Birmingham City Hall to Shine Brighter with High-Tech LED Lighting Upgrade

For years, the City Hall staff relied on what Councilor Hunter Williams jokingly described as an “old-fashioned” method—slipping physical filters over lights whenever the building needed to be bathed in color for a holiday or awareness campaign. Soon, that hands-on approach will be replaced with programmable LED lighting capable of endless color combinations, motion effects, and even synchronized displays.

“It’s the kind of technology you see at football stadiums now,” Williams explained. “We won’t need ladders and filters anymore. With the new system, City Hall can be lit up in an instant for whatever the community is celebrating or raising awareness about.”

The upgrade isn’t just about looks it’s also about connection.

Birmingham often receives requests from organizations wanting the landmark building to “light up” in solidarity with their causes. Just this week, the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America Central Alabama chapter asked that City Hall shine red to highlight its awareness campaign. “Every week, there’s some request that comes into the mayor’s office,” Williams said. “This system makes it easier to honor those requests and celebrate together.”

The new technology will also allow City Hall to coordinate lighting displays with other iconic local sites, including the Jefferson County Courthouse and CityWalk, creating a sense of citywide unity during major events or awareness drives.

In a city that loves to light up for football season, cultural celebrations, and charitable causes, Birmingham City Hall’s new system ensures it will no longer be the building struggling to keep up. Instead, it will take its place as a modern beacon ready to shine red, blue, green, or any combination the moment calls for.