Madrid CarnavalMadrid's traditional medieval carnival was revived in 1976 after being squashed for 40 years under Franco's regime. Revellers now exult in this plethora of partying and parades every year, with the action centered in venues like the Casino and the Circulo de Bellas Artes. Carnaval opens with a huge parade along the Paseo de la Castellana, and there are fancy dress competitions and an evening concert in the Plaza Mayor. The end of Carnaval on Ash Wednesday brings on the bizarre traditional 'Burial of the Sardine' parade, with the participants all dressed in black
carrying a cardboard sardine in a coffin to be mournfully buried at the Fuente de los Pajaritos. For more information contact the Madrid Tourist Office on 91 588 1636 or 91 366 5477.
Date: 10 - 17 February 2010
ARCOArco is Europe's largest contemporary art fair (drawing around 200,000 visitors) and turns Madrid into the center of the international art world during its five-day run each year. About 200 contemporary art galleries are represented in the exhibition, along with a program of lectures, social events and related activities.
Venue: The Crystal Pavilion of the Casa de Campo
Date: 10 - 15 February 2010
Website: www.arcospain.org
Autumn FestivalMadrid becomes a perfect roost for culture vultures in autumn when more than 50 dance, theater and musical groups from countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and America participate in a program of opera, ballet, dance, music and theater at about 40 venues throughout the city. The varied selection at this premier cultural festival spans everything from chamber music and classic plays to flamenco and hip-hop. For more information contact the Madrid Central Tourist Office on +34 (0)91 588 2900 or email infomadrid@munimadrid.es
Venue: Various
Date: 13 October to 16 November 2008
Fiesta de San IsidroMadrid goes wild each May in honor of the city's patron saint, San Isidro, with a traditional round of partying, feasting and dancing in the streets that goes on for about 10 days around the designated saint's day, 15 May. The city's streets are dominated by music, and each neighborhood (barrio) chimes in with their own street party or traditional celebration. The city's squares become centers of performances of everything from flamenco to rock 'n roll, while spectators feast on traditional ice cream and doughnuts. San Isidro's fiesta also signals the start of the city's bullfighting season at the Plaza de Toros Monumental de Las Ventas. For more information dial the Tourist Information line on 010 (Madrid) or +34 (0)91 540 4040\4010.
Venue: Plaza Mayor, Plaza de las Vistillas, Plaza de las Comendadoras, Plaza de Felipe II, Parque del Retiro and the Centro Cultural de la Villa in the Jardines del Descubrimiento
Date: About a week before and after 15 May, annually
International Gourmet FairA paradise for food and wine lovers, the annual Madrid Gourmet Fair has improved every year since it was first held in 1987 to showcase Spain's fine food and beverages. Traditionally the fair opens with the entertaining 'Ham Carving Competition' (ham being a staple delicacy in Spain, and gourmets being particularly partial to ham from acorn fed pigs). There is also wine-tasting, a gourmet cook-off in which top chefs from Spain's autonomous regions compete, a 'Spanish cheese' contest and of course plenty of delights to sample at the stands of more than 700 national and international exhibitors.
Venue: Casa de Campo Exhibition Center
Date: 30 March to 2 April 2009
GeneracionesA hot annual art exhibition/competition, Generaciones brings together the contemporary works of young Spanish artists. A competition with over 900 entries of paintings, photographs, sculptures, video and other media, two panels of judges select only 24 artworks to appear in the exhibition, including three first-place prizes and eight honorable mentions. Organized by Obra Social Caja Madrid, the exhibition will continue traveling to the Spanish cities of Valencia, Valladolid, Barcelona and Seville. Offering an insight into the state of contemporary Spanish art, Generaciones is a popular annual event that has been running for over nine years.
Venue: Casa Encendida
Date: 1 February to 23 March 2009
Time: 10am to 10pm
FestimadSpain's rock music event of the year, Festimad hosts well known and up and coming rock bands for a two-day party that attracts thousands of people from all over Spain. Held at the Butarque Leganes Stadium just outside Madrid, the arena is transformed into a mini-city with a mass of stalls, restaurants, bars and shops.
Venue: Butarque Leganes Stadium
Date: June 2009
Summer In The CityA fantastic cultural accompaniment to a summer holiday in Madrid the Veranos de la Villa Festival (Summer in the City Festival) offers daily shows encompassing theater, puppetry, film, dance and art, taking place at various indoor and outdoor venues across the city with some performances costing very little or nothing. Check out some flamenco and jazz, watch live music in Retiro Park on Sundays or attend traditional bullfights at Plaza de Ventas. During the day most performances take place in concert halls and galleries but in the coolness of the evening entertainment moves to the streets, squares and parks of this magical city. Films are subtitled.
Venue: Various
Date: July and August 2009
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