A 30-meter Christmas tree will be installed in Santa Cruz for 43,000 euros.

Santa Cruz will finally have a large Christmas tree! It will be installed on the lake in Plaza de España before the holidays. Initially, a huge 50-meter-high tree was planned, which would cost 100,000 euros. This caused a lot of criticism, because they wanted to make the largest tree in the country, like in Vigo. Deputy Mayor Carlos Tarife spoke about this back in January.

But the idea with the tree remains! However, now it will be 30 meters (like a 10-story building) and will cost the city about 43,000 euros. It will be installed in November. As the councilor explained, the fountain on the square would not withstand a greater weight.

Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez said: "I told you! We don't have to compete with other cities. The main thing is to make good lighting so that people come to the city, buy something and support local businesses."

Tarife added that there will be many interesting decorations in Plaza de España, in addition to the tree, but he won't say what they are yet.

To install the tree, the water will be drained from the lake at the end of October. The structure itself has already been ordered from IMES, a company that deals with city lighting. They plan to install everything by mid-November.

"We want people to come to the city center, look at the Christmas lights and do some shopping at the same time. After all, many entrepreneurs earn good money at Christmas," Tarife explained.

He also noted that although the tree was criticized, "it is better to have a joyful city for Christmas than a sad one. That's why we decorate the center and other areas. Last year, we moved the opening of the tree from Prince's Square to La Candelaria Square, and it was great. The Marítima and Anaga avenues and the square in front of the Cabildo were also well lit."

This year, two more "green corridors" will be added – Benito Pérez Armas and Príncipes de España avenues will be decorated with garlands for the first time. "We want people to say how beautiful Christmas is in Santa Cruz, just like last year," said the councilor.

The city council started installing Christmas lighting back in August. Tarife and Bermúdez emphasized that planning is important so that everything is ready for the holidays in all five districts of the city.

The mayor emphasized that "lighting is not just a decoration, but part of the planning. Everything must be done on time so that the city is beautiful for Christmas. But our goal is not to compete with other cities, but to create smart and attractive lighting that will help the city."

The councilor for public services added that "Christmas lighting is not installed in five days. And these are not just decorations for the holidays, but structures that will remain for other events as well."