The Bay Bridge’s enormous light sculpture The Bay Lights shone for the last time in March 2023. At the time we weren’t sure if they’d ever return, but local arts nonprofit Illuminate is nearing their fundraising goal of $11M, meaning The Bay Lights might just make a comeback in 2024.
Last month, Illuminate’s founder Ben Davis told the SF Standard that they’d managed to raise about 90% of the fundraising goal. About $10M came via private donations from big names such as WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg and WhatsApp founder Jan Koum, and the final $1M is being crowdsourced. As of the writing of this article, there’s about $450,000 left to go.
Davis wants to reimagine the project as Bay Lights 360 with higher-quality lights that can better handle the elements, and place lights on both sides of the cables, vastly expanding visibility to both north and south of the bridge.
The installation’s original artist, Leo Villareal, is back on board for this new rendition. The plan is to double the number of LEDs to 50,000.
More about The Bay Lights
The 1.8-mile long, 500-foot-tall light sculpture has transformed the Bay Bridge into a giant canvas of dazzling abstract art, every evening from March 2013-March 2023. The Bay Lights were designed by renowned light artist Leo Villareal, who is the mastermind behind light sculptures at SF’s Moscone Center, Exploratorium, and across the globe. In its previous iteration, the display consisted of 25,000 LED lights that surged and flickered in glimmering patterns across the bridge.
Illuminate asserts that The Bay Lights’ popularity contributed to renewed activity along SF’s waterfront after their installation. They cite a 30% increase in business at local bars and restaurants, as well as a $100M annual boost for the regional economy.
Written by Grant MacHamer and Jamie Ferrell