Paseo de Gràcia will light up this Christmas with stars like that of the Sagrada Família

Despite the fact that October may seem early to start thinking about Christmas, especially with this summer that is excessively prolonging itself, the Associació Passeig de Gràcia wanted to unveil this Wednesday the new lighting that will illuminate the commercial artery, taking into account that its complex installation has already begun. After its popular butterflies, the merchants have opted to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the promenade by giving prominence to a more Christmas element such as stars. Of course, without losing the Barcelona accent, nodding to the star that has crowned the Sagrada Família for a year.

"We want to recover the pride of belonging to Barcelona and the excitement of going to see the Christmas lights," defends Marga Farga, secretary of the association's board of directors, also betting on a very local symbol like Gaudí, but also very much of Passeig de Gràcia, where two of his most famous buildings are located. The Associació Passeig de Gràcia has been carrying out this Christmas initiative since 2009, a period in which it has increased the included areas, extending from Plaza Catalunya to Jardinets de Gràcia, and the quality of the proposal.

The design, as on previous occasions, has been carried out by Ximenez Iluminación. The Cordovan company has configured an LED installation made up of 35 twelve-pointed stars, like that of the Sagrada Família, which will be located in the central lane and will be accompanied by 60 more stars in the side streets. Another element will be the more than 300 rows with light strips, which will complete the decoration. "It will be a sky of 1,000 and one stars," says Luis Sans, president of the association. And, during the day, the material with which the lights are made will allow colors to be reflected, also enlivening daytime strolls.

The lights will be illuminated starting on November 24 and will do so for 44 days, totaling 217 hours of illumination. Due to the current energy crisis and after an agreement between the City Council and merchants, the schedule will be reduced by one hour this year, which Sans considers to be "a symbolic measure." According to the association's calculations, the savings that the consistory will have on the electricity bill for the lighting on Passeig de Gràcia will only be about 200 euros, paying a total of 1,460 euros throughout the holidays.

However, this year the lighting will be on from Sunday to Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; while on Fridays and Saturdays they will extend until 11:00 p.m. Special days such as Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and Three Kings' Night will be lit until 1:00 a.m.

The Associació Passeig de Gràcia will allocate a total of 180,000 euros to finance the lighting, 30,000 euros more than last year. The city council will contribute 120,000 euros of that amount. These lights will remain for the next two Christmas campaigns, until that of 2024-2025, coinciding with the long anniversary that the commercial thoroughfare will celebrate for its second centenary. Once the Three Kings arrive in January 2025, Ximenez will take the lighting, which can be replicated and reused in other cities, as may happen this Christmas with the old butterflies of Paseo de Gràcia.