Laval. LED lighting, gingerbread house in Mayenne… The magic of Christmas comes to the Lights

This year, The Lights of Laval celebrates its thirtieth anniversary. New for 2024: the City of Laval has decided to leave the choice of theme to Laval residents. It is therefore that of the magic of Christmas which was retained. This event is awaited by the inhabitants of Laval, Mayenne and even the Grand Ouest and which brings dynamism in the city center in favor of traders. New features are being revealed for this year.

The return of a gingerbread house to Mayenne

On Saturday, November 30, Les Lumières de Laval opens the festivities with fireworks at 6:45 p.m.taken from the Béatrix de Gavre and Sadi Carnot quays. And throughout this meeting, many new features are on the program: “The first is the projection on the Château-Neuf. And this year it is the café des Lumièresan important theme around Christmas. We are going to put the river even more in the spotlight with its surroundings, a gingerbread house that will float on Mayenne. It's going to be visible from the Aristide-Briand bridge by reminding us of certain tales”explain Bruno Bertier, first deputy mayor in charge of Lights of Laval. He adds that “during the opening on Saturday November 30, and as part of the work on Place du 11-novemberwe are going to open the square where there is the carousel. Its name is “Children’s Law Square”. It got a little spruce up during the months of closure, we modernized this ride”.

Note that the City of Laval has put a neighborhood in the spotlight this year: Le Bourny. The Laval district celebrates its fiftieth anniversary and Christmas decorations are highlighted thanks to Méduane Habitatwhich is associated with the event. A giant ball and a mailbox to write to Santa are put in place. Residents of Laval and elsewhere will also be able to enjoy an illuminated walk in Old Laval a you Enlightenment marketon the place des Acacias.

Credit : Pierre-Louis Besnier

“Guarantee maximum security”

During the previous edition, the launch evening of the Lumières must have been canceled at the last moment : a bomb threat forced the city center to be evacuated. This year, safety is a very important topic according to Bruno Bertier : “Beyond what happened last year, it’s every year that we work with the services of the prefecture, with the SDIS and all the necessary communities so that everyone present in the city center is safe. And until the last hours of November 30, we will work with state services to guarantee maximum security for all those who come to Laval. Based on what happened last year, we came up with rules on which we are going to put them forward this year.”.

Furthermore, the City of Laval has strengthened access to the city center with a free shuttle system and which will allow visitors to park on the outskirts of the city. A year ago, The Lumières de Laval attracted more than a million visitors.

Credit : Pierre-Louis Besnier