One new feature in this year’s Christmas campaign sees all the districts get light totems with Christmas motifs, the idea being to light up the whole city in places such as C/ Vallcivera in the neighbourhood of Ciutat Meridiana, Plaça de les Fonts in Baró de Viver and other locations. These totems complement the lighting solutions introduced in 2021 in city-centre streets to create the city’s own Christmas image.

The façades of fourteen unique buildings all around the city will be illuminated too, such as the Torre de les Aigües del Besòs, the Masia de Torre Llobeta, the Viaducte de Vallcarca and the Casa Golferichs de l’Eixample.

Also new this year is the introduction of routes around iconic establishments in the Gòtic and Raval neighbourhoods, which will be lit up to emphasis the singularity of their produce, commerce and architectural heritage. The Gòtic route will include the Cafè de l’Òpera, La Colmena, the Pastisseria Brunellls, Torrons La Campana, El Xampanyet and the Casa Gispert. The Raval route will take in the Casa Almirall, the Granja Viader, the Bar Resolís, the Bar Marsella, the London Bar and La Confiteria.

Other spaces to be lit up again this year include Plaça Urquinaona, Av. Paral·lel, Via Laietana, La Rambla and Passeig de Sant Joan (in the section between Av. Vilanova and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes). There will also be illuminations in Plaça Catalunya, Gran Via, Ronda Sant Pere and C/ Balmes, with the same lighting projects as previous years.

Christmas lights will also be installed in 48 streets as part of the Neighbourhood Plan, as well as on the façades of the city’s 39 municipal markets. Attention will also be given again to points where commerce may be affected by long-term works. These include 25 streets around the districts of Ciutat Vella, Les Corts, Gràcia, Horta-Guinardó, Sant Andreu and Sant Martí.

The official ceremony to switch on the lights will be on 28 November, with the illuminations operating until Three Kings’ Day. The city will have 110 kilometres of spaces with lights, six more than last year, with the illuminations on for longer hours. Lighting may be on from 5.30 pm until 1 am from Sundays to Thursdays, and from 5.30 pm to 2 am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, and the eve of public holidays. This measure allows for a maximum of 322 hours and 30 minutes of illuminations over the Christmas period.

The overall budget from the City Council for all seasonal lighting this year is 3.3 million euros, some 13% more than last year.