THE BAY LIGHTS

Leo Villareal (2013)
Permanent
Embarcadero: San Francisco Bay Bridge West Span (View Map)

The Bay Lights is an iconic San Francisco light sculpture by artist Leo Villareal, comprised of 25,000 individually programmed white LED lights to create a never repeating, dazzling display across the north side of the Bay Bridge west span. Originally installed as a temporary two-year artwork, this monumental tour de force was made permanent in February 2016. The Bay Lights is 1.8 miles wide and 500 feet high, and shines nightly from dusk to dawn as a gift to the people of California, thanks to the generosity of private donors and nonprofit presenting organization Illuminate. As amazing as The Bay Lights sculpture is, the fascinating story of turning this seeming impossibility into reality is even more so: Impossible Light, a documentary produced by Jeremy Ambers, tells the dramatic tale of turning a shimmering imagination into a glimmering spectacle.

Best Viewing: Views of this iconic artwork are best along San Francisco's Embarcadero north of the Bay Bridge, from the Ferry Building to Pier 33. Vantage points abound throughout the city, and the Marin waterfront and hills.

is not clearly visible from Treasure Island or the East Bay due to the western orientation of the light strands.