The Manzanares will not only be a river for the next few weeks, it will also be another Christmas attraction in the capital. The project to illuminate the river was announced in the spring of 2024 and months later the lights were already installed, but except for some momentary tests, the lighting of Madrid Río has not been officially switched on until now.
A total of 61 LED projectors bathe in color the area around dam 6, between the Oblicuo bridge and the Andorra footbridge, along 560 meters of riverbed that are now transformed into an illuminated and recognizable promenade for those who walk, run or cycle along the river.
The installation, which is activated every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 18:30 to 22:00 during the Christmas season (until January 29, 2026), tinges the water blue and enhances the central structure of the dam, a Herrerian-style casemate built in the mid-20th century.
The lights that illuminate the Manzanares will continue after Christmas.
Beyond Christmas, the City Council has designed an annual calendar in which the schedules will be adapted to sunlight and special events, with later switch-ons in spring and summer to accompany the long evenings, despite the dissatisfaction of neighborhood and environmental associations, which even took the project to court.
The 61 LED projectors, 57 distributed along the stretch and 4 of greater power oriented to the dam, are integrated in a natural stone box flush with the riverbed, so that the light is projected onto the water and structures, minimizing light pollution into the sky and respecting the natural environment as much as possible, according to the Madrid City Council’s Department of Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility.
They use RGBW technology and a point-to-point remote management system that makes it possible to regulate intensity, color, create sequences, change the chromatic range for special dates and even turn each spotlight on or off independently, which opens the door to future personalized light shows.