Christmas comes early in Barcelona, and Passeig de Gràcia has decided to throw the house out the window to welcome the holidays. If we were already looking forward to see the streets shine, this year there is an extra architectural reason to approach the most elegant avenue of the city: the addition of a monumental tree of twelve meters that will not only illuminate the nights, but will serve as a preamble to the Gaudí Year.
This impressive structure, which stands in the Salvador Espriu Gardens (the well-known Jardinets de Gràcia, at the intersection with the Diagonal), has been designed by DEIN and is the result of collaboration between the Passeig de Gràcia Association and Casa Seat. The most unique feature is its crowning: a 2.5-meter replica of the star of the Sagrada Familia, the same star that shines over the Tower of the Virgin Mary.
As explained by Lluís Sans, president of the Association, this decoration has a dual mission: on the one hand, to celebrate Christmas, and on the other, to welcome the Gaudí Year, which will be commemorated in 2026 to coincide with the centenary of the death of the famous modernist architect.
Christmas tree and children’s workshops
The official switching on of all Barcelona’s Christmas lights was last Saturday, November 22, with Passeig de Gràcia as the epicenter of the spectacle. The monumental fir tree, which has more than 13,000 LED lights and dichroic strips that change color depending on the perspective, is only part of the lighting that will transform the city.
Once switched on, the lights will remain active until January 6, 2026. The overall schedule will remain largely unchanged, ensuring that we have plenty of time to enjoy the festive atmosphere . We will be able to see them shine from Sunday to Thursday, from 5:30 pm until 1:00 am, and on Fridays, Saturdays and special days (December 24, 25 and 31, and January 5) until 2:00 am.
As icing on the cake, the association has announced a program of free activities on the avenue, with performances by companies such as Sis Arcs and Insòlits, which will fill the promenade with Christmas spirit during the weekends of December.