There is no Christmas without lights and even less in Madrid. This Thursday at 7:00 p.m. the traditional lighting of Christmas lights takes place and, with it, the start of the festivities at the hands of the mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeidaaccompanied by soccer coach Luis de la Fuentewhich will press the button in Puerta del Sol to turn on 12 million LED bulbs in 7,100 luminous chains, 121 cherry trees, 10 illuminated fir trees and several Nativity scenes distributed in 230 points in the capital. The event will be enlivened by carols from the traditional children’s choir, a performance by the singer Álvaro de Luna and will end with a fireworks show. You can follow it in the following video:
The ignition, which plans to bring together about 12,000 people According to municipal estimates, it will light the decorations that will decorate the capital until January 6, 2025, Three Kings Day. As a novelty, this year a Christmas tree will debut in Puerta del Sol. The 37-meter-high structure carries more than 3,300 red balls and is crowned by a large star. In addition, the capital also debuts the figure of a large 18 meter angel in Colón that will illuminate the square with more than 36,400 points of light.
Although some details have been revealed, the ignition saves “surprises that will be revealed throughout the afternoon”as reported by the Works and Equipment area. One of these details, as Almeida advanced, It will be dedicated to Valencia and those affected by the DANA catastrophe. “From Madrid we want to breathe encouragement, hope and affection into those who are now mired in disenchantment, in the hopelessness of the tragedy,” said the councilor, referring to those affected by the Valencia fire.
The big news: lights designed by children
One of the big news this year is the lights designed by first and second grade children, that They participated in a school competition organized by the City Council. Thus, the winning proposals have been transformed into the lights that will adorn the streets of Madrid during the 2024 Christmas holidays.
In the first edition of the contest, first and second year Primary Education students from a total of 24 schools participated. To do this, the teachers chose one illustration per center and a jury was in charge of selecting the six winning drawings. The criteria were the “originality in the expression of the figures and emotions related to Christmas.