October and early November are, for many, sad months, as it starts to get dark earlier and earlier and we say goodbye to summer for good. But when Christmas approaches and the streets are illuminated, a kind of Christmas spirit takes over the streets of Barcelona to remind us that a time of festivities and celebrations is coming.
And is that this Christmas, Barcelona will shine more than ever, as there are many new features in terms of lighting: extended hours (until 2am), new Christmas figures and colorful routes through emblematic buildings of the city.
That’s why we tell you what the Christmas 2024 lights in Barcelona will be like so that even a grinch can enjoy them.
Illumination until 2h: more hours, more lights and more budget.
One of the big new features of Christmas 2024 is the extension of the hours in which the street lights will be on. Until now, they were open until 11 p.m. on weekdays, and now they will be open until after midnight every day of the week.
On the one hand, from Sunday to Thursday, the lights will be on from 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. On the other hand, on weekends, the street lights will be on from 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.. On the other hand, on weekends and holiday vigils (December 25 and 31 and January 5) they will be on until 2am .
This is thanks to the fact that this year, the City Council has increased the Christmas lighting budget by 13% compared to 2023.
Routes through emblematic buildings and stores.
One of the best ways to enjoy Barcelona is through its buildings. For this reason, during Christmas 2024, three routes through emblematic stores in the Gothic and Raval neighborhoods will be created.
Some of the establishments will have their own lighting project that will highlight the uniqueness of their products and architectural heritage, such as the Cafè de l’Òpera or El Xampanyet.
In addition, a route through the facades of some of the city’s hotels has also been proposed , although it is not yet known for sure how it will be.
For the moment, it is necessary to wait and the City Council will announce the routes in more detail on its website.
Structures of lights in all districts
Another novelty that brings Christmas 2024 in Barcelona is the installation of large figures or totems with Christmas motifs in all districts of the city.
These figures will be made of lights with the aim of extending the illuminated points of the city, even to the less central areas. Therefore, there will be about twenty sites in Barcelona that will have these new Christmas structures.
In addition, the proposal follows another objective that was set in 2021: to create its own image of Christmas in the city. For this reason, different traditional elements will be combined with others with Barcelona’s own designs.
These will be the points in each neighborhood that will have the new totem poles: