Barcelona to light up 126 km this Christmas with a €3.8 million budget

Barcelona will have 126 km of Christmas lights this year, 16 km more than last year, with a total budget of €3.8 million, 15% more than last year.

The announcement on Friday by the City Council stated that extended lighting hours will be maintained, and €1.3 million will be allocated to subsidize commercial areas, covering 75% of their lighting costs.

The “Barcelona Christmas Lights” lighting model, launched in 2021, will be updated this year with new designs on Plaça Catalunya, Gran Via, Carrer Aragó, and for the first time on Via Laietana.

The City Council and the Industrial Design Association, ADI-FAD, organized a competition for designers to create four lighting proposals for the main streets and promote the city's visual identity. 

On Via Laietana, from Plaça Urquinaona to Passeig Colom, competition winners Ester Pujol and Marta Cerdà’s design is inspired by one of the city symbols, the flower canopy. Their proposal features about 20 luminous arches, each with 7 figures and around 175 motifs, creating a floral pixel effect visible day and night. The design uses high-efficiency LEDs that cut energy consumption by 60%, reduce light pollution by 93%, and is made from recyclable materials.

In Plaça Catalunya, winning studio ARTEC proposes an immersive light display that simulates birds flying in heart-shaped patterns. It offers a visual experience by day with natural dichroic reflections and by night with LED modules arranged in garlands, designed to minimize environmental impact and reduce the ecological footprint.

On Gran Via, between Muntaner and Passeig Sant Joan, winning studio APO proposes the Espelmes de Llum project, a design that reimagines traditional candles in a modern form. The display features over 900 LED candle-like tubes and 460 meters of LED thread, creating a flowing ribbon of light that symbolizes connection across the street.

On Aragó Street, also between Muntaner and Passeig Sant Joan, winning studio SMLXL+MA–MA presents El Nadal de casa, a design featuring over twenty illuminated banners with humorous Christmas phrases aimed at all ages. The banners range from 8 to 12 meters long and 2.2 meters high.

On Passeig Sant Joan, the proposal by Brosmind will remain, inspired by the Fort Pienc neighborhood, manga shops, Kawaii comics, and the Chinese community. The design displays Christmas messages inside comic-style windows arranged in a rhomboid pattern along the street.

Expanded budget and new locations 

From the total budget of €3.8 million for this year’s Christmas lighting, €2.3 million will go toward production, installation, maintenance, and dismantling of lights across all districts, and over €1.3 million for designer lighting proposals.

For the sixth consecutive year, the Council is maintaining a 75% subsidy for Christmas lighting promoted by commercial associations, applications opening on June 26.

To extend the festive atmosphere beyond central areas, more than 20 Christmas light structures will be installed across the city, and 14 buildings will also be illuminated. 

Special attention will again be given to commercial areas affected by long-term construction works. With a budget of €157,905, installations will cover around 20 public spaces in seven districts where 200 arcades and more than 270 light figures will be set up.

As part of the effort to boost neighborhood commerce, 28 street sections in various districts will be illuminated too. A total of 63 streets will be decorated under the Neighborhood Plan, and the facades of 39 municipal markets will once again feature Christmas lighting. 

This year, a new lighting proposal will be added at the Mestral and Gregal docks in the Olympic Port, which will also host family-friendly activities.

More than fifty ornamental fountains across the city will feature special lighting for the Christmas season, with at least one in every district.

The city’s official Christmas website will feature a map with various routes to explore the holiday lighting. These include paths highlighting iconic shops, illuminated fountains, designer installations, commercial streets, among others. 

This year’s Christmas lights will follow the 2024 schedule, with lighting from Sunday to Thursday between 5:30 pm and 1 am, and until 2 am on Fridays, Saturdays, and holiday eves. 

The official lighting ceremony will take place at the end of November in Passeig de Gràcia, with possible additional events in neighborhoods.