In the wake of the terror attacks in Paris last November, Prague cancelled its annual lighting ceremony for the Christmas Tree at Old Town Square, citing security concerns.
In place of an official ceremony, the tree was unofficially lit in an animated pattern once every hour, backed by musical accompaniment.
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And a funny thing happened: the unofficial lighting show proved to be so popular among both residents and the municipality that it’s been brought back again his year, reports iDnes.cz.
“It will be better for people, the tree will light up a total of 48 times, and exactly the same experience will be had by many more visitors,” Prague councillor Libor Hadrava told the publication.
“Old Town Square was crowded in previous years [during the lighting ceremony], and according to a survey on the city website, Prague residents also liked this idea.”
The Christmas tree in Prague’s Old Town Square will be first lit on November 26 at 17:30. And for the duration of the Christmas Market, which will last until January 6, the tree will light up every hour between 17:30 and 20:30.
Exact times for the animated light show, backed by festive music, are daily at 17:30, 18:30, 19:30, and 20:30, according to Praha.eu.
This year’s Christmas Tree, a 31-meter Norway Spruce from the Hradec Králové region, will be erected on Old Town Square this Sunday in advance of the lighting ceremony.
Visitors to Old Town Square can expect a light show like the one seen last year: