Do we need to go to the switch-on ceremony?

No. The lights stay on every evening until January 6, so any night works. The switch-on is a show at Plaza de Cibeles, so pick another night for a calmer walk.

Can we see everything in one night?

No, the lights reach more than 250 spots across the city. For one evening, start in the center around Sol and Gran Vía and walk from there.

Is there a Christmas market on the way?

Yes, the traditional Plaza Mayor Christmas market runs from late November to December 31, with stalls selling nativity figures, decorations and joke gifts.

Which metro stop is the best place to start?

Sol, in the middle of the center. From there Gran Vía, Plaza Mayor and Calle Alcalá are all a short walk away.

Christmas Lights Across Madrid

Name: Christmas Lights Across Madrid
Start: 2026-11-21
End: 2027-01-06T23:59:59
Location: Puerta del Sol

Featured inChristmas with Kids in Madrid 2026

FestivalCentroTrending this week1,685 families interested

Where

Centro, Puerta del Sol

Ages

All ages

Setting

Outdoors

Plan for

An evening walk of 1 to 2 hours in the center, more visits for other districts

What you need to know

Kids' drawings become lights, so first and second graders can hunt for designs by kids their age
Lights near home too, with more than 250 lit spots across all 21 districts this year
Free app for blind visitors, Navidad Accesible Madrid, describes the lights out loud

About

Millions of LED lights turn streets, plazas and buildings across Madrid into one big Christmas trail. Designer displays, giant light trees and bulbs drawn by first and second graders in a school contest give kids plenty to hunt for. Gran Vía, Calle Alcalá and Plaza Mayor are the classics.

Free

Dates & times

Sat 21 Nov – Wed 6 Jan 2027

Sun-Thu6:00 PM – 12:00 AM

Fri-Sat6:00 PM – 1:00 AM

Switch-on show at Plaza de Cibeles on Sat Nov 21. Open later on Dec 7, Dec 24, Dec 31 and Jan 5. The city still lists these hours as to be confirmed.

Share with another parent

WhatsApp Email

Where it is

Puerta del Sol

28013 Madrid, Spain

Nearby playgrounds

Resources

Event website
Official page from the organizer.

Common questions

More this weekend

See all events →

More family picks, Friday to Sunday.

More from Christmas with Kids in Madrid 2026

See all →

Naviluz: Open-Top Bus Tour of the Christmas Lights

Guided Visit·Retiro

An open-top bus loops past Puerta de Alcalá, Colón and Serrano under the lights, so kids see the whole display without walking it.

Dates soonFares not announced yet

Plaza Mayor Christmas Market: Nativity Figures and Joke-Shop Wigs

Festival·Centro

More than 100 red stalls of nativity figures, tinsel and gag gifts fill the main square, and the joke-shop wigs are where kids stop first.

Dates soonFree

Cortylandia: The Singing Christmas Facade on Calle Preciados

Performance·Centro

More than 25 animated characters sing and dance across a department store facade, to a song Madrid parents still know by heart.

Dates soonFree

Circo Price en Navidad: The Christmas Circus Show

Performance·Arganzuela

Madrid's Christmas circus is back, this year with the Raluy family's six-generation troupe: acrobats, balancing acts, jugglers and clowns in the Price's round ring.

Fri Nov 20 - Wed Jan 6, 2027From €14 plus booking fees

Giant Nativity Scene at Puerta del Sol

Exhibition·Centro

Madrid's volunteer nativity makers fill a hall on Sol with tiny villages, shepherds and the Three Kings. It is free to walk around, if you can beat the line.

Dates soonFree