The 2009 Christmas lights, set out in 39 streets in the downtown area of the city of Lisbon, were turned on last November 20th, with none of the advertising upsets of the previous year. They are interactive and made up of 2.3 million energy-saving bulbs and they cost a million Euros, less than last year.

Councillor for Public Spaces, José Sá Fernandes, admitted to the Lusa News Agency that the 2008 lighting, which was paid for by companies who set up advertising in areas such as the Marquês de Pombal roundabout, “was terrible”, so that this year the Christmas lights had no advertising deals, as the proposals received were excessive in terms of occupying advertising space.

The Largo Camões square has a luminous heart, with a design inspired on lighting filigree, connected to a structure with buttons that change colour and design when pushed.

The winning consortium, JCDecaux and Os Castros, was chosen for Christmas 2009 in response to a public tender set up by the Lisbon Municipal Council. Anita Martins, general director of JCDecaux, world leader in outdoor advertising, stated, in na interview with the magazine “Meios & Publicidade”, that, “last year the lights were contested by the population, something which had never happened on previous years.” In turn, the company Os Castros, Works not only in Portugal, but abroad, where it has lit up Oxford Street in London, for example.

For this project it was necessary to have a budget lower than last year, which was, it should be remembered, between 2.5 and 3 million Euros. The lights start from a centre in the Chiado district, which functions as the base for the rest of the illuminations. The lights will be on until the 6th of January, the Feast of the Kings.

Carlos André
Equipa Editorial
carlos.andre@campus.ul.pt