The Christmas lights include new illuminated figures, reach more neighbourhoods and will be on for longer. This year’s lights cover more than 110 kilometres of streets and will be on from 5.30 pm to 1 am every night from Sundays to Thursdays, and from 5.30 pm to 2 am on the nights of Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays.

One new feature in this year’s Christmas campaign sees all the districts get light totems, 25 in all, with Christmas motifs such as reindeers, wings or gift boxes, and measuring between 2.5 metres and 3.8 metres in height.

Also new this year is the introduction of routes around iconic establishments in the Gòtic and Raval neighbourhoods, which will be lit up to emphasise 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.

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.

The lighting in Torre Baró has been designed, built and installed by a hundred local people as part of a project to strengthen the community and regain the popular memory of the Zona Nord Neighbourhood Plan. The theme for the lighting is inspired by El 47, which is now the most watched film in Catalan in the 21^st century. The neighbourhood has rallied to create a total of 13 light arches based around the film and the story of the bus which was taken by Manolo Vital.

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 lights will be on until Three Kings’ Day, with a maximum of 322 hours and 30 minutes over the festive season, starting on 28 November.

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