This is the new Christmas videomapping show that is lighting up Malaga cathedral

Christmas celebrations officially kicked off in Malaga at the weekend. After the big Christmas lights switch-on in Calle Larios, the festive lights show in the botanical garden and the Chinese light and lantern festival in the Parque del Oeste on Saturday, the long-awaited video mapping projection on the south side of the Malaga cathedral's tower was still yet to be unveiled.

However, lovers of the Christmas spirit only had to wait one more night as Sunday 1 December saw the first showing of the special display. The show, entitled in Spanish Manto de Estrellas (Mantle of Stars), has a very Malagueño protagonist: El Biznaguero. For approximately eight minutes, the façade of the south tower is transformed into a large stage where a Christmas story unfolds that captivates the audience.

According to the creators, the plot shows how the Christmas celebration is endangered by the sabotage of a "feisty and very big animal, as big as the tower". This unusual antagonist brings a touch of humour and fantasy that connects with the audience.

The first show took place at 7pm, with Calle Molina completely packed with people who had been waiting for a long time not to miss a single detail. The façade of the Cathedral was illuminated with images running across its surface, playing with depth and creating surprising visual effects. This was accompanied by vibrant music and a slow but intense voice-over, which narrated the story with a tone that grew in emotion as the screening progressed.

With 80,000 lumens of projection and 30,000 watts of sound, the cathedral becomes a living canvas of light and colour. In addition, the set-up uses six steel structures to support the equipment at height and is complemented by special effects such as smoke machines, robotic lighting heads, searchlights and reinforced sub-bass frequencies.

The initiative, which has the collaboration of the Diocese of Malaga, was launched by Malaga mayor Francisco de la Torre, and councillor Teresa Porras.

After the show, the Paseo del Parque, decorated with dozens of stalls, became the epicentre of the Christmas hustle and bustle. On one of its pavements, shops selling clothes, toys and Christmas decorations coexisted with the traditional stalls selling firecrackers and figurines for the nativity scene. The most popular, according to the sellers, were the famous firecrackers, which fascinate children.

Juan Corrales runs a stall selling knick-knacks that started in Calle San Juan 23 years ago. Now it is located in Paseo del Parque. He pointed out that sales have decreased compared to other years. "It's not like it used to be," he said. Competition from online shopping has significantly affected sales, although he remained hopeful that the influx will increase over the long weekend.