Madrid, Spain — Events
Summer In The City
A 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.
Autumn Festival
Madrid 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
Generaciones
A 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.
ARCO
Arco 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.
Madrid Carnaval
Madrid’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 centerd 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.
International Gourmet Fair
A 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.
Festimad
Spain’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.
Fiesta de San Isidro
Madrid 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.
