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As the festive season arrives, Andalucía is getting ready to shine. This weekend marks the start of the region’s Christmas light switch-ons, when towns and cities come alive with millions of LEDs, music and street shows. Only Almería and Córdoba are holding off a little longer, waiting until early December to join in the celebrations.

 

Málaga continues to set the standard for festive lighting, having become an international Christmas favourite, according to European Best Destinations. The city will flick the switch this Friday November 29 at 6.30pm on Calle Larios, with local singer Diana Navarro leading the countdown.

 

This year’s display is the biggest yet, featuring 2.7 million LED lights spread across more than 500 streets. A highlight is the “Celestial Angels” show, with sixteen angel figures standing four metres tall, their glittering wings shimmering through three nightly performances at 6.30pm, 8pm and 10pm.

 

On the cathedral’s façade, a new projection titled Mantle of Stars will tell a local Christmas story using laser technology and 3D visuals, running from December 1 to January 4. “It’s a magical experience that turns the city into an open-air theatre of light,” one organiser said.

 

For the first time, Málaga City Hall is also illuminated with festive projections, while Ecogreenlux technology will reduce light pollution and energy use by up to 60 percent.

 

 

The capital will switch on its Christmas lights this Saturday November 29 with the theme The road that leads to Seville. According to Mayor José Luis Sanz, “It’s the biggest lighting display in the city’s history.”

 

More than nine million LEDs will brighten 304 streets, 10 more than last year. Avenida de la Constitución will shine as the “Avenida de la Navidad”, with 32 illuminated trees along its length. The inauguration show begins at 5.30pm with singer Pastora Soler performing before children from the Alalá Foundation press the button at 6.30pm.

 

From December 18, the Navigalia show returns to the banks of the Guadalquivir with Mission Gift, a family spectacle featuring music, projections and storytelling. Meanwhile, a huge illuminated Nativity scene almost ten metres high will stand outside San Telmo Palace, said to be the largest in Spain.

 

Cádiz gets the festivities under way slightly earlier: this Friday November 28 at 7pm in Plaza de San Juan de Dios, with a performance by flamenco dancer María Moreno and the show Puro Cádiz. From then on, 65 streets and 22 squares around the city will light up each evening, with a new light and sound show playing daily at 7pm, 8pm and 9pm.

 

Elsewhere in Andalucía, Granada, Jerez, Huelva, Estepona, Fuengirola, Ronda, San Fernando, Torremolinos, and El Puerto de Santa María will all switch on their lights this weekend. Córdoba and Almería will follow on Friday December 5, unveiling new features and decorations for their own festive openings.

 

With Spain’s southern region glowing under millions of twinkling lights, Andalucía’s towns and cities are about to turn into the country’s brightest celebration of Christmas.

 

 

Images: Ayuntamientos de Málaga, Sevilla and Cádiz