Christmas Festival of Lights returns to Gibraltar

Gibraltar Cultural Services (GCS), on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, has announced the return of the annual Christmas Festival of Lights to Casemates Square on Friday, 21 November.

This year's production, titled "The Elf, the Cat & the Christmas Star," promises to deliver two identical spectacular shows featuring cutting-edge visual effects. Each performance will showcase a combination of projection mapping, strobe lights, pyrotechnics, confetti and additional special effects, all synchronised to music. The immersive 360° experience aims to transform Casemates Square into a festive wonderland.

Both hour-long shows will run from 6.30pm to 7.30pm and 8.30pm to 9.30pm respectively, with each performance accommodating up to 3,500 attendees.

For health and safety reasons, stewards and security personnel will manage crowd control throughout the evening. Entry to the event will be exclusively via Market Place, and organisers are urging the public to remain mindful of capacity restrictions when planning their visit.

For the first show, gates will open at 5.30pm, with queuing beginning at 4.30pm at Market Place. For the second performance, gates open at 8.00pm, with the queue opening from 6.30pm.

Attendees should be aware that the performance will feature theatrical smoke, fog effects, pyrotechnics and fireworks, strobe lighting, lasers, fire, and loud noises.

Following the Festival of Lights, the Christmas illuminations will be activated automatically each evening until Tuesday, 6 January, 2026. In keeping with tradition, the lights will remain on throughout Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and during the Three Kings' Cavalcade.

For further information, contact Gibraltar Cultural Services at info@culture.gi or call 20067236.