Eiffel Tower to twinkle in blue

Mountaineers are turning this year-end's display blue

The Eiffel Tower in Paris is due to sparkle in blue to welcome in this New Year's Eve, in a bid to trump the display laid on for the Millennium celebrations a year ago.

For the past year, the tower has been strung with 20,000 light bulbs which burst into light every evening for the first ten minutes of each hour.

This has given the tower the appearance of a giant sparkler, delighting Parisians and tourists alike.

The spectacle was due to end at the turn of the year, but the authorities say it will now continue uninterruped all night long on New Year's Eve - and in blue!

High-altitude wrapping

Forty mountain climbers will soon begin scaling the structure to place blue lycra covers on every single bulb.

Last year the tower was also lit up by fireworks

The private company that rents the monument from the Paris authorities say the task is expected to take three days.

The Eiffel Tower, which attracts six million visitors a year, is said to be the world's most visited paying monument.

It certainly symbolises Paris worldwide - and what better decoration for it than twinkling light bulbs in what is known as the "City of Light"?

'I see it in blue'

It remains to be seen whether the effect - despite the switch to blue - will be as dramatic as on the eve of the Millennium.

Then, at three minutes before midnight, the base of the Eiffel Tower burst into a blaze of light, as if it were a spaceship taking off.

A dancing mass of white stars crept up it and the tower was transformed into a column of light and shape and colour in a breathtaking show that lasted in all seven minutes.