Bay Bridge lights to return with almost double the number of lights, better visibility
SAN FRANCISCO -- For ten years, the Bay Bridge lights brought a sparkle to San Francisco's skyline.
The feeling that came along with looking up at them was one of awe, said Ben Davis, the founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Illuminate, the art nonprofit behind the installation
"It just makes you want to reach out and grab the hand of the person next to you – it doesn't make a difference who they are," he said. "There is something that really brings us into a sense of humility through awe that unleashes the better nature of our character."
But the lights had to go dark in 2023.
"I feel like there is a hole in the night sky, and there has been for the past year," Davis said.
The lights first lit up in 2013. What was originally meant to be a two-year art display ended up turning into 10 years. But, over time, many of the lights lost their luster.
"The Bay Bridge is a really harsh environment for electronics. So, they were suffering," Davis said. "Really, rather than letting them decay into oblivion, which is a bad look for San Francisco, we did the responsible thing: We took them down and set about bringing them back in a new configuration – really designed to do well over time on this side of the Bay Bridge."
Now dubbed "Bay Lights 360," the new public art installation with have around 50,000 LED lights – about double the original number – and better visibility.
"We're going to wrap both sides of the cable so people can see it not just from San Francisco and the North Bay – but as a matter of aesthetic equity, to communities all around the Bay," Davis said.
The revamp was made possible after the art nonprofit's successful fundraising campaign.
"We've received $10 million in major gifts to bring the artwork back, which is exciting. We're actually at $10.5 million raised so far. The $11th million we are raising through not major gifts, but actually just through crowdfunding," Davis said.
Davis said the contributions came from people, not government organizations or corporations.
"We didn't seek any city funds because we really didn't want to rob the public art community in San Francisco and other organizations that could use it more," he said. "I have deep faith and love for the place in which we live, and I find it an honor to have gestures like the Bay Lights manifest in the world with the help of thousands of people bringing together this culture of generosity to make it happen."
He said they're working on building the materials now and will begin installing the lights in the fall. The plan is to have them shining again sometime around March of 2025.