Christmas came to life in Medellín with a lighting display of more than eight million light bulbs lit on this occasion as a tribute to its history based on characters, symbols and traditions of this city, capital of the Colombian department of Antioquia.
“In Christmas, Medellín loves you”, as the 58th edition of the lighting was named, proposes a “hand-woven fantasy” to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the city’s founding, in addition to the 70th anniversary of Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), responsible for the monumental decoration that extends through the parks and main roads.
Medellín, which every year transforms into a great Christmas and tourist stage, shines these days with about 600 kilometers of luminous hoses and 25,000 figures hand-woven by 150 artisans to fill 61 points of the city with magic.
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The mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez, indicated that they project the arrival of approximately 225,000 tourists this month and about 190,000 in January 2026.
“This is a great effort to have one of the most beautiful illuminations in the world so that families can go out and enjoy Christmas (…) we return to our essence with the nativity scene, the carriel (leather bag) and the custard”, commented Gutiérrez, who specified that they will be lit until January 12.
In 2011, National Geographic magazine included Medellín’s Christmas lighting among the ten best in the world.
The core of the illuminations is a corridor of about 1.5 kilometers between the Guayaquil bridge and the EPM Building, with a decoration on the Paseo del Río that has as its common thread the seven tutelary hills of Medellín: Las Tres Cruces, Nutibara, La Asomadera, Pan de Azúcar, El Volador, El Picacho and Santo Domingo, accompanied by a hanging garden over the riverbed.
The lighting includes a 25-meter-high Christmas tree, adorned with purple orchids, which offers an immersive experience in the city, which was already illuminated with candles and lanterns on the traditional Night of the Little Candles, a vigil prior to the Immaculate Conception that marks the beginning of the Christmas festivities in the country.
The streets and parks of neighborhoods like Belén, Manrique, Robledo, and Buenos Aires, among others, were covered with lanterns, figures of the Virgin Mary, and colored candles to match the decorated balconies.
This year, the 51st edition of the Parade of Myths and Legends, a staging with a carnival air, focused on the tribute to the neighborhoods, a presentation in which some large and colorful jellyfish stood out.
