Light Will Pour Through Grace Cathedral’s Rose Window Once Again Next Week
Illuminate’s Grace Window returns to Nob Hill September 21–25, sending 25 Laser Space Cannons from the roof of The Fairmont into all 25 panels of the historic Rose Window
Starting Monday, September 21, Grace Cathedral’s great Rose Window will glow from within for five nights. Illuminate, the San Francisco nonprofit behind The Bay Lights, returns to Nob Hill with Grace Window, its groundbreaking application of Laser Space Cannon (LSC) technology. Twenty-five LSCs will send beams roughly 720 feet across Nob Hill, streaking over Huntington Park and the Pacific Union Club and coalescing in all twenty-five stained-glass panels of Grace Cathedral’s historic Rose Window.
The lasers will run from sunset to sunrise, and Grace Cathedral’s doors will be open to the public, free of charge, from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Inside the Cathedral, light will be met by sound through a live, improvisational spiritual soundscape led by musician Tim Weed, composed in real time.
Grace Window builds on Illuminate’s partnership with Grace Cathedral, which began in 2019 with Grace Light. The laser installation debuted in 2023 with twelve beams and grew to twenty-five—one for each panel of the Rose Window—by 2024. This year, Illuminate brings even greater control over each Laser Space Cannon, continuing to refine the monumental new medium it has been cultivating exclusively here in San Francisco.
A Statement from Illuminate
“What makes San Francisco the City of Awe is the culture of generosity that makes works like Grace Window possible, and allows us to make all of our installations free to all,” said Ben Davis, founder of Illuminate. “We thank all of our supporters for the faith and trust they place in us to manifest beauty and joy across San Francisco.”
— Ben Davis, Founder, Illuminate
Illuminate is grateful to Grace Cathedral, The Fairmont San Francisco, and Nu-Salt Laser Light Shows International for making Grace Window possible—and to the many San Franciscans whose generosity keeps Illuminate’s work free to all. To join them and support Illuminate, visit illuminate.org/donate.
| What | Grace Window, Illuminate’s groundbreaking Laser Space Cannon installation and live improvisational soundscape |
| When | September 21–25, 2026 — nightly, 8 p.m. to midnight |
| Where | Grace Cathedral, 1100 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94108 |
| Lasers | 25 Laser Space Cannons (LSCs), sending beams roughly 720 feet from the roof of The Fairmont, over Huntington Park and the Pacific Union Club, into all 25 panels of the Rose Window; lasers run sunset to sunrise nightly |
| Music | A live, improvisational spiritual soundscape led by musician Tim Weed |
| Admission | Free and open to the public—no ticket required |
| Presented by | Illuminate, in collaboration with Grace Cathedral and The Fairmont San Francisco, with laser artistry by Nu-Salt Laser Light Shows International |
