Context: Minsk has installed the country’s main New Year’s tree on Oktyabrskaya Square. The structure stands 30 meters tall. It was decorated with a 3-kilometer pixel light string. In total, the capital will install 28 city trees and hang 12,000 string lights.
Against the backdrop of holiday preparations, a CTV news anchor, Anastasiya Laurynchuk, said on December 2, 2025, that Germany would be welcoming the New Year without festive lighting because of economic problems.
“In German cities, cutbacks in New Year’s street lighting have become widespread because of budget problems. The main causes of the crisis are said to be rising winter electricity costs and a lack of funds at the municipal level. In Dresden, lighting was canceled entirely, while Magdeburg was forced to redirect money earmarked for illumination to bridge repairs. In Schwelm, the lights were reportedly stolen shortly after they were installed. Several cities will also be without Christmas markets, which have become unprofitable because of a decline in tourist appeal,” the anchor said.
This year, several German cities will indeed have less holiday lighting than originally planned. But there has been no talk of a complete cancellation of festive lighting anywhere. For example, in Dresden, lighting was canceled on just one street — Koenigstrasse. The reasons for that decision are not economic. Typically, strings of lights are hung on 80 linden trees there. In 2025, the trees were not pruned, and the decorations did not fit in the canopies. On other streets in Dresden, as in previous years, festive lighting will be installed. Christmas markets are also operating as usual.
As for Magdeburg, some of the funds originally intended for festive lighting were indeed redirected, including to bridge repairs. The city had planned to purchase new decorative elements for €400,000, but higher-priority expenses emerged and the money was redirected to address them, postponing the lighting upgrade. Despite this, more than 1 million lights were switched on in Magdeburg in 2025. Only one planned section on Cathedral Square will not be operational.
In Schwelm — a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia — festive light strings did indeed disappear. Residents assumed they had been stolen and even raised money for new lighting. It later emerged, however, that the lights had not been stolen but were mistakenly thrown away. The decorations are now being checked to see whether they are still functional. Some of the lighting is expected to be installed in time for the Christmas market in the city center.
