Bay Bridge, now called the Willie L. Brown, Jr. Bridge. Artist Leo Villareal networked 25,000 individually programmable, white LEDs made by Philips to create complex algorithms and patterns across the western span of the bridge. This contemporary art piece is the world’s largest LED light sculpture.

Installation of the LED system took place at night to minimize the impact on motorists. A crew of 8-10 electricians worked Monday through Friday, 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., to install the piece.

Grand Re-Lighting in 2016

The Bay Lights were removed from the bridge in March 2015 (per the original permit) to allow Caltrans to perform maintenance on the cables. ILLUMINATE raised $4 million to ensure The Bay Lights' re-installation, in time to shine for Super Bowl 50 in February 2016. The final raise was made possible by Bay Area philanthropist Tad Taube, whose $2 million challenge grant inspired other donors to give the remaining amount needed to re-install the sculpture.

The grand re-lighting was on January 30, 2016. The re-installed sculpture uses all-new, robust LEDs designed to withstand harsh environmental conditions over time.

The Bay Lights artwork has been gifted to the State of California for ongoing stewardship. Following the precedent of the necklace lights that were added to the suspension cables in 1986 and became a fixture of the Bay Bridge in 1989, The Bay Lights will become a permanent part of the western span, maintained by Caltrans.

The Future

Starting Spring 2023 - The Bay lights are off awaiting a major upgrade.

San Francisco Bay's iconic public art installation, The Bay Lights, has gone dark after a decade of illuminating the region's nightscape. The system of LEDs failed due to the harsh environmental conditions of the Bay area.

However, an ambitious plan to bring the artwork back to life has emerged, featuring nearly 50,000 programmable LEDs, twice the number of the original installation. The new lights will not only be visible to communities around the Bay, but for the first time, they will also be visible to drivers on the Bay Bridge.

The plan requires $11M to complete, and major philanthropists have already committed over $6M to the cause. Arts nonprofit Illuminate is leading the effort and is relying on crowdfunding to raise the remaining dollars.

The Bay Lights, created by artist Leo Villareal, was a beloved public art project that attracted visitors from around the world. Its return would be a boon for the Bay area's cultural scene.

The crowdfunding campaign offers an opportunity for anyone to contribute to the restoration of this public art masterpiece. While the project's goal is ambitious, it is a testament to the Bay Area's commitment to the arts and its belief in the transformative power of public art.

The Bay Lights has left an indelible mark on San Francisco Bay's cultural landscape, and its return promises to once again enchant and inspire visitors and residents alike.

THE BAY LIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

• 1.8 MILES: length of The Bay Lights from end to end (approximately 26.4 football fields) • 12 INCHES: space between individual LED lights in strands mounted on each cable • 500 FEET: height of the installation to the tallest point • 300: number of vertical cables on the bridge that fitted with LED lights • 240 FEET: length of the longest bridge cable • 2 FEET: length of the shortest bridge cable • 728: number of power and data boxes used in the light sculpture system • 100,000 FEET: linear feet of cable for power, fiber and Cat 5 wires in the system • $8 MILLION: total cost of the initial project to make The Bay Lights a reality • 50 MILLION: estimated number of people dazzled by The Bay Lights during its initial two-year presence • $1 BILLION: an estimate of dollars The Bay Lights will add to the local economy over 10 years after re-installation

Nearby Points of Interest

Union Square: Just 1.3 miles northeast. It offers hours of shopping, dining, and people-watching.

Chinatown: is a few blocks from Union Square, and the Westfield Shopping Centre is even closer on Market Street.

Alcatraz Island: this island prison is now a famous tourist attraction, but in its heyday, it housed the era’s most infamous prisoners. Inmates could hear laughter carried across the water from the city, and many attempted the one-mile swim to land. Visit today for a tour!

Coit Tower: don’t miss the panorama from the 210-foot high tower, which offers views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Angel Island, the Bay Bridge, and the San Francisco skyline.

North Beach / Little Italy:  Little Italy offers a variety of bars, comedy clubs, and authentic Italian restaurants. Try some focaccia bread, or take a walk in the relaxing green space of Washington Square.