Barcelona will once again have a light show in the middle of Plaça Sant Jaume instead of a nativity scene.

BarcelonaNadal is getting closer and Barcelona is gearing up for the celebrations. After to nominate the city to become the European Capital of ChristmasThis Wednesday, Mayor Jaume Collboni presented the activities planned for this year's festivities. For the second year in a row, the program omits the installation of an artistic nativity scene in the middle of Plaça Sant Jaume. After breaking with this tradition last year, the City Council and the Generalitat (Catalan government) have agreed to return to offering a light show projected onto the facades of the two buildings, details of which have not yet been released. The show, which can be seen every night between November 22nd and January 5th, will run alongside the traditional 15-meter-tall Christmas tree erected in a corner of the square. As for the traditional nativity scene, it will once again be installed, as it was last year, in the City Hall's coach house. It will be open to the public from December 13th to January 5th, and the display will recreate Catalan mountain landscapes, allowing visitors to travel through Catalonia without leaving Barcelona. This year, the Nativity scene triples in size, growing from 24 to almost 70 square meters, and will depict the Annunciation to the Shepherds, the Nativity, the Journey of the Magi, and the Flight into Egypt. The model is the work of the historic Barcelona Nativity Scene Association, and admission is free and no appointment is necessary.

More lights throughout the city

Another major initiative by the City Council this Christmas is to bring the magic to every corner of the city. To this end, the Christmas lights are being expanded to cover 126 kilometers of illuminated streets, 16 kilometers more than last year. Collboni assured that this expansion is being done "without any intention of competing with other cities," and that the project aims to decentralize Christmas celebrations and connect neighborhoods, businesses, and heritage sites. Following this approach, the Barcelona Christmas Lights project will reach all districts of the city with the goal of supporting local businesses. In less central areas, more than twenty totems or light structures with Christmas motifs will be reinstalled. The same project also organizes themed routes to showcase the lighting in the neighborhoods: there will be five itineraries that will take in the city's 39 ornamental fountains—which have been restored after the drought and are being decorated for the first time this year—, monuments and unique buildings, and the 39 illuminated municipal markets.

The official Christmas lights will be switched on on November 22nd on Passeig de Gràcia. with a show by Brava Arts. The event will include the original Christmas carol. A beating heartAerial dance and other artistic performances will take place, followed by a grand countdown leading up to the lighting ceremony. Additionally, Passeig de Gràcia will feature LED screens displaying the lighting display. Designer lighting in Plaça de Catalunya, Via Laietana, Aragón, Gran Via and Passeig de Sant JoanAs announced by Jordi Duran, the event's curator.

Concerts and activities

The City Council's program includes more than 100 activities in the city's districts, markets, and fairs to celebrate Christmas, including the traditional Christmas Concert by the Orfeó Català and the Three Kings Parade on the night of January 5th. In addition, the New Year's Eve celebration on Maria Cristina Avenue will feature a revamped show that "combines tradition and the future." The production, created by musician Marc Parrot and Groupe F, will integrate music, drones, and pyrotechnics to welcome in 2026.