The Tower's artificial illuminations have been constantly revised and improved throughout the years, taking advantage of the latest innovations in lighting.
From gas to electricity, incandescent lamps to neon and not forgetting the sodium lamp.
At the dawn of the 20th century, the Eiffel Tower adopted quite quickly the new electric technology.
The first lighting system was installed for the Universal Exposition of 1900, but by 1925, André Citroën set the Tower alive with his colored lighting ad campaign.
In 1937, André Granet added colored lighting to the latticework handrails for the International Exposition of Arts and Techniques.
New golden lighting system for the Tower arrives in 1985 A new golden lighting decorates the Tower, inaugurated on 31 December 1985. Created by Pierre Bideau, lighting designer, this installation is composed of 336 projectors, equipped with sodium-vapour lamps providing the yellow-orange colour. The light rays are oriented upwards lighting up the Tower structure from the inside. This system replaced the installation that had been in service up to the year 1958. It received a unanimous round of applause all over the world, to such an extent that other major cities adopted special lighting so as to highlight their monuments at night.
On 31 December 1999 at the approach of midnight, the entire world will discover the beacon and the Tower's sparking lights.
The becaon, sending out two light beams with a reach of 80 kilometres, is composed of 4 "marine" motorised projectors. They are operated by automatically piloted computer programs. Since their rotation sweep is 90°, they are synchronized to form a double beam in a cross that pivots around 360°.
The xenon 6000 watt lamps were chosen for their longevity, around 1,200 hours. The lamps are cooled to prevent overheating and a heating system is activated when the temperatures drop below zero Centigrade whilst the lights are off.
This beacon resonates the image of Gustave Eiffel's Tower itself as a universal and symbolic landmark.
The glittering lights are layered over the golden lighting system that has highlighted the Tower’s structure at night since 1986, marvellous as always.
To finalize the show, the gold lights were shut down and only the sparkling lights performed, five minutes of magic never seen before, breathtaking.
The glittering light installation of the year 2000 was not made to last and was replaced in June 2003 by another lighting installation meant to weather a period of 10 years. Installing the lights is about as impressive as the lighting itself :
Relying on spotlights on the outer Tower, the most celebrated monument in Paris beamed scarlet red colors for the occasion of the Chinese New Year on Saturday, January 24, 2004.
Following the Chinese New Year parade on the Champs-Elyséees, the Chinese and French Culture ministers as well as the mayors of Peking and Paris were present at the "lights on" ceremony at the Tower.
Sponsored by the company Electricite de France, the red lighting lasted for five days until the morning of January 29th, visible each day from 5pm to 7:30am.
The Tower Turns Blue for the 20th Anniversary of Europe Day
For the 20th edition of Europe Day, the Eiffel Tower turned blue on 9 May 2006.
From 7 September to 20 October 2007 for the occasion of the World Rugby Cup hosted by France, the Eiffel Tower adopted the colours of rugby: green lighting for the floor of the second floor symbolic of the turf, two light beams vertically oriented, a cross beam bringing to mind the goal posts, a giant ball with a 13-metre span suspended from the 2nd floor approximately 80 metres from the ground with a big spotlight on the official logo, and finally, a giant screen 120m² under the first floor facing the Seine River and giving all the results of the matches. Visitors from all over the world and Parisians alike were also able to enjoy the sparkling lights and the beacon that maintained the hourly show during the entire operation.
The Eiffel Tower in the Colors of Europe
As the French President took the helm of the European Union from July 1 to December 31, 2008, the Eiffel Tower in cooperation with the Mayor of Paris payed homage to Europe. Every evening, the Tower donned its blue night-lighting at sunset, dotted with the 12 yellow stars representing the European flag. The sparkling lights remained in place, glittering every hour on the hour for 5 minutes as usual.
In the framework of “A Season of Turkey in France” (July 2009 – March 2010) and under the auspices of the Mayor of Paris, the Eiffel Tower is adorning the colors of Turkey from October 6 – 11, 2009. For more information, please visit the website: saisondelaturquie.fr
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