Sol speeds up recovery to welcome the Christmas tree

The encampment has left a provisional bill of around 30,000 euros at Puerta del Sol. This figure does not yet include damage to monuments or some of the street furniture, which are the responsibility of other municipal departments.

While repairs continue, the City Council is preparing to install the Christmas tree. The base is already in place and fenced off at kilometre zero; materials will begin arriving on Monday, 9 November. The fir tree will cover 35 square metres and the work is already a week behind schedule.

José Luis Martínez-Almeida shared the tree's design on X. It will have a large star at the top; the lighting will combine white and yellow tones and will feature red ribbons. The installation is part of other Christmas changes in the streets, such as the new lighting designs planned in Madrid.

The statue of Carlos III has structural damage after the campers used the fountain as a pool and to wash clothes. A grate is missing from the site and several lights were found broken. The City Council has cleaned off graffiti, removed the ropes that held up the tarpaulins, and disinfected the fountain. Work has also begun to dismantle the summer awnings, which have lost their rigidity and are stained due to the weather; the exact extent of the damage is still being assessed. Stickers have been removed from the square and its streetlights have been repainted. The Works Delegate, Paloma García Romero, considers that normality in Sol is now reasonable.