Bucharest Slashes Cost of Christmas Lights

As part of its cost-cutting measures, the city's traditional street lighting for this year's festive season will rely on more economical LED-type bulbs that use only a tenth of the amount of electricity compared to traditional light bulbs.

The lights will start on 4 December when thousands of people are expected to attend the Christmas switch-on in Bucharest downtown.

Throughout the festive period, Bucharest will host events and performances to celebrate the Christmas spirit, including concerts by British singer Engelbert Humperdinck and Nana Mouskouri and Demis Roussos from Greece.

In recent years, the festive season was an occasion for the city authorities to organise spectacular events, including the hoisting of the tallest Christmas tree in Europe or the world's biggest-ever Christmas give-away, with 3,939 people dressed as Santa Claus, handing out gifts to children.