If you happen to be exploring downtown Portland during the first few weekends of February, you’ll be met with some surprising sights. Whether it’s a grandiose fire-breathing dragon or a quaint storefront window display, the Portland Winter Lights Festival (PWLF) dazzles the eyes and hearts of visitors and citizens alike.
It’s no secret that winter weather in Portland can be gloomy. Overcast skies persist throughout the season, with little visible sun. To combat this atmosphere, the PWLF brings light shows and art exhibits into the public eye, creating a sense of beauty, pride and community for the entire Portland Metro area.
Since 2016, the Willamette Light Brigade—a non-profit originally dedicated to lighting the bridges downtown to create civic pride— has organized the festival. It aims to “foster community connections and enhance public spaces through the magic of artistic lighting.”
However, it doesn’t just foster morale. It’s also an economic boost to the city. Last year, the festival held over 270,000 visitors over its two weekends and generated an estimated total of over $10,000,000 in revenue for city businesses and vendors.
It originally started around the downtown waterfront, but has since expanded to include multiple volunteer art exhibits throughout the metro area. Its reach has gone even as far as Ida B. Wells High School, whose Makerspace Club was an exhibit host last year and will be again this year.
Last year, the club created a light-up jellyfish display planned over four months. It hung behind the foyer windows, and represented (according to the artist statement), “go[ing] with the flow of the current … show[ing] … calm, stability and simplicity.”
This year, the club worked on an underwater utopian city, made to represent “a city that integrates with ocean ecosystems as the sea levels rise.” It was displayed near the school’s front entrance, allowing for better views through the patio windows.
Next winter, leave some space in your calendar for the Portland Winter Lights Festival. Visit the various exhibits throughout the city, and play your part in the citywide effort to light up Portland’s dark winter with beautiful sights, sounds and all kinds of new experiences.
