Barcelona lights up for Christmas with scarves and gloves: "It's like something out of a movie"

BarcelonaIt wasn't even six in the evening yet, and the thermometer in Barcelona was already reading below 10 degrees Celsius. It's rare—at least in recent years—for the Catalan capital to get this cold at this time of November, and it was the perfect excuse to dust off scarves and gloves. The occasion was certainly worth it: thousands of people—46,000 according to the Guardia Urbana (Barcelona's municipal police)—gathered on Passeig de Gràcia to be dazzled for the first time by the city's Christmas lights, many of which were being unveiled this year.

Although the heart of the celebration was near Plaça Catalunya, an hour before the mayor of Barcelona, ​​Jaume Collboni, accompanied by the mayor of Belém, Maher Canawaty, pressed the button to officially kick off Christmas, Avinguda Diagonal and Jardinets de Gràcia were already completely packed. Entire families—with strollers and even dogs dressed in sweaters—strolled through the city streets, admiring the shops that had switched on their Christmas lights earlier than usual, before the official start. All to kill time until the most anticipated moment.

A few minutes before six, Passeig de Gràcia was overflowing. The fact that the lights were switched on this year on a Saturday—unlike previous years, when it had been during the week—meant that the center of the Catalan capital was completely full. "Are you safe among all these people, and aren't you hot all bundled up like that?" a woman asked her teenage daughter. "No, Mom, the hat and scarf add the perfect touch, it's more like something out of a movie," she insisted, elbowing herself to get in front of one of the giant screens that had been set up to watch the show.

A 14-meter tree

Suddenly, all the streetlights went out, a general roar erupted, and the show began. From a cloud of white smoke emerged a 14-meter-tall tree in the middle of a forest of giant candy canes. The smoke gave way to a Brava Arts performance featuring elves floating through the air—with the help of a crane—and performing acrobatics around a large transparent container, entering and exiting it. The performance was accompanied by a heart formed by 40 Barcelona residents who sang. A beating heart, This year's official Christmas carol in Barcelona. "Look, we can watch it on that lady's mobile phone," a man told his son, after accepting that it would be impossible to get a better view than the one they had obtained from behind a tree.

Shortly after, the elf container became a marker for the countdown to the lighting ceremony, which many of those present enthusiastically counted down aloud. At precisely 5:30 p.m., Collboni and Canawaty flipped the switch to illuminate the 126 kilometers of streets that are adorned with Christmas lights in Barcelona this year. However, the first to be switched on were the traditional twinkling lights along Passeig de Gràcia, which drew many people who lingered to admire them. selfies, And they brought the city center to a standstill for a while longer.

There were far fewer people a little while later in Plaça Sant Jaume, where the light show was premiering. Symphony of Stars. An immersive and silent experience that illuminates the facades of the Palau de la Generalitat and Barcelona City Hall with golden details, giving the square a new atmosphere. "It's beautiful," commented a couple, admiring the beauty of both illuminated buildings. Just a few meters away, the new lights that bring Christmas back to Via Laietana after three years of renovations were also drawing praise.