nighttime entertainment conceived by Paul Robert-Houdin, curator of the Château de Chambord on the Cosson River, France, where the first one was presented in 1952. Multicoloured lights of changing intensity are directed against the facade of a historic building or ruin. The changes of light are synchronized with a sound track (relayed through loudspeakers) carrying music and the dramatized story of the site. Usually, no live participants appear. Live effects such as smoke bombs or fireworks are occasionally used.

The medium rapidly became popular in France, where, by the late 20th century, about 50 annual productions took place, notably in the Loire River valley, Versailles, and Invalides. European productions outside France included those in Rome (the Forum) and Athens (the Parthenon). The first British performance was produced in 1957 (Greenwich Palace) and the first U.S. presentation in 1962 (Independence Hall, Philadelphia). The first African production took place at Cairo, Egypt (the Pyramids of Giza), in 1961; the first Asian production was at Delhi, India (the Red Fort), in 1965. Son et lumière is also produced at the ruins of Teotihuacán, near Mexico City, and elsewhere.