Christmas seems to arrive earlier every year, and one small village in Malaga province has already switched on its festive lights while much of Spain is still enjoying October, preparing for Halloween and All Saints’ Day.

Cartaojal, a village belonging to the municipality of Antequera, switched on its Christmas lights on October 22, getting ahead of the famous displays in Vigo and leaving the rest of the country wondering whether it is too early to start thinking about Santa Claus.

The early switch-on prompted a cheeky message from Antequera’s mayor, Manolo Barón, who took the opportunity to tease Vigo and its mayor, Abel Caballero, over their annual Christmas lights rivalry.

His message was essentially that Christmas had started in Cartaojal, with an apology to Vigo for getting there first.

Cartaojal beats the Christmas rush

¡ Este año la Navidad empieza en Cartaojal !

La primera población de España en encender su alumbrado navideño.

Lo sentimos por Vigo y por su alcalde… 😉 pero este año Cartaojal se adelanta a todos.

🎄Cartaojal y Antequera.

¡ Los primeros de España en encender la Navidad ! https://t.co/vVPdwYIGj8

— Manolo Barón 🇪🇸 (@manolo_baron) October 22, 2026

The village, home to around 1,200 people, may not have the enormous displays or national fame of Vigo, but it has certainly grabbed attention by getting into the Christmas spirit before the end of October.

Vigo has become one of Spain’s best-known Christmas destinations, attracting visitors with its huge illuminated displays, festive attractions and increasingly elaborate annual switch-on ceremonies. Visitors can explore Vigo’s famous Christmas lights through the city’s official tourism website.

However, Cartaojal has now thrown down the gauntlet, at least unofficially, in the race to get Christmas underway. The village joins the race to switch on Spain’s Christmas lights, which has seen smaller Andalusian towns compete with the country’s better-known festive destinations.

For everyone in the area, the early lights offer a welcome splash of festive cheer as the autumn evenings draw in. For others, it may be a reminder that there are still several weeks to go before December 25.

Malaga prepares for Christmas

Cartaojal is not the only place already looking towards the festive season. Towns and cities across Spain are preparing their Christmas decorations, with Malaga city scheduled to switch on its famous lights on November 27, according to the city’s published plans. The official Malaga Christmas lights schedule lists the planned inauguration.

Vigo is also preparing for another major display, although its annual celebrations traditionally take place later in November. EWN readers can look back at Malaga’s famous Christmas lights to see how the Costa del Sol capital celebrated last year.

Whether people love the early arrival of Christmas or feel the decorations should wait until December, Cartaojal has certainly started the countdown ahead of schedule.

And with Halloween still to come, anyone hoping to enjoy a little more autumn before the festive season takes over may have to look away from the Christmas lights for a few more weeks.

It makes one wonder if they will remember it’s Christmas by the time the festive season is actually celebrated, or for that matter, if they will remember to take the decorations down before Carnival, like so many don’t.

Two rare Atlas lion cubs have been born at Selwo Aventura wildlife park in Estepona, giving conservationists fresh hope for a subspecies that has been extinct in the wild since the 1950s.

The cubs, born towards the end of summer, are the offspring of Ghizléne and Tayo, two lions brought to the Costa del Sol from European zoos as part of an international breeding programme.

Both cubs are reported to be in excellent health and weigh around eight kilos each. They have passed their first veterinary examinations, received identification microchips and been dewormed.

Rare Atlas lions born on the Costa del Sol

Their mother, Ghizléne, arrived at Selwo Aventura from Plzeň Zoo in the Czech Republic in spring 2025. Their father, Tayo, came from Hanover Zoo in Germany and has a pedigree recorded as 100 per cent Atlas lion.

The birth forms part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), which coordinates breeding between participating zoos to help preserve threatened animals and maintain genetic diversity.

During their first weeks, the cubs stayed in their enclosure under their mother’s care, with the park’s conservation team monitoring their development.

The young lions opened their eyes about a week after birth. Staff have also taken hair samples to establish their genetic profiles, an important step in registering them with the European breeding programme.

Could Atlas lions ever return to the wild?

Also known as Barbary lions, Atlas lions once lived across North Africa, particularly around the Atlas Mountains. Hunting and other human pressures contributed to their disappearance from the wild during the 20th century.

Their survival now depends on captive populations, including animals managed through breeding programmes in Europe and Morocco.

Selwo Aventura says the cubs are expected to take their first steps into the park’s outdoor meadow in the coming days, giving visitors an opportunity to watch them. Visitors can find further details about the park’s animal collection and conservation work.

Their mother is expected to continue nursing them until they are between seven and ten months old.

Although their birth is an encouraging development, any future return of Atlas lions to their original habitat would depend on further conservation work and suitable conditions in the wild.

Storm Austen has battered southern Britain with powerful winds and heavy rain, bringing travel disruption and damaging coastal landmarks, including part of Brighton’s historic West Pier, which has collapsed into the sea.

Footage published on Friday, October 23, shows a section of the Victorian structure falling into the water as strong winds and rough seas hit the Sussex coast.

We have just lost a big part of the West Pier #Brighton to #StormAusten @StormHour @brightonargus https://t.co/2Eq7LuecCC

— Stephen Royle (@Steveontour2) October 23, 2026

The West Pier opened in 1866 but closed to the public in 1975 after years of deterioration. Two arson attacks in 2003 destroyed hopes of restoring the Grade I-listed structure, which has since continued to deteriorate.

The West Pier Trust has warned that the remains are dangerous and should not be approached.

Flights cancelled as Storm Austen hits Britain

Storms are bringing strong and gusting winds to London’s Heathrow Airport. Our automated live stream camera is capturing this afternoon’s action at https://t.co/LRbNtXgYTX https://t.co/sT2JjgOUGr

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 23, 2026

The storm, the first named storm of the 2026/27 season, has brought gusts approaching 80 mph to exposed parts of south-west England.

The Met Office issued an amber weather warning for Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly, warning that damaging winds could cause flying debris, power cuts and disruption to transport.

Air travel has also been affected. Loganair cancelled 18 flights involving routes connecting Jersey, Bristol, Manchester, Newquay and Exeter, while other services faced disruption.

Rail passengers have also encountered problems, with fallen trees blocking lines and operators warning of cancellations and longer journey times. Ferry services across the English Channel have been affected, including sailings between Dover and Calais.

More than 16,000 homes were reported to have lost electricity during the storm, while fallen trees and debris caused problems on roads across south-west England.

Although disruption has been confirmed at several UK airports, there is not yet clear evidence of widespread cancellations specifically affecting flights between Britain and Spain.

British residents and holidaymakers travelling between the two countries should check directly with their airlines before setting off.

Second storm threatens more disruption

The difficult weather is not expected to end with Storm Austen. The Met Office has issued further amber wind warnings ahead of Storm Boelo, which is forecast to affect Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England from Saturday evening into Sunday. Gusts could reach 70–80mph in exposed coastal areas, raising the risk of further damage, power cuts and transport disruption.

💨 Storms Austen and Boelo to bring severe weather to northwestern Europe

Two powerful Atlantic storms, Austen and Boelo, will bring very strong winds, heavy rainfall and rough seas to northwestern Europe from Thursday evening through the weekend.

🌀 Storm Austen is undergoing explosive cyclogenesis as it approaches Ireland and the UK. A strong jet stream over the Atlantic is contributing to its rapid deepening.

Overnight into Friday, Austen will mainly affect southern and eastern Ireland before moving along the English Channel, with severe weather expected across southern England and northern and northwestern France.

Wind gusts may reach 110–130 km/h (70–80 mph) in exposed areas. Falling trees, power outages and transport disruption are possible. Large waves are also expected along the coasts of Ireland, Brittany, Wales and southern England.

The storm will also bring heavy rainfall, with totals of 20–40 mm, locally reaching 60–80 mm. This could lead to localised flooding.

By Friday afternoon, the storm will move over the southern North Sea, extending its impacts to the Benelux countries and northwestern Germany.

🌀 Storm Boelo is currently developing over the Atlantic and is expected to deepen significantly on Friday and Saturday. From Saturday into Sunday, it will bring another round of heavy rainfall and very strong winds, mainly affecting Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England.

⚠️ Damaging winds, dangerous coastal conditions and localised flooding are expected. Stay up to date with the latest weather warnings.

— Windy.com (@Windycom) October 22, 2026

Travellers heading to UK airports, railway stations or ferry terminals over the weekend are advised to check the latest service information before travelling.

With two named storms bringing successive spells of severe weather, disruption could continue into the weekend even after conditions begin to improve in southern England.