Barcelona will switch on its Christmas lights on 22 November and seeks new designs for 2026

The event will mark the start of a campaign that will run until 6 January 2026, with extended hours and more illuminated streets than ever before: 126 kilometres in total.

The lights, all using LED technology, will remain on from 17:30 to 1:00 on weekdays and until 2:00 at weekends and on public holidays, in a commitment to energy efficiency and the commercial vitality of neighbourhoods.

As the city prepares for its next Christmas, the City Council is already looking to the future. In collaboration with ADI-FAD (Asociación de Diseño Industrial), it has launched an ideas competition to create the new designer light installations for 2026. The aim is to strengthen Barcelona’s visual identity and bring the “Barcelona Llums de Nadal” project to every district, involving designers, architects and lighting artists.

This year’s budget reaches €3.8 million, with a clear commitment to local creativity. “We want every neighbourhood to have its own light, its own Christmas story,” the council explains.

Barcelona is thus consolidating its position as an international benchmark in festive lighting, combining art, design and sustainability to light up — once again — the magic of winter.