WILLAMETTE LIGHT BRIGADE
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Mission Statement
The Willamette Light Brigade is a Portland-based nonprofit that enriches the public realm by harnessing the power of art and artful lighting to transform the cityscape. We light bridges, produce the dynamic Portland Winter Light Festival, and advocate for the importance of night-time identity and place-making using light and art.
About This Cause
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. Population Served WLB’s programs are free and accessible to all, offering unique opportunities for the public to experience light and technology-based art in public space. The 2025 Portland Winter Light Festival had attendance of 253,000 and generated an estimated $9,252,000 million in economic impact. The Bridge Lighting program reaches thousands daily with programmable lighting on the Morrison Bridge, empowering Portlanders to celebrate meaningful causes through visual civic expression. Client Needs and Projects WLB seeks support for its two flagship initiatives: The Portland Winter Light Festival, a free, citywide celebration of light and art that energizes the urban landscape each February during what is the slowest time of year economically and culturally. And Illuminate Bridge City, a bold new initiative to permanently light multiple Willamette River bridges in Portland’s Central City with dynamic, artful lighting. This project will enhance the safety of the waterfront by driving foot traffic and new events, inject allure into existing bridge landmarks and transform Portland’s skyline, and position Portland as a leader in tech-based placemaking.. WLB is currently seeking funding for a comprehensive Master Plan to guide the development of this transformational public art initiative.