The Napa Lighted Art Festival is free, ethereal, and full of midwinter glow

FINDING UPLIFTING ILLUMINATION? It's not all that hard around Napa. It's a pretty place that is synonymous with the golden bubbles found in a glass of sparkling wine, the soft sunshine of a wine country spring, and the glow of its most iconic signs; we're thinking of the green beauty topping the Oxbow Public Market, but there are others of note. But in the most slumbersome and gloaming-ish stretch of wintertime — so, January and February, in less poetic terms — Napa's distinctive glow only grows, thanks to a brilliant, and we do mean that literally, bash. It's the Napa Lighted Art Festival, a brilliant bash that is also brilliant beyond its lovely lights: It's free to see and open to all who'd like to admire the sizable installations.

Bob McClenahan

JAN. 20 THROUGH FEB. 18... are the 2024 dates for the festival, which is "a celebration of creative arts, technology and lights, and supports innovative techniques using light and technologies as a growing art medium." Ten lighted sculptures will grace the downtown area of the city, drawing people near after the sun's rays fade for the day, and you can see them all or any that interest you; there's a list of artists and pieces on this site. "Touch the Sky," a wingful wonder by artist Martin Taylor, will be on display at the Napa River Inn, while "House of Cards" from OGE Design Group will festoon Veterans Park if you'd like to shuffle by. (Indeed, "shuffle" is a knowing ode to the theme.)

EVENTS, TOO, ARE PART OF THE FUN, with projection art adding to the shine-on spirit over the first days of the happening. Be there from Jan. 20 through 28 if you'd like to behold those large and light-tastic images, or plan to stop by Napa later in the run, when the Lantern Parade takes place. That's flickering on Feb. 10, about a week before this complimentary outdoor exhibit glimmers away. An event guide and map are available on the Napa Lighted Art Festival site.