Spain may be experiencing a sharp economic downturn driven by the pandemic but that hasn't stopped it from spending big on Christmas lights. Madrid kicked off the festive spirit on Thursday by spending more than €3 million ($3.5m) illuminating the city. Thirty additional streets and squares were lit up compared with last year's display. Banners of LED lights in the red and yellow of the Spanish flag were hung in parts of the city, including a kilometre-long stretch along the central boulevard that runs past the world-famous Prado museum. The lights usually serve as a tourist attraction, but this year there are far fewer people on the streets because of the pandemic. A budget of €3.17m was set aside to light up more than 200 streets, slightly higher than the €3.08m spent a year ago. Plans to spend even more on the lights were scuppered by coronavirus, the council said. Spain forecasts economic output will fall 11.2 per cent this year, after 2 per cent growth last year, due to the effects of the pandemic.
