Frequently Asked Questions

Light the Hoan is a collective of local business and civic leaders who have joined forces to illuminate the Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge.  The lights on the bridge have become a cultural and beacon for the city’s residences since they first lit in October 2020.  The lights are used to create awareness for local non-profits,  provide valuable tech and creative experience for Milwaukee’s young professionals, and serve as a source of pride for the people of Milwaukee.

The Hoan Bridge lights have two main public viewing spots:
1) Milwaukee Riverfront Boat Launch at 600 S. Water Street
2) Riverwalk on East Erie Street right before the Milwaukee Pierhead Light.

There are also several local establishments with views of the Hoan Bridge lights:
1) Cooperage/Boone + Crockett
2) Milwaukee Sail Loft
3) 2A Wine Merchants
4) The Outsider rooftop located in Journeyman Hotel
5) Blu at the Pfister (small corner view)

1. Visit lightthehoan.com.

2. Click the Dedicate a Bulb page.

3. Select your donation amount. Be sure to check out all of the Hoan gear that is available at different donation levels!

4. Checkout and fill out your shipping information and billing information. Be sure to follow the steps on the checkout page to submit your dedication!

5. Review your dedication to make sure everything is correct.

6. Receive your order confirmation and printable dedication certificate via email. 

7. View your dedications on the Find Your Bulb page. Please allow 2-3 hours after you’ve dedicated for your dedication to appear on the page. 

8. If purchased, you will receive any items ordered via postal mail. 

When donating, please allow 1-2 weeks for your items to arrive by the US Postal Service; our local vendors are hard at work to make sure each order arrives safely.

Dedications can be viewed online on our website, under the Find Your Bulb page. Please allow 2-3 hours after you’ve submitted, for your dedication to appear on the page.

Please be sure to review your dedication thoroughly before submitting, as the editing process will increase the amount of time it takes to receive your dedication. For edits, please contact us via the form on our Contact page. 

To view the upcoming schedule for the Hoan Bridge Lights, please visit our regularly updated Light Schedule page.

Our crowdfunding goal to light the east side is $2M. 

The monies raised from both the public and private fundraising campaigns will go toward installing thousands of computer-controlled LED lights to illuminate the Hoan Bridge on the east side of the bridge. A portion of the funds will also be put into a reserve fund to provide for regular bridge maintenance up to 10 years for both sides.

While we’re pretty stoked about lighting up Milwaukee’s skyline, we believe harnessing as many positive stories as possible has the power to spark cultural and economic changes. With every light bulb representing a positive Milwaukee story, we not only see lighting the bridge as an Instagram-worthy opportunity to bring more beauty and value to downtown– but also as a symbolic representation of “bridging Milwaukeeans together.” Municipalities across the country have used similar bridge lighting initiatives to revitalize waterfronts and to create new centers for community-building activities and engagement.

We currently have three community programs that are funded through donations and sponsorships: Shine a Lite Program, Annual Intern Challenge, and Code the Hoan.

We also believe telling the positive stories emerging from Milwaukee has powerful value. By hosting these stories on the Light the Hoan website and sharing them throughout the local media, we’ll be promoting stories that highlight the city’s positive, diverse and inclusive relationships. We also believe these stories can serve as a catalyst for even more citywide partnerships, initiating connections and change for further community impact.