Christmas lighting of Medellín

The Lighting of Medellín El Alumbrado Navideño de Medellín
Festival lights on the Medellín River in 2004.
Also called	EPM Lights (Alumbrados EPM)
Type	Christian, Cultural
Frequency	Annual

Christmas lights in Medellín, known in Spanish simply as the "Lighting" (El Alumbrado) or more officially the EPM Lights (Alumbrados EPM), is a traditional seasonal event in Medellín, Colombia, where the city hangs millions of Christmas lights and holds light shows and other cultural events. Since the 1990s, the main locations of the lights have been on and around the Medellín River and La Playa Avenue, although the event has expanded to include over one hundred other locations around the city. The event usually lasts from the beginning of December until the beginning of January, and the lights are designed and sponsored by Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), the city's public utilities company.

Because of its attraction to tourists, the event has gotten bigger each year, with a widening availability of energy resources and budgets, and increasing participation by local citizens. The ceremony traditionally began on 7 December, the Day of the Little Candles and the unofficial start to the Christmas season in Colombia. However, in recent years the lighting has begun sooner to accommodate the increase in tourism. All recreational parks and all the museums have free entry for children under 12 years old, and the Museum of Antioquia admission is free for everyone during this season.

In the month of December 2012, the Lighting of Medellin was selected among the top ten cities to view holiday lights by the National Geographic website. In 2014, the mobile application "Xmas World: Christmas & Celebrations Around the World" included Medellín, along with other notable destinations such as New York City, Barcelona, and Germany, as one of its destinations to travel to for Christmas.

The starting point of the Lighting is on La Playa Avenue, and its main attraction is on the Medellín River. The main route of lighting starts at the Pablo Tobon Uribe Theater, down La Playa to Bolívar Park. Since 2013, a projector there plays videos on the façade of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Medellín. The route then takes Carabobo Street to San Juan Street, then by that road to the Medellin River, and parallel the river, from the San Juan Bridge to the Guayaquil Bridge.