RIO DE JANEIRO: Thousands of people turned out in Rio de Janeiro for the lighting of the world’s largest floating Christmas tree in Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon.

A concert, featuring master of ceremonies Jose Mayer and singer Simone, officially inaugurated the Christmas celebrations, which will conclude the holiday season with a big party on New Year’s Eve.
The 85-meter (278-foot) floating tree, adorned with 2.9 million lights and 1,600 Christmas ornaments, required 52 kilometers (32 miles) of cables to light.

The 520-ton tree has already made it into the Guinness World Records as the largest tree of its kind in the world.