I’m not sure that I ever pronounced it correctly, but Lumenaura sure was fun. Aurora’s inaugural light festival that branded itself as an interactive light and sound experience ran from October 4 through November 1. Lumenaura gave us another reason to explore downtown Aurora.
Branded as an “illuminated art experience” with the buzzwords “move,” “groove,” and “glow,” Lumenaura was just the fun and excitement that we didn’t know we needed. But Jenn Byrne (formerly Evans) knew what fun a light festival could bring to the city; she brought the idea for a light festival to the city in 2022.
In my former role as Aurora Downtown manager, Byrne emailed me with her idea of a “City Lights Festival” in August of 2022. She already had a list of ideas for interactive art installations, like projection mapping and jump pads. A few months later, I provided a letter of support for the light festival (tentatively called “Spectacle”) in the fall of 2022 for a grant that Byrne sought out.
Here is an excerpt:
Spectacle’s month-long phase of large-scale, lighted art installations and creative, smaller-scale way-finding installations will serve our downtown business district well. The inclusion of augmented reality and interactive opportunities along a path carefully designed to lead tourists past many of our local businesses will entice visitors to experience the entire route provided through the festival. By offering a month of this extensive, highly visible programming leading up to the final weekend of festivities, Aurora Public Art will ensure that as many potential visitors as possible will learn about the festival.
Byrne’s original timeline was extended, and the festival, renamed “Lumenaura,” was first announced in The Beacon-News last June, and posted by the city’s Instagram page August 5. The festival brought dozens, hundreds, and thousands to downtown depending on the evening. The festival weekend from October 11 to October 13 included live music, food trucks, additional light installations, and performance art featuring acrobatics.
Lumenaura was certainly a spectacle, and something to come downtown to witness. On the night of October’s full moon, I invited friends to meet at French 75 before we went to play in the wonderland of Lumenaura. The city also coordinated their own nightly activities from Wednesday through Sunday along Water Street Mall where the Sonic Runway was installed.
It may have been two years in the making, but Byrne’s hard work and efforts paid off. The popular film quote is “If you build it, they will come,” but I’d like to alter it to “If it’s fun, they will come.” A big thanks to Byrne and the team of city staff who worked together on Lumenaura so that we, the community, could enjoy it.
Here’s a list of upcoming events to add to your calendar:
•Sunday, Dec. 1: Santa at Wyckwood House, Aurora.
•Friday, Dec. 6: First Fridays & Cocoa Crawl, Aurora.
•Saturday, Dec. 14: Art and Market at Society 57, Aurora.
•Sunday, Dec. 15: Fox Valley Orchestra & Fox Valley Jazz Big Band Concert at St. Mark’s, Aurora.
Marissa Amoni is the owner of Marissa Bright, a public relations and event management company specializing in shining the light on nonprofits and small businesses. Follow her on Instagram
@marissashinesbright.