Rising energy prices threaten the Christmas spirit. Three months before the start of the year-end celebrations, communities are already wondering if they will be able to afford the installation of Christmas decorations in the streets.
It shows that the subject worries the cities, even Strasbourg has put on the table the subject of its famous Christmas market, which attracts more than 2 million visitors each year. If the event brings a lot of money to the city, it also costs more about 5 million euros a year. And the budget will inevitably go up due to rising energy prices.
The green mayor of the city wants to bet on “sobriety”. Fewer events, garlands, extinction of lampposts in the streets already illuminated by streetlights…
“One of the ways could also be to adapt the lighting schedules, limit the time of illuminations as we will have to do anyway in most of our public buildings and monuments”, explains the mayor of France 2 EELV, Jeanne Barseghian.
“Maybe they will be deleted”
For Sonia Brau, UDI mayor of Saint-Cyr-l’Ecole (Yvelines), where the pool was closed by manager Vert Marine due to rising energy prices, Christmas decoration “is no longer an issue”.
In Lyon, we are more concerned about the Festival of Lights on December 8 than Christmas. But the event will be well “maintained,” the city’s environmentalist mayor, Gregory Doucet, confirmed Tuesday night on our antenna.
Local authorities seek at all costs to contain their energy bills. But if the extra costs are impossible to absorb, they may have no choice but to raise local taxes.
Source: BFM TV
