Santa Cruz switches on Christmas with a dazzling night of music and light
Santa Cruz de Tenerife lit up last night as the city officially launched its Christmas season with a spectacular show of colour, music, and festive magic in the Plaza de La Candelaria. Hundreds of residents and visitors gathered to witness the much-anticipated Christmas switch-on, which once again transformed the heart of the capital into a glowing winter wonderland.
This year’s display features an extraordinary 4.5 million LED lights spread across more than 400 locations, illuminating the city with 2,172 decorative motifs, 119 light arches, over 92,000 metres of garlands, and 86 ground installations stretching through more than 330 streets. For the second consecutive year, Plaza de La Candelaria served as the epicentre of the celebration.
The evening began at 7.30pm with a musical overture by the Municipal Band, performing on a dimly lit stage that set the mood for the grand moment. As excitement grew, Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez, joined by councillors Javier Caraballero and Carlos Tarife, appeared alongside five children from the Municipal Children’s Council, each representing one of the city’s districts, to activate the switch that illuminated the plaza in gold and silver tones. Giant angels, shimmering arches and festive globes instantly became the focus of hundreds of raised mobile phones capturing the moment.
Mayor Bermúdez thanked all municipal departments involved in the preparations, noting that the capital will host over 100 Christmas activities for residents and tourists between now and 6th January. “Santa Cruz is a lively, open and diverse city; a place that beats strongly, looks to the future while honouring its traditions, and transforms when this time of year arrives,” he said.
Following the switch-on, the celebration continued with performances by Cristina Ramos, Diana Navarro, Serafín Zubiri and Jadel, who delighted the crowd with classic Christmas songs and timeless favourites.
The city’s Christmas installation, which began in July, has received an investment of €900,000. This year brings enhanced lighting along several key avenues, including Benito Pérez Armas, Manuel Hermoso Rojas, Príncipes de España, Francisco La Roche, the surroundings of the San Carlos barracks, Plaza San Telmo and Plaza de España, where the city’s 25-metre-tall Christmas tree stands.
The expanded light display, which doubles last year’s, also now brightens important shopping streets such as Rambla Pulido, El Pilar, Villalba Hervás, Álvarez de Lugo, and the avenues Islas Canarias and Ángel Romero, ensuring that the entire capital embraces the festive spirit.
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