Overview
- Madrid illuminated more than 13 million LED bulbs across 240 locations for 46 nights, a citywide program budgeted at €6.1 million with new designs and a Cibeles videomapping show.
- Carlos Sainz pressed the switch with Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida as fireworks, a set by Pablo López and performances from the Teatro Real’s Crescendo program headlined the ceremony.
- Attendance at Madrid’s Cibeles event was reported inconsistently, with the mayor citing about 90,000 people and other accounts estimating roughly 150,000.
- Barcelona unveiled author-led installations after a Passeig de Gràcia ceremony led by Mayor Jaume Collboni and the mayor of Bethlehem, with Guardia Urbana estimating 46,000 attendees and reporters describing exit bottlenecks.
- Other cities rolled out headline attractions, including Badalona’s 42‑meter tree touted by Mayor Xavier García Albiol, while Madrid detailed Metro and bus reinforcements for the coming peak shopping days.