Sunday, December 6, 2009
Tallest artificial Christmas tree-Mexico City sets
world record
MEXICO CITY, Mexico -- A 295 feet (90 m) tall,
114-foot-wide artificial Christmas tree structure made of
steel wires was erected on Reforma Avenue in Mexico City-setting
the new world record for the Tallest
artificial Christmas tree
.
By day, the 114-foot-wide tree, located
two blocks from the American Embassy, displays the red, white
and blue colors "because it's a Pepsi tree," said Go Entertainment
President Julio Galman, who is directing the project.
But he said it will look different
when they flip the switch to turn on all 72 kilometers of
small lights and 600 strobe lights Saturday night.
Photo: Fireworks explode near the
Tallest
artificial Christmas tree
.Photo REUTERS/Eliana
Aponte
( enlarge
photo
)
"We don't know why it's red, white and blue,"
said architecture student Ana Ortiz, 24, as she snapped photos
of the tree with her boyfriend Friday afternoon.
"It looks strange. It isn't a Mexican color,
and Christmas trees are always green," said Juan Carlos Bautista,
32, for AP.
Not to be outdone by Pepsi, rival Coca-Cola
Co. ( KO - news - people ) will light 50 of its own Christmas
trees in Mexico City's Chapultepec Park on Sunday. Beverage
Digest says Coca-Cola holds 69 percent of Mexico's carbonated
soft drink market compared to Pepsi's 16 percent.
The Brazilian city of Aracaju holds the
previous Guinness world record for the tallest
Christmas tree in the world
which measured 110.1 feet
in 2007.
Mexico City's winter festivities the
past few years have been pretty spectacular, but this year's
celebrations promise to be even more so.
Photo: Fireworks explode near the
Tallest
artificial Christmas tree
.Photo REUTERS / Daniel
Aguilar
( enlarge
photo
)
Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard announced that
this year's "La Magia de Navidad" (The Magic of Christmas)
festival will take place from December 5, 2009 to January
9, 2010, and will include the tallest
Christmas tree in the world
, and not one, but two skating
rinks in the Zocalo, as well as traditional Mexican Christmas
celebrations such as posadas, pinatas and pastorelas.
One of the main events planned as part of
this year's Christmas celebration in Mexico City is a free
concert by famed tenor Placido Domingo. Billed as the Concierto
del Angel, the concert will take place on December 19 at the
Angel of Independence monument on the Paseo de la Reforma.
It will be his first free concert in Mexico,
his son Alvaro Domingo told El Universal daily. The world-famous
tenor spent part of his childhood and launched his musical
career in Mexico. It will be his first visit to the capital
in seven years.
Alvaro said his father, who now directs
the Washington National Opera and the Los Angeles Opera in
the United States, will perform songs from Spanish zarzuela,
Christmas songs and traditional Mexican folk tunes.
The concert is part of "Christmas Magic,"
a 36-day festive event organized by city authorities expected
to draw as many as three million visitors to the city.
Related world records
:
Largest
Floating Christmas Tree-Rio de Janeiro sets world record
Tallest
living Christmas tree-Coeur d'Alene sets world record
Smallest
'snowman' - National Physics Laboratory sets world record
Most
Santas skating in a Conga Line-Warwick Castle sets world record
Most
expensive Christmas bauble-Hallmark Jewellers sets world
record
Biggest
fireworks show on the barge-Fireworks do Brasil sets world
record
Biggest
New Year Party-world record set by Rio de Janeiro
Largest
Santa Claus ice sculpture-world record set by Chinese sculptors
Sunday,
December 6, 2009
Tallest
living Christmas tree-Coeur d'Alene
Smallest
'snowman'-National Physics Laboratory
Biggest
New Year Party-Rio de Janeiro
Most
Santas in a Conga Line-Warwick Castle
Longest
Letter to Santa Claus- the Romanian Post
Largest
Santa Claus ice sculpture
Largest
Gathering Of Santa Clauses-Porto
Longest
time inside an inflatable snowglobe