Buffalo Bayou Partnership's Cistern Illuminated

Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is pleased to announce the opening of Cistern Illuminated, a multi-sensory art experience transforming the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern into a transcendent spectacle of color, echo, and optical illusion.

Beginning the day after Thanksgiving and running through the holiday season, visitors will be invited on a luminous journey through this underground infrastructural relic. 221 towering concrete columns will be illuminated with vivid, shifting hues of light and accompanied by an ethereal soundscape that builds upon the unique acoustic and reflective qualities of this cavernous space. Cistern Illuminated is created by artist/engineer Kelly O’Brien to complement and enhance the decommissioned drinking water reservoir.
 
Tours will be offered Wednesday through Sunday on the hour at 10 and 11 a.m. and 1, 2, 3, and 5 p.m., November 28, 2025 through January 18, 2026. Tickets can be reserved here.

On select evenings, Cistern Illuminated will be further activated with live performances by Ars Lyrica. Ring in the Peace is a multi-cultural musical composition taking inspiration from the ninth century and onward, curated by Mexican-born mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte and Spanish-born percussionist Jesús Pacheco. This experiential piece, paired with the celestial Cistern Illuminated installation, encourages reflection and a sense of unity with one another and with one's local and global community. Tickets for Ring in the Peace can be reserved here.