Vigo Christmas Lights

The Vigo Christmas lights are among the best known in Spain. For several years now the Concello has made them the centrepiece of its season: a 45-metre light tree at the Porta do Sol, hundreds of decorated streets, a Ferris wheel and a switch-on ceremony that draws thousands of people. In 2025, the city switched on at 8pm on Saturday 15 November and switched off on Sunday 11 January 2026. The 2026 date had not been published as of 12 October 2026: the mayor speaks of a switch-on in November and keeps the day secret until the announcement. The Christmas markets (Cíes Market, Vialia, O Calvario, Bouzas) revolve around this backdrop.

2026 switch-on date: announcement pending

As of 12 October 2026, the Concello de Vigo had not announced the switch-on date. According to El Español, the mayor keeps saying it will take place in November and remains “the best-kept secret in the world”. The last three editions set the pattern: Friday 24 November 2023, Saturday 16 November 2024, Saturday 15 November 2025.

The 2025-2026 season ended on Sunday 11 January 2026, the day the lights went out and the Ferris wheel and the Cíes Market closed, according to the local press. Assembly of the 2026 edition began on 29 July 2026 at the Porta do Sol, with the contractor Ximénez, again according to El Español.

The Porta do Sol tree and the switch-on ceremony

The Porta do Sol, the city’s central square, hosts the giant tree. In 2025 it stood 45 metres tall and carried 100,000 LEDs; a music and light show of around twelve minutes played every hour from 6pm, in the middle of a “bosque de luces”, a forest of lights. A carousel (€3.50 in 2025) completed the square.

The switch-on ceremony of 15 November 2025 took place at 8pm, with a capacity of 7,000 people on the square and four entry points (Policarpo Sanz, Príncipe, Doctor Cadaval, Carral), according to Atlántico Diario. Three screens broadcast the evening: at the Marco museum, in the Policarpo Sanz tunnel and at Vialia.

For the city as a whole, El Español reported the Concello’s figures in November 2025: 460 streets and squares lit, 40 more than in 2024, 1,161 arches, 2,883 motifs and 2,667 decorated trees, for close to 12 million points of light. For 2026, the mayor announced in July more than 12 million LEDs across 500 streets, around 7,000 motifs, 2,700 trees and 1,500 arches.

Opening hours of the lights

In 2025, the lights shone from 6pm to 1am from Sunday to Wednesday, and until 4am from Thursday to Saturday as well as on the eve of holidays. They stayed on all night on 23, 24 and 25 December, then on 1, 5 and 6 January. These are the hours of the 2025-2026 season.

Vigo’s Christmas markets

Four markets opened during the 2025-2026 season, according to El Español and Metropolitano. The largest, the Cíes Market, occupied the Alameda (praza de Compostela) with 75 chalets of crafts, decorations and food, including 36 food stalls, plus ten carts of hot dogs, candy floss and crêpes, all under an umbrella of LEDs 50 metres across. It opened on the evening of the switch-on and closed on 11 January 2026.

In 2025, the Cíes Market opened Monday to Thursday from 5pm to 10:30pm, on Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of holidays from 11am to 12:30am, on Sundays and public holidays from 11am to 11:30pm, closing at 8pm on 24 and 31 December and at 10pm on 5 January.

For 2026, Atlántico Diario and VigoÉ reported in early October a licence application filed on 15 September by Carrusel Eventos to set up the Ferris wheel in the north car park of Vialia, with the Cíes Market expected to follow it onto the shopping centre’s pedestrian square. The Concello had announced nothing as of 12 October 2026: check the location of the main market on the official Navidad de Vigo account before you come.

Ferris wheel, ice rinks and other attractions

The 2025 Ferris wheel stood 54 metres tall, with 48 gondolas and around 200 seats. It rose at the corner of Areal and Colón streets, next to the Cíes Market, and cost €6 (€4.20 at the reduced rate). On the Vialia square, “Vialia on Ice” brought together two ice rinks, a toboggan run, a little train and a 15-metre tree. Samil beach hosted an ice rink and a go-kart track.

The city added a Barco do Nadal, a cruise on the Christmas catamaran of the Mar de Ons company from the A Laxe dock from 22 November, a double-decker Nadal Bus of around forty minutes to see the lit-up streets, two tourist trains and a Christmas circus in Coia from 29 November to 11 January. The monumental nativity scene, free of charge, sets up at the Casa das Artes, 15 rúa Policarpo Sanz. In the same street, Santa’s house welcomed children from 21 November to 24 December 2025, with numbered tickets. On 5 January 2026, the Three Kings held a static parade on avenida de Castelao before processing towards the centre.

Getting to see the Vigo Christmas lights

The Porta do Sol is in the heart of the city. Vigo-Urzáiz station, inside the Vialia shopping centre, is about a kilometre away; it is also the site of Vialia on Ice. Vigo-Peinador airport lies in the municipality of Mos. For trains and flights, check Renfe and the airport website (Aena): winter connections change from one season to the next.

• The San Sebastián Christmas market, in the Basque Country, makes a day trip from the French Basque coast.
• The Madrid Christmas market occupies the Plaza Mayor from late November to 31 December 2026, with 104 chalets.
• Our page of Christmas markets in Spain brings together the country’s listings.