Barcelona Christmas lights switched on

The Christmas season officially kicked off in Barcelona on Thursday with the highly anticipated lighting of the festive displays.

The celebration began at 6 pm on Passeig de Gràcia boulevard, featuring a grand spectacle of urban dance, rap, and captivating audiovisual effects.

Over 40,000 people gathered in the heart of the Catalan capital to witness the event.

With 28 performers spread across five stages along Passeig de Gràcia, the show featured projections and pyrotechnics, delivering a powerful message of unity, hope, and fresh beginnings.

The show Solvern, created by the internationally renowned Aktionstheater Pan.Optikum (Freiburg), was inspired by light emerging from darkness.

After a half-hour performance culminating in an epic finale, the city’s lights were switched on, filling the streets with joy and excitement among the crowd.

As part of the ‘Voices Against Racism’ campaign, the lights were was activated via a mobile device by two young representatives: an 18-year-old from the Chinese Cultural Association, involved in organizing cultural events like the Chinese New Year, and a 16-year-old Afro-descendant high school art student from La Guineueta.

This year the Christmas lights will stretch an additional six kilometers, reaching a total of 110 km. 

The lights will also stay on longer, shining until 1 am from Sunday to Thursday and until 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays

Some 24 illuminated seasonal figures, such as reindeer, will be placed around the city, and there will be a design inspired by the film 'El 47.'