Marbella Plans Christmas Lights With More Than 3.8 Million LED Points

Marbella's ayuntamiento (town hall) is preparing a Christmas lighting scheme made up of 3,825,784 LED light points across Marbella and San Pedro Alcántara, according to a statement published by the council.

What will be installed

Public works councillor Diego López, joined by festivals councillor Yolanda Marín, said the display will combine arches, garlands, large figures and decorated trees along streets and public spaces during the festive period.

The council gave this breakdown of the installation:

• 532 lighting arches
• 102 motifs on street lamps
• 139 ground-level figures
• 1,162 grouped elements
• 18 pines and three-dimensional structures
• 24 illuminated signs
• decoration of two building façades
• 2,421 garlands
• 146 natural trees to be lit, in various sizes

New musical shows

Marín said the programme will include new musical shows accompanying the lights in both Marbella and San Pedro Alcántara. In Plaza de los Naranjos, four large angels will be installed. On Calle Marqués del Duero in San Pedro Alcántara, a display will recreate a illuminated forest. According to the council, each will have three shows a day.

Marín said the two stagings would "permitirán disfrutar de experiencias diferentes" (allow people to enjoy different experiences) and give people different chances to visit shops and restaurants and take part in the Christmas programme, as quoted in the council's release.

Energy use and local trade

López said LED technology "permite reducir el consumo eléctrico respecto a la iluminación convencional" (reduces electricity use compared with conventional lighting) and allows large decorative displays to be combined with energy-efficiency criteria. The council did not give figures for the expected saving or the cost of the scheme in the material reported here.

He also said the decorations are meant to boost shopping areas and local economic activity. "Queremos que invite a pasear por nuestras calles, conocer sus establecimientos y realizar las compras en el comercio local, apoyando también la actividad de la hostelería durante estas fechas" (We want it to encourage people to walk our streets, discover their businesses and shop locally, also supporting the hospitality sector), López said.

What is not yet clear

The council's statement does not give a switch-on date, show times or the full programme of Christmas events. Residents and visitors should check the Ayuntamiento de Marbella's official channels for those details.

All figures and quotes above come from the Ayuntamiento de Marbella's announcement.