Barcelona will not put up Christmas lights in Plaça Catalunya due to the housing encampment

BarcelonaBarcelona City Council is, for the time being, ruling out installing Christmas lights in Plaça Catalunya. The decision has been made in light of the ongoing protest camp for the right to housing that is occupying the space, as reported by El Periódico and confirmed by municipal sources to the ACN. These sources state that for now "the City Council will not install Christmas lighting in Plaça Catalunya." They also indicate that the council is not considering installing the signature lights planned for the square anywhere else in the city, as they were designed "specifically" for this space.

The City Council began installing some Christmas lights as early as October and is still working on it. Last year, the lighting ceremony took place on November 22nd and was held on Passeig de Gràcia, between Ronda Sant Pere and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes. In 2025, the city illuminated more than 126 kilometers of streets. Among the lights turned on in 2025 were the so-called "signature lights," which could be seen for the first time on Via Laietana and included the debut of new proposals, also in Plaça Catalunya, on Carrer Aragó, and on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes.

The winning studio for the lighting design for Plaça Catalunya was Artec with the proposal The heart of the city, a light installation with nearly 2,000 elements suspended in the air that simulate the flight of birds. These same lights are the ones that were supposed to be installed in Plaça Catalunya this year.