We have shown that Lewis-acidic halogenoaluminate ionic liquid (IL) containing subvalent bismuth can be used as a near-IR (NIR) luminescent material. Raman and absorption spectra evidence the coexistence of ${\mathrm{Bi}}_5^{3+}$ and ${\mathrm{Bi}}^{+}$ in the liquid. The ${\mathrm{Bi}}_5^{3+}$ and ${\mathrm{Bi}}^{+}$ emitters, stabilized by this Lewis-acidic liquid, demonstrate ultrabroad NIR photoluminescence with a lifetime of around $1\mathrm{\mu s}$ . We envisage that the bismuth activated ILs would not only enrich the well-established spectrum of soft luminescent materials but also might promote the design of novel photonic materials activated by other p-block elements.