Barcelona Christmas lights: Swicth ON

Yesterday, 2 December, when Barcelona’s streets are infused with the Christmas spirit. That’s the day for the traditional switching on of the city’s Christmas lights, when you can also visit the Plaza de Sant Jaume nativity scene.

Barcelona Nativity

This year’s novelties include even more streets with lights and a greater use of sustainable technology. In fact, for 36 days beginning 2 December, over 300 city venues and 60 km of the public highway, 15% more than in 2009, will be lit up until 10 pm from Sunday to Thursday, until midnight on Friday and Saturday and until 1 am on 24, 25 and 31 December, and 5 January.

New streets with Christmas lights this year include Avenida del Paralelo, where the Music Hall will be lit up, Barceloneta, fish-shaped lights of different colours, Rambla del Raval and Passeig de Maragall.

Christmas lights

Moreover, 98% will be LED lights, which reduce the voltage and produce better quality light. Despite covering more kilometres, these lights will produce a 40% saving in overall energy consumption.

The star of the lights, never better said, will be the Christmas Star. This is a giant decoration designed by Ramon Bigas and put up at twenty different city locations.

New Barcelona Christmas web page

You can now consult the Christmas web page and discover all the activities taking place in the city over the festivities. This web page will let you discover which route the Three Wise Men will be taking through the city on Twelfth Night, where the various venues and illuminated giant pasta shells are and how various popular figures will be celebrating Christmas.

This Christmas, the city is brighter than ever and even more packed with activities. To stop you missing out on any of them, the web page offers you a city map where you can find the main events going on, district by district.

In addition, the web page will let you download a Christmas street map highlighting the areas where the giant illuminated Christmas pasta shells have been installed and where street concerts and Christmas fairs are taking place.

How do some of the country’s most famous faces experience Christmas? The Christmas web page lets you see and hear Raquel Sans, who confirms she still beats the Christmas log, the Tió, to “poop” gifts, or read Ferran Adrià’s culinary suggestion for the Catalan Christmas stew Escudella i carn d’olla and the views of FC Barcelona player, Leo Messi, for whom Christmas is a time for getting together with the family.

The web page will also give you information on the various solidarity campaigns that are being launched for Christmas, on children’s activities like the Children’s Fair and on classic Christmas sports events like the Nose Race, the first swim of the new year and the Christmas walk.