The first decorative elements have already been symbolically placed in front of the Marco museum, on the central Calle del Príncipe, amid the surprise of tourists, the satisfaction of neighbours and the excitement of television cameras.

“Half of Spain is roasting in the sun, but 420 streets need to be lit, some of which are more than a kilometre long. That's the equivalent of 67 cities in Spain put together. That's why we have to start now” said a cheerful Abel Caballero.

The reason for this early planning for the installation of the lights has its explanation. Last year, the City Council awarded the contract late, a circumstance that forced the date of the switch-on to be postponed. According to the contract document, the installation must begin around 1 August. Ximenez Iluminación, the company in charge of installing the lights, began today to prepare the wiring and the electrical panels. Then will come the decorations, which will begin to be put up in October. This Tuesday was above all a publicity operation. In addition to the lights, Vigo will have tourist trains and the “world’s tallest giant tree”, which will measure 50 metres and will be located in Porta do Sol.