Every evening, the Eiffel Tower is adorned with its golden covering and sparkles for 5 minutes every hour on the hour, while its beacon shines over Paris.

The beacon, sending out two light beams with a reach of 80 kilometres, is composed of 4 "marine" motorised projectors. They are operated by automatically piloted computer programs. Since their rotation sweep is 90°, they are synchronized to form a double beam in a cross that pivots around 360°.

This beacon resonates the image of Gustave Eiffel's Tower itself as a universal and symbolic landmark.

Installing the lights was as impressive as the lighting itself :

• 25 mountain climbers for the 5 month installation ;
• 20,000 special light bulbs (5,000 per side) attached one at a time ;
• 40 kilometers of strings of light and electrical cords ;
• 40,000 joints and 80,000 various metallic parts weighing 60 tons ;
• 230 enclosed lighting fixtures and electrical boxes ;
• 10,000 m² of safety nets ;
• 120 kilowatts of power ;
• Budget total: 4.55 million euros HT