Overview
- Madrid launched its program with more than 13 million LED bulbs across 240 sites, 7,134 light strings, 126 luminous cherry trees and 13 large firs, capped by a Cibeles videomapping and performances after Carlos Sainz hit the switch.
- Madrid attendance counts diverged, with the mayor citing about 90,000 people at Cibeles and other reports putting the crowd near 150,000, as the city emphasized a €6.1 million investment and designer collaborations via ACME.
- The capital announced reinforced Metro and bus service and set lighting hours from 18:00 daily, with later cutoffs on weekends and key dates including 24 and 31 December and 5 January.
- Barcelona inaugurated Passeig de Gràcia led by mayor Jaume Collboni alongside Bethlehem’s mayor, with the Guardia Urbana estimating roughly 46,000 attendees and local reporting noting exit bottlenecks linked to poorly placed barriers.
- Regional highlights included Badalona’s 42‑meter tree switch‑on, and travel coverage promoted European Christmas markets with opening dates and attractions in cities such as Colmar, Bruges, Prague, Vienna, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Cologne, Basel and Bern.