It was to become the permanent gold-toned lighting system still in place today. 1985 New Year’s Eve: Inauguration of the new lighting system, the final phase of a comprehensive restoration program, initiated by the city of Paris in 1980.1978 Christmas: The Tower becomes a Christmas tree with the arrangement of 30,000 lamps installed on the monument.1958: 1,290 spots are installed on the grounds of the Champ de Mars so as to light up the Tower from below.Thirty naval spotlights point in air so as to wrap the Tower in white light, while the Tower’s lattice work takes on gold, blue and red reflects. 1937: For the Art and Technique Exhibition, an enormous chandelier containing 10 kilometers of fluorescent tubes was installed on the first floor.1933-1934: A 15-meter clock in diameter (offered by Citroën) tells time with light-beam minute hands.As an ad campaign, the name Citroën sculpted in lights adorned three sides of the Tower, visible 30 kilometers away. 1925-1936: It was André Citroën who brought the first decorative lighting display to the Tower, composed of 250,000 colored lamps.1907: A six-meter tall giant clock is installed on the second floor giving time in illuminated numbers.5,000 lamps spotlight the framework and decorative arches of the Tower. These blue-white-red beacon lights were considered the most powerful in the world. Two projectors on the Tower top lit up the other Parisian monuments below. 1889: For the evening of the Tower’s inauguration, 10,000 gas street lamps accented the steeple and platforms.Through continual renewal of its sources of artificial illumination, the Tower has benefited from the latest innovations in lighting equipment from the very beginning – from gas to electricity, incandescent lamps to neon, passing from sodium to high-pressure, and most recently LEDs.īecause the Tower’s usual equipment was not designed for special illuminations (colors, flags, messages), these generally require external lighting to be brought in for each occasion. Throughout the course of its existence, the Eiffel Tower has been host to lighting effects of a festive nature. Sparkling Moments in the History of the Eiffel Tower The lights no longer sparkle at midnight and 1am. The sparkling lights are superimposed over the golden lighting, they bring the monument to life for 5 minutes every hour on the hour once the Tower has been lit up.Īs part of the City of Paris emergency energy saving plan launched in September 2022, the Eiffel Tower lights will now be switched off completely from 11.45pm. This beacon resonates the image of Gustave Eiffel's Tower itself as a universal and symbolic landmark. 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.
The xenon 6000 watt lamps were chosen for their longevity, around 1,200 hours. Since their rotation sweep is 90°, they are synchronized to form a double beam in a cross that pivots around 360°. They are operated by automatically piloted computer programs.
The beacon, sending out two light beams with a reach of 80 kilometres, is composed of 4 "marine" motorised projectors. On 31 December 1999 at the approach of midnight, the entire world will discover the beacon and the Tower's sparking lights. In 2020, the 28 projectors that illuminate the steps in the outstretched portions of the four pillars will be replaced to reduce the installed power by 80%. In December 2019, the four 2000W projectors that had illuminated the antenna since 1985 were replaced by LED versions that are 10 times less powerful and consume 10 times less energy. The last operation took place in spring 2019.Ĭontrary to popular beliefs, the Tower’s nightly illumination, it’s golden glow, only represents about 4% of the monument’s annual energy expenses. Since that time and every four years, a team of SETE technicians has replaced the 336 projector bulbs that wrap the Eiffel Tower in golden light every evening. Their improved output of light preserves all the beauty of the overall appearance. an energy consumption saving of around 40%. In 2004, they were replaced by projectors with an electrical power of 600 watts as opposed to the previous 1KW, i.e. This is activated upon nightfall by the sensors. The projectors are turned on in under 10 minutes.
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