The Barcelona City Council says now that the Plaça Catalunya "will not remain in the dark" for Christmas despite the encampment

BarcelonaBarcelona's Christmas lights will be turned on on November 26th at a festive event on Passeig de Gràcia, as has been done in previous years. The kick-off for the lighting ceremony this year will take place between Carrer Rosselló and Avinguda Diagonal to facilitate the mobility of people who wish to attend, and there will be simultaneous events in all the city's districts. One of the current uncertainties remains the lighting of Plaça Catalunya, which has been occupied for weeks by an encampment in defense of the right to housing, which has so far made the installation of the planned lights impossible. The city council says it is working with different scenarios, depending on how the protest evolves, to light up this area of the city center, but has clarified that the square "will not be left in the dark".

However, the city council has remarked that the encampment is a peaceful protest and that they are in contact with the participants. This was stated on Monday by the Deputy Mayor for Economic Promotion, Raquel Gil, who assured that the Barcelona Christmas Festival, which also hosts Plaça Catalunya, will be held this year regardless of the encampment. "The city of Barcelona will have a Christmas festival, here or elsewhere," Gil claimed in a press conference. Regarding the rest of the city, this year Barcelona will have 140 kilometers of illuminated streets in all districts. They will turn on every day starting at 5:30 p.m. and will turn off at 1 a.m., except for Fridays and Saturdays when they will be extended until 2 a.m., and also on December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 5th.

Rambla Prim and Passeig Maragall

The Christmas lighting will be on until January 6th. One of the new features is that the so-called "designer lights", which could be seen for the first time last year on Via Laietana and included the premiere of new proposals, also at Plaça Catalunya, Carrer Aragó, and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, will reach beyond the center with two new locations: Rambla Prim and Passeig Maragall. This Christmas, the 'Galet' installation designed by Ramon Bigas also returns, which will be located in twelve municipal markets, at Plaça del Rei, and between Rambla de Catalunya and Carrer Provença.

There will also be 26 reindeer-shaped totems distributed throughout different areas of the city. On the other hand, Barcelona will bring together the European Capitals of Christmas and Proximity Commerce, which it holds this 2026, in a Christmas installation inspired by advent calendars, illuminating the windows of 6 unique buildings in the city.