Christmas Comes Early To Arrecife

Arrecife residents and visitors were surprised in late September when they saw Christmas-tree shaped structures and strings of lights adorning trees in the capital.

We often see complaints about how Christmas seems to start earlier every year, but even those who can’t get enough of the festive season were taken aback to see decorations going up in early autumn – three months before December 25th and over a month before Halloween.

Arrecife Mayor Yonathan de León justified the early installations by explaining that he wanted the decorations to be in place well in advance of Christmas, and that the job was an extensive one that would take two months.

Many of the lights have been installed, but an official switching-on ceremony will not take place until late November, he explained. In Spain, the Christmas season is usually considered to begin on Advent Sunday, which falls on November 30th this year. However, many regard the December puente – a long holiday weekend from the 6th-8th of December, as the real starting point.

By the time the Puente is over, towns on Lanzarote will all have their lights on and will be displaying their attractive belenes (nativity scenes), many of which have become popular tourist attractions. The Christmas lights at Tinajo have joined the belén at Yaiza as one of the unmissable sights during Lanzarote’s Christmas season.

The lights in Arrecife, which are promised to be “significant upgrade” on previous projects, have also revived accusations that Mayor De León is overspending on celebrations. The opposition Socialist party have accused him of forking out over €10 million on various concerts, parties and fairs until September this year, and claim he is neglecting more important matters.

The events, which take place at Playa Reducto, Puerto Naos and the carpark near the Charco de San Ginés, have also been the subject of criticism from local residents who complain of constant noise, lack of parking near their homes and frequent road closures.

This year, the Navilan Christmas Fair next to the Charco will be repeated and is just as likely to delight thousands of visitors and annoy hundreds of locals, as it did last year.