Torrox switches on more than two million Christmas lights along 20 kilometres of streets

More than two million energy-efficient LED bulbs have been spread across 20 kilometres of streets and squares. The display spans more than 40 locations across Torrox, Torrox-Costa and El Morche, where the illuminations have become one of the main attractions of the municipal programme, designed to boost commercial and hospitality activity ahead of the December festivities.

The event kicked off at 6pm in Plaza de la Constitución, right in the heart of Torrox’s historic centre, where numerous local residents gathered to watch the lighting ceremony and enjoy performances by local choirs. Later, at 7.30 pm, the celebrations moved to Plaza de la Marina in El Morche, where members of the Agua Salá choir performed a selection of Christmas carols. At both venues, the town hall offered free hot chocolate and churros to those in attendance, on a day that brought together music, tradition and a festive atmosphere.

Torrox is thus continuing a tradition which, in recent years, has seen it rank among the municipalities that are the first to switch on their Christmas lights on the Costa del Sol. In November 2024, SUR reported that the town had been the first in the province to switch on its lights, with over a million LED lights spread across its streets and squares at the time. That celebration took place on 14 November in Plaza de San Roque. A year later, the switch-on ceremony moved to Plaza de la Constitución, also on 14 November, featuring over a million lights and some 500 refurbished decorative elements, according to the town hall.

The Mayor of Torrox, Óscar Medina (PP), took part in the opening ceremony, accompanied by several members of the local government team. The mayor emphasised the importance of maintaining these celebrations as an attraction for residents and visitors, particularly given their potential impact on spending in shops and hospitality venues. The council’s aim is to make the most of the early lighting to prolong the festive atmosphere and boost economic activity during the weeks leading up to Christmas.

This is not the first time Medina has linked this initiative to boosting local businesses. During the 2024 lighting ceremony, the mayor explained that bringing the dates forward would help boost spending and create a sense of optimism. “I believe this will boost the economy and instil optimism,” he told SUR at the time. The strategy remains in place two years on, with a larger-scale display spread across various areas of the municipality. However, the council has not provided any figures on the actual economic impact the illuminations have on retail and the hospitality sector.

With the switch-on on 10 November, Torrox has once again beaten Vigo to it - one of the Spanish cities that places the greatest emphasis on Christmas lights and which this year is due to switch them on next Saturday at 8pm. However, the town in Malaga was not the first in Spain to do so, as Estepa (Seville) switched on its lights on Friday 6 November. In any case, the Axarquía town remains committed to bringing forward the start of the festive season, with a celebration that is once again among the earliest in Andalucía and on the Costa del Sol. Elsewhere in the province, the Antequera hamlet of Cartaojal switched on its Christmas lights on 23 October.

The increase in the number of lights - which this year exceeds two million, compared with the more than one million in the two previous campaigns - reinforces an initiative that the council considers strategic for the town’s tourism and commercial profile. The new light displays and large decorative features also aim to attract visitors to the squares and streets where local businesses are concentrated. Torrox is thus launching a Christmas campaign that will run over the coming weeks, with its historic centre, the coast and El Morche illuminated well before December arrives.