Heineken® "Cities" Campaign Partners With ILLUMINATE to Celebrate the Return of "The Bay Lights" on Iconic San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

Artist Leo Villareal’s Illuminated Art Installation Permanently Returning on Jan. 30, 2016 ; Heineken to "Shine It Forward" by Giving Away 200 Lights in Dec. 2015 and Jan. 2016

WHITE PLAINS, NY Dec 7, 2015 – The Bay Bridge linking San Francisco and Oakland is one of the most iconic bridges in the world — and artist Leo Villareal’s stunning installation, The Bay Lights, captivated the country by using thousands of ever-shifting LED lights to illuminate the landmark. The Bay Lights went dark earlier this year, but will be re-lit in early 2016. Heineken^® and the region are poised to celebrate the breathtaking installation’s return.

As part of its "Cities" campaign, which aims to Open Your World by making the greatest cities even greater, Heineken^® is partnering with ILLUMINATE, a California nonprofit, to celebrate the permanent reinstallation of The Bay Lights on the Bay Bridge. On Jan. 30, 2016, ILLUMINATE, with the support of Heineken, private patrons and other partners, will re-light the artwork and gift the installation to the State of California and its citizens.

Heineken^® will be producing two commercials in support of The Bay Lights Jan. 30 re-lighting ceremony. The new Bay Lights videos will also appear on HEINEKENUSA.com.

The Bay Lights celebration is the latest project that Heineken^® is enthusiastically supporting as part of its Cities campaign. Villareal’s installation embodies a community spirit while enhancing the already beautiful Bay Area — making it a perfect fit for Heineken^®‘s "Open Your World" platform for those 21+.

"The Bay Lights was an addition to a popular landmark that immediately transformed the Bay Area in a way that brought the city even more life and light," said Ralph Rijks, Senior Vice President of marketing at Heineken USA. "As Legacy Partners on the project, we’re excited to honor the iconic work of public art becoming a permanent part of the cityscape, that visitors can enjoy for years to come."

In addition to helping fund The Bay Lights re-lighting ceremony, Heineken^® will be "giving away" 200 lights on the bridge, allowing fans 21+ to win a permanent place on the iconic installation. The lights will be awarded through several opportunities, including a social-media-driven scavenger hunt in one of San Francisco’s hottest neighborhoods in early January. In addition, fans who follow some of the Bay Area’s most influential Instagram users may have a chance to win a light. Fans should follow Heineken on Twitter at @Heineken_US for the latest details on the "Shine It Forward" giveaways.

"The Bay Lights has been a uniquely satisfying project for me because it brings something to everyone who passes through the Bay Area," said Villareal, who is known internationally for his light sculptures and site-specific architectural works. "I’m very excited to re-introduce the installation and make it a permanent part of the Bay Bridge."

The Bay Lights celebration marks the second iteration of Heineken’s Cities campaign, which previously showcased the Subway Symphony project in New York City. Subway Symphony is the brainchild of musician and cultural icon James Murphy, who has a dream of replacing the grating buzzes of New York subway turnstiles with pleasant, melodic tones. After prototyping the updated turnstile technology and introducing the concept to New Yorkers and key figures, Heineken recently helped install Subway Symphony turnstiles at The Lowline Lab, an immersive space in New York’s Lower East Side that, in addition to showcasing Subway Symphony, includes an above-ground simulation of what could someday become the world’s first underground park.