Overview
- Madrid launched its program at Plaza de Cibeles with Carlos Sainz and the mayor pressing the button to light more than 13 million LEDs across 240 sites, funded by a €6.1 million budget.
- The capital added show elements such as a videomapping on the city hall facade and performances by Pablo López and Teatro Real’s Crescendo, with daily lighting hours extended through early January and reinforced Metro and bus service.
- Barcelona held its central ceremony on Passeig de Gràcia, where Mayor Jaume Collboni lit the display alongside the mayor of Bethlehem, with police estimating about 46,000 attendees.
- Barcelona’s ‘Llums de Nadal’ expands coverage by 16 additional kilometres to a 126‑kilometre network, backed by a €3.8 million spend, while local reporting flagged congestion and evacuation problems caused by poorly placed barriers.
- The broader push includes eye‑catching installations elsewhere such as Badalona’s 42‑metre tree with 120,000 LEDs (about €280,000), underscoring a nationwide trend of earlier switch‑ons to drive retail, hospitality and tourism.