BETTER CITIES AT NIGHT

The Willamette Light Brigade is a Portland, OR based nonprofit committed to connecting community and enriching the public realm by harnessing the power of artful lighting to transform the cityscape. We light bridges, produce a dynamic winter light festival, and advocate for the importance of night-time identity and place-making.

ABOUT THE WILLAMETTE LIGHT BRIGADE

The Willamette Light Brigade was founded in 1986 with a mission to enhance and beautify the city of Portland by lighting the bridges that span the Willamette River and therefore uniting the East and West sides of the city. Over the last two decades, the Willamette Light Brigade has successfully advocated for and facilitated the lighting of many of Portland’s iconic bridges, and continues to be part of long term planning for the bridges in the city of Portland.

In 2015, The Willamette Light Brigade founded the Portland Winter Light Festival in an effort to propel forward its mission of connecting community and enriching the public realm through artful lighting. The light-based art and technology event began as a coalescence of ideas in 2016, and continues to be a beloved annual winter event that is presented for free to the public each February, and provides significant economic and cultural stimulation to Portland during the darkest time of year. 

Light the Morrison Bridge

Celebrating Winter in Portland!
Celebrate Kwanzaa with Downtown Portland
Portland Winter Light Festival!
It’s Girl Scout Cookie Time!
World Parkinson's Day
Celebrating Earth Day
World Lupus Awareness Day
World Breastfeeding Week
Sept Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and Sept 21, 2024
Celebration of Life for Austin and Jacob
Dates of Availability

Are you one of the thousands of residents and visitors who enjoy the LED lights on the piers of the Morrison bridge? Want to put your colors up there? To have your say in lights on the the community’s riverfront? Thanks to the enthusiastic leadership of Multnomah County, the Lighting Partner program exists so you can do just that.

Please submit an application to reserve your dates today!

Dates of Availability

UPCOMING BRIDGE LIGHTINGS

Celebrate Kwanzaa with Downtown Portland

Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration honoring African heritage and culture, marked by the observance of seven principles—Unity, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith. The Visit Downtown…

Our Partners

Supported in part by the James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation