In Funchal, the Christmas lights were switched on at the beginning of this month and the city will remain illuminated until the early hours of January 8, 2025, representing in an investment of 2.19 million euros (ME) by the Government of Madeira.

This value also includes next year's Carnival illuminations and those on the island of Porto Santo.

Last year, 1.96 ME were invested and, this year, the State Government launched public tenders worth 3.6 ME for the design, construction, assembly and dismantling of Christmas and New Year lighting in 2024/2025 and 2025 / 2026 and Carnival in the next two years.

Ponta Delgada, the largest municipality in the Azores, increased investment in installing Christmas lighting and sound by 118 thousand euros.

The municipality did not reveal the values, but, according to the contracts consulted by Lusa, the municipality on the island of São Miguel awarded, through a public tender, the Christmas lighting and sound system for 303,453 euros, when in 2023 it invested 184,543 euros.

Mainland Portugal

On the continent, of the 18 capitals, 13 spent more this year on Christmas lighting.

Braga, with a budget of 200 thousand euros, and Porto with support of 700 thousand euros for the Merchants Association, register an increase of 50 thousand euros each compared to 2023.

In addition to this support in lighting 94 streets in the city and the tree on Avenida dos Aliados, the municipality of Porto invested, through the municipal company Ágora, 550 thousand euros in the rest of the program, of which 32,355 euros relate to the Christmas market, 64,600 euros for the ice rink and 30,000 for the Parisian carousel.

Aveiro (plus 49 thousand euros) and Faro (plus 47 thousand euros) occupy the next places in the climbing rankings.

In Aveiro, a contract worth 599,999.96 euros was signed for the lighting, for a period of three years. The amount was distributed as 200,000 euros for 2023, 249,000 euros for 2024 and 150,000 euros next year.

In Faro, the total investment value for this year is 146,500 euros, higher than that for 2023, which budgeted at 107,950 euros.

Viana do Castelo invested another 25 thousand euros to increase the number of illuminated streets, rising from 160 thousand euros in 2023 to 185 thousand euros this year.

The money is part of the “Viana Coração do Natal” program, with a budget of 400,000 euros , 50,000 euros more than last year.

In Beja, the lighting represents an investment of 81 thousand euros, 21 thousand more than last year, the president of this Alentejo municipality, Paulo Arsénio (PS), revealed to Lusa.

Alongside the lighting, the municipality will promote entertainment activities, in an investment “in the order of 100 thousand euros”, added the mayor.

The Christmas program in Santarém had an investment of 400 thousand euros , of which 90 thousand euros was allocated to lights (15 thousand more than in 2023). The money was mainly applied to the installation of LED lighting, with the aim of guaranteeing "a more sustainable decoration", the municipality's president, João Leite, told Lusa.

Coimbra, Portalegre and Viseu increased spending by 14 thousand euros.

Coimbra City Council invested 123 thousand euros in lighting and decoration, estimating energy consumption of around 15 thousand euros associated with Christmas lights. The increase is due to the increase in the illuminated urban area.

In Portalegre, the investment is 20 thousand euros and a source from the municipality explained to Lusa that lighting was purchased worth five thousand euros and this type of material was rented, worth 15 thousand euros.

The city of Viseu is decorated with 380 thousand lamps that cost the municipality 119,940 euros.

In 2023, the value had been 105,900 euros, but this year lighting was added to the bus terminal, whose renovation works recently ended.

Bragança (plus 6,000 euros), Guarda (plus 3,750 euros) and Vila Real (plus 3,500 euros) are the district capitals with the lowest increases in investment in Christmas lighting.