Madrid's City Council kicked off the Christmas season on Thursday at Plaza de Cibeles, where Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida and rally champion Carlos Sainz pressed the button to light up 13 million LED bulbs, though they flickered on unexpectedly beforehand. The event drew about 90,000 people and featured musical performances by David Bisbal and Pablo López. The lighting budget rose 15% to 6.1 million euros.
Madrid's official Christmas lights switch-on occurred on November 22, 2025, at 20:19 in Plaza de Cibeles, packed with about 90,000 people per the City Council, though municipal sources estimate 150,000 in the center. Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida and rally bicampion Carlos Sainz, along with children from Colegio de Educación Especial María Corredentora, activated the silver button after a countdown. Sainz told the mayor: “I'm more tense than in the championships,” as Almeida shared the moment's anxiety.
Before the lighting, a videomapping projected with 14 devices on Cibeles Palace, to the Interstellar soundtrack by Christopher Nolan, narrated a message on Madrid's light and openness: “We are a city with a lot of light, and we don't just say it because of the sun, we say it because of that blessed habit of making room.” The Crescendo group from Teatro Real performed Adeste Fideles with sopranos and a tenor, followed by David Bisbal's “Todo es posible en Navidad,” which got the crowd singing and dancing.
Pablo López delivered a live set with songs like El Patio, Tu enemigo, and the premiere of El niño del espacio, joking: “I really want to press the button.” After, he said: “I'll tell my grandchildren I was here” and “Oh, what madness, how beautiful illusion is, increasingly necessary.” The event ended with a pyromusical fireworks display under 6°C temperatures.
The 46-day lighting features 7,134 strings, 126 luminous cherry trees, 13 large firs, and over 13 million LED bulbs across 21 districts. Novelties include 31 snowflake arches on Gran Vía, a 22.2-meter fir with 125,000 lights at its junction with Alcalá, and dawn-simulating arches in Goya. Collaborations with brands like Oteyza, Isabel Sanchís, and Pablo Erroz via ACME. The luminous nativity is in Plaza de Castilla, with classics like the maiden in the Prado and the angel in Colón.
Almeida called for unity: “All of us in this city are what make it special [...] it's a city that always has its arms open.” Madrid joins Vigo, which lit 12 million lights on November 15, and Barcelona, with 126 km illuminated for 3.8 million euros.