The Bay Lights Officially Have An Opening Date — And It’s Sooner Than You Think

*The Bay Lights* are an iconic and beloved public art installation that covers the Bay Bridge in thousands of beautiful lights . The iconic installation first debuted almost 13 years ago in March 2013 , led by artist Leo Villareal. The installation was so popular that it returned in 2016, before eventually being taken down in 2023 . Now, after many rounds of fundraising, *The Bay Lights* are set to return in only one month, officially debuting on March 20, 2026 . The newest rendition will feature an impressive 48,000 LED lights , double the number of the previous installation. The installation is the work of Leo Villareal, an artist known for his large-scale public artworks, along with SF arts nonprofit Illuminate . The arts nonprofit has many other major installations throughout San Francisco. Notably, *Grace Light* at Grace Cathedral, the beautiful light projections on the Conservatory of Flowers, and the Golden Mile on JFK Drive. > “*The Bay Lights* belong to San Francisco,” said Ben Davis, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Illuminate. “They’re a reminder that beauty can live at the scale of infrastructure — and that awe can be part of a city’s identity.” The new light system is designed to withstand the varying weather conditions on the bridge intended to last for many years . On March 20, the north side of the lights will be revealed, as past installations have shown. Then, the project will have a second phase , adding more lights so it’s visible from new viewpoints around the Bay Area. Project organizers have emphasized that the new light system has been built from the ground up, with everything designed specifically for the Bay Bridge. > “I think of *The Bay Lights as* a way of making invisible systems visible,” said Leo Villareal, the artist . “The bridge is already full of rhythm, traffic, weather, motion, time — and the light responds to that complexity through abstraction. It’s not about decoration. It’s about revealing the pulse of its location.” While many San Franciscans have been eagerly waiting for the lights to return since they were removed in 2023, there is only one month left until you can see the dazzling installation again — and with more lights than ever . Source: https://secretsanfrancisco.com/bay-lights-return-opening-date-2026/