New light show coming to Malaga city this winter

A special light show is coming to Malaga city, and it will be in addition to the spectacular traditional Christmas lights that already cause so many people from far and wide to visit Calle Larios.

Ximenez Group, the Cordoba company in charge of lighting up the city's main street, has teamed up with Lantern Group, a company specialising in lantern festivals in China and operating internationally, to bring to Malaga the traditional lantern festival with which the Asian country culminates its New Year celebrations.

The agreement was signed in the city of Jiaxing, as part of the Andalusian delegation's trip to China, headed by Junta president Juanma Moreno.

The first light show will be held in Malaga city on 29 November, possibly coinciding with the start of the Christmas lights, and can be visited in the Parque del Oeste until 12 February 2025. It is not yet known how much the entrance to the show will cost.

The so-called lantern festival is an impressive play of lights and colours, and marks the end of the New Year celebrations, also known as the spring festival. In 2025, it will coincide with the commemoration of the Chinese year of the snake and is expected to attract visitors from all over the world to Malaga.

"600 lanterns and 4,000 lights will make up the unique show inspired by the Chinese lantern festival, which will fuse the rich Chinese tradition with the innovation and lighting that characterises the Ximénez Group," said Álvaro González, marketing manager of the Cordoba company.

The event will also include a series of traditional Chinese activities such as a large Chinese New Year parade, a wishing mural, workshops on lantern making, calligraphy and banners, as well as theatre, music and traditional dance performances. More details are expected to be announced in the next few days.

The lantern festival is believed to be an ancient tradition that began under the rule of Ming of Han, the second emperor of the Han dynasty (206 BC-25 AD) under whom Buddhism began to spread in China. Legend has it that when he learned that many temples in his territory lit lanterns to show respect to Buddha on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, he ordered this custom be extended to all the palaces and homes in his country. Today, this simple Buddhist ritual has evolved into a large festive celebration with colourful and elaborate lanterns and has also grown in symbolism, as for many it represents letting go of the past to welcome the "new me". The traditional lantern festival coincides with the fifteenth day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar and the first full moon.

The agreement reached in China, according to Ximenez Group, will involve an investment of three million euros and the expansion of its current workforce by 60 workers. Currently, they have 600 employees spread across their four branches, although 80% are concentrated in Puente Genil (Cordoba).

Moreno said the signing represents "a success and is a response to the understanding between Andalusian and Chinese companies". "The agreement visualises the business capacity that exists in Andalucía and the technological capacity that the region's companies have," he added.

Ximenez Group CEO Mariano Ximénez said the collaboration "will transform the landscape of this type of events at a global level, opening new opportunities for innovation in Spain and Portugal and marking a significant stage in the expansion of Ximenez Group in the Chinese market".

Lantern Group's president Dechun Huang said: "This collaboration with Ximenez Group represents an exceptional opportunity for our company, as it opens the doors to the Spanish market and favours the creation and strengthening of solid links with Spain."

"This alliance will allow the two groups to better understand the expectations and cultural specificities of our respective markets, to innovate more and to improve the competitiveness of our offerings. This cooperation will also strengthen our positions as leaders in this sector, consolidating our international presence and opening the way to new prospects for growth and development," Huang added.