Barcelona to switch on Christmas lights on 22 November

Barcelona will turn on its Christmas lights on Saturday, November 22, the city council announced on Thursday.

The switch-on ceremony will take place at 6.30 pm on Passeig de Gràcia, from where all the city’s festive lights will be illuminated.

This is the third year the opening ceremony has been held on the central boulevard, which the city council described as "a great success" of the format.

This year's opening comes a few days earlier than in 2024, when the lights were switched on Thursday, November 28.

The earlier date is due to mayor Jaume Collboni's schedule, as he is expected to visit the Guadalajara Book Fair in Mexico that week. Barcelona is the guest city of honor at the event.

Although the ceremony is on a Saturday rather than the usual Thursday, the city council said it is a "punctual" event and will analyze how it works for future openings.

"We will see how it works and how the sector experiences it, and we will make a final evaluation at the end of Christmas," said economy deputy mayor Raquel Gil.

Asked about the increase in energy use due to the earlier opening, Gil described it as "residual."

All of Barcelona’s Christmas lights use LEDs, which consume very little energy.

Details about this year’s opening spectacle have not yet been revealed, but Gil described it as "heartwarming and Christmas-like."

Despite the central nature of the event, the city council is also working with districts to encourage local participation in the main ceremony.

Opening times

The lights will follow the same schedule as last year.

From November 22 to January 6, 2026, they will be on daily from 5.30 pm to 1 am.

On Fridays, Saturdays, and festive days such as December 24, 25, 31, and January 5, the lights will stay on an extra hour, until 2 am.

This year, the Christmas lights will cover 126 km of the city, 16 km more than last year, with a budget of nearly €4 million, 15% higher than in 2024.