The city council Madrid announced on 28 October 2026 that the fashion designers Suma Cruz, Bimani and Marcos Luengo will contribute to this year’s Christmas lights. Their designs will be installed at central locations from late November until 6 January.
The assignments have been confirmed: Suma Cruz will design Carretas Carretas as well as Espoz y Mina, Bimani will take on Calle del Arenal, and Marcos Luengo Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz. The collaboration is part of an existing agreement with the Asociación Creadores de Moda de España (ACME). According to the city, this is a voluntary collaboration intended to showcase the work of Spanish designers and bring it into public spaces.
By involving fashion designers, Madrid is continuing a practice it has maintained for years. Previous editions have already featured designs by well-known fashion houses. The current initiative is part of the official 2026/2027 festive programme, whose lighting elements, according to the city council, are traditionally switched on in late November and remain in place until Three Kings’ Day.
Economically and in terms of urban planning, the municipality links the project to cultural and place-promotion objectives. City-centre retailers generally benefit from increased footfall, while tourism promoters gain additional images of the city. At the same time, energy consumption, municipal spending and traffic flows are regularly the subject of public debate. The city has published the programme’s general details for the current season; its announcement of the designers’ involvement gave no specific forecasts for visitor numbers, sales or costs.
The focus is on distinctive, clearly attributable designs at selected locations. The city emphasises that its collaboration with ACME makes it possible to maintain a curatorial direction over several years and to complement the overall lighting scheme with striking contributions from the fashion world. A key consideration is fitting these into the established lighting plan, which brings together logistics, safety and energy efficiency.
The announcement of the three contributions marks the provisional conclusion of the artistic planning. Technical installation, inspections and phased switch-on will follow as part of the usual preparations, which typically begin in the second half of November. Individual details may change before the lights are switched on, but for now the overall period through to 6 January remains unchanged.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).