The association for businesses in Aarhus main shopping street, Strøgforening i Aarhus, has confirmed that it will no longer use an iconic 850-metre-long string of lights that has decorated the pedestrian street for the last 20 Christmases.
The “starry sky” consisting of 750,000 bulbs has lit up the Aarhus shopping street every year during the festive season for the last two decades.
But it is set to become a ghost of Aarhus Christmas past with the starry sky put up for auction, local media Århus Stiftstidende reports.
The decision has been made due to the high cost to businesses of maintaining the lights, Claus Broberg, head of Strøgforening i Aarhus, told the newspaper.
"It's really unfortunate, and we know the starry sky will be missed. But it's definitely over now," he said.
The cost of operating the string of lights with its thousands of LED bulbs amounts to between 800,000 and 1 million kroner per year.
The association had received promises of 400,000 kroner in sponsorships and a contribution of 200,000 kroner from Aarhus Municipality. But that failed to make up the shortfall, Broberg confirmed.
Along with the disappearing starry sky, the association for local businesses is itself set to be shut down, citing a lack of support for collective marketing efforts.
The association had 130 members as recently as 2018, but that has fallen to around 30-35 members, a number too low for the association to continue its work according to Broberg.
The starry sky, which traditionally illuminates Aarhus' pedestrian street every November and December, is up for sale at Auction House DAB. The auction ends on November 15th.
Broberg said he hopes a buyer can be found, though preferably not in one of Aarhus' neighbouring towns.
It would be "unbearable" to see the starry sky in a nearby location, the association chairman said.
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