A 75–90 minute after-dark walking show through Karnak Temple, narrating the rise of Thebes and its pharaohs. The Karnak Sound and Light Show (Son et Lumière) mixes dramatic floodlighting, music and a booming narration to tell the story of ancient Thebes. You walk through the temple in near-darkness for the first half, then sit in grandstands beside the Sacred Lake for the finale. It runs several times a night, each session in a different language.
There's a particular kind of magic to standing inside Karnak after dark. By day this is the largest religious complex ever built, and it heaves with tour groups; by night the crowds are gone, the great columns are lit from below, and the loudest thing you'll hear is a deep narrated voice telling the story of the pharaohs who raised these stones. We bring guests to the Karnak Sound and Light Show most weeks, and it's still one of the most atmospheric evenings you can spend in Luxor. This guide walks you through exactly what to expect, how the show works, what tickets cost, and whether it earns a place in your itinerary. If you want the full history first, read our Karnak Temple guide.
The show comes in two distinct halves. It opens with a guided walk: you enter through the avenue of ram-headed sphinxes and move slowly through the first courtyard and the vast Great Hypostyle Hall, its 134 columns picked out one by one in shifting colour as the narration introduces Amun-Ra, the priests of Thebes, and the great pharaohs — Hatshepsut, Seti I, Ramses II — who added to the temple over 2,000 years. Then you're led to tiered grandstands beside the Sacred Lake for the seated second half, where the whole illuminated temple becomes the backdrop to a booming finale of light, music and voices reciting the words of the ancient kings. Reflected in the still black water, it's genuinely cinematic, and far more moving than the slightly theatrical script might suggest on paper. The whole thing is choreographed so you're constantly moving toward the source of the voice, discovering a new pylon or obelisk lit up as you round each corner, which is why it feels less like a lecture and more like being walked through a memory of the temple as its builders imagined it.
Local tip: the first half is a walk over uneven, poorly lit ancient stone. Wear closed, flat shoes, bring a small torch or use your phone light between narration points, and take it slowly — this is not the moment for sandals.
Tell us when you can travel and we'll suggest the ideal route and season — usually within the hour.
Chat with a local expertKarnak runs multiple shows every night, and each session is performed in a single language — so the language you get depends entirely on which slot you attend. There are usually two to three showings per evening, with English, French and Arabic the most common, plus rotating slots for Spanish, German, Italian, Russian and Japanese across the week. Start times shift with the season: showings begin earlier in winter, when it gets dark by around 5–6pm, and later in the high-summer months. Because the exact timetable and the language rotation are changed regularly by the operator, we won't print a fixed 2026 schedule here — it would only mislead you. Always confirm the current day's times and languages before you go, either through your hotel, your guide, the official Son et Lumière schedule, or by booking a tour where the language slot is arranged for you.
Tickets are modestly priced — expect somewhere in the region of $15–25 per adult, with a reduced rate for children and students, though the exact figure is adjusted periodically and is best confirmed close to your visit. You can buy at the Karnak ticket office on the night, but the show is out at the temple after dark on the northern edge of Luxor, so most visitors prefer a booked experience that bundles hotel pickup, an English-speaking escort and a guaranteed English-language slot — it removes the two biggest headaches, transport and timing. If you're already lining up a full day of sightseeing, it also slots neatly onto the end of a Luxor day tour. Luxor day tours
★ Skip the logistics. Book the Karnak Sound and Light Show with private hotel transfers and a guaranteed English session, so all you do is show up and watch the temple come to life. Reserve the Karnak Sound & Light Show Karnak Sound & Light Show tour
We'll tell you honestly what the weather and crowds are really like for your travel dates.
Chat with a local expertFor most visitors, yes — with realistic expectations. The narration is grand and old-fashioned rather than a modern documentary, and if you're expecting a high-tech projection-mapping spectacle you may find the style dated. What you're really paying for is the rare chance to be inside Karnak at night, almost alone, with the columns lit and the Sacred Lake mirroring the temple — and that atmosphere is hard to beat. It's especially rewarding if you've already seen Karnak by day, because you arrive knowing what those shapes in the dark actually are. Families with young children, and anyone with limited mobility on rough ground, should weigh the walking and the late hour. Otherwise, as an evening activity in a town with few after-dark options, it's one of the best things to do in Luxor. Photographers, in particular, tend to leave delighted: the long-exposure shots of the floodlit hypostyle hall and the temple mirrored in the Sacred Lake are some of the most striking images you'll take on the whole trip. things to do in Luxor
The show works best as the night-time bookend to a full Luxor itinerary. See Karnak in daylight first so the evening lighting means more — a half-day pairing it with Luxor Temple on the same East Bank is the classic combination. Karnak & Luxor Temples day tour Add the neighbouring Luxor Temple (itself beautifully floodlit at night), then give the West Bank a full morning for the Valley of the Kings and the royal tombs. Valley of the Kings & Hatshepsut day tour To open your final day, nothing tops drifting over the temples and the Nile at dawn in a hot air balloon. Luxor hot air balloon Together these turn Luxor from a rushed stopover into a proper two- or three-day stay.
Karnak sits on the East Bank at the northern end of Luxor, about 3km from the town centre and the main hotels — roughly a 10-minute taxi ride, or a short, cheap hop by the horse-drawn caleches that gather along the Corniche (agree the fare before you climb in). Give yourself time to arrive 15–20 minutes before the start, as you'll want to be at the entrance when the group is let in rather than catching up in the dark. Because the show finishes well after dark out at the temple, arrange your return trip in advance rather than hoping to flag something down at the gate; a booked experience with round-trip transfers removes that worry entirely. If you're deciding where to base yourself, the East Bank puts you closest to Karnak, Luxor Temple and the evening restaurants. where to stay in Luxor Not sure how Luxor fits your wider trip? Our 7-day Egypt itinerary shows exactly where an evening like this slots in.
★ Want Luxor done properly? Tell us your dates and we'll build a private Luxor itinerary around you — Karnak by day and night, the West Bank tombs, a dawn balloon and cosy East Bank hotels, all handled end to end. Plan a tailor-made Egypt tour Tailor-made Egypt tour
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