Madrid is planning a walk-through snowman for the 2026 Christmas season at Plaza de España. The twelve-metre-tall light figure is to stand at the junction of Calle de Bailén near the entrance to the Sabatini Gardens It will stand there, the Spanish newspaper 20minutos reported on 11 November, citing information from the city council.
According to the report, the structure is to be 8.10 metres wide and 6.50 metres deep. It will be assembled from several parts and fitted with 64,320 light-emitting diodes. Visitors will be able to enter the figure. The report does not say how access will be arranged or what rules will apply there.
The snowman is part of the planned Christmas lights in the Spanish capital. According to the city’s tourism portal, it is due to begin on 21 November with an event at Plaza de Cibeles and will be on display until 6 January 2027. According to the portal, the exact lighting times are yet to be confirmed.
The city plans to illuminate more than 250 sites across all 21 municipal districts. According to the published information, more than 14 million light-emitting diodes are planned. The programme also includes 131 illuminated cherry trees, 14 large light-up fir trees and 7,458 strings of lights with a total length of 164 kilometres.
Designs by primary schoolchildren are also to be incorporated into the lighting again. The city hall had announced a drawing competition for this purpose; according to the tourism portal, the selected designs will be turned into illuminated decorations. Works by designers are also planned, created as part of a collaboration with the Spanish Association of Fashion Designers.
For Plaza de España, the tourism portal also currently lists a large illuminated sphere near the Sabatini Gardens. The available information does not say whether, or how, its location or use will change as a result of the planned snowman.
Details of how the snowman can be used, such as opening hours and accessibility, have not yet been published. The actual electricity consumption of the Christmas lights cannot be determined from the number of light-emitting diodes alone.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).