| Upcoming Concerts in Madrid |
|
Several major groups and artists
will be visiting Madrid in the coming weeks and months. For more
information about these concerts, including the possibility to
buy tickets, please just
click here. |
| Upcoming Shows in Madrid |
|
Madrid plays host to many other shows and special events, such as circus, dance shows, flamenco, theatre and other spectacles.
For more
information about these events, including the possibility to
buy tickets, please just
click here. |
Below is a list of the regular annual processions, fiestas and other
events in the city. For information on religious processions during the
Easter week, please click
here.
January
January 1: New Year. With the midnight chimes, the clock in the Puerta del Sol becomes the reference point for celebrating the New Year, for the thousands of people who congregate in the square, as well as the millions who follow the arrival of the New Year on the television.
January 5: Cabalgata de Reyes (Procession of the Three Wise Kings). Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar ostentatiously make their way through the main streets of the city centre, just hours before giving out the traditional gifts.
January 6: Reyes Magos (Three Wise Kings Day). Small children flood the streets of Madrid to put their gift toys to the test.
January 17: San Antón. Thousands of Madrileños make their way to the church of San Antón, in Calle de Hortaleza, with their pets to have them blessed.
February
February 3: Festival of the San Blas neighbourhood. The whole San Blas neighbourhood celebrates this festival in honour of its patron saint, who is attributed with healing powers, especially in the throat area.
February 14: St. Valentine's Day isn't a holiday or a traditional Spanish fiesta, but it is celebrated by Spaniards in the same way as in other countries. Why not commemorate this special day in style by taking your loved one to a romantic dinner at the Corral de la Moreria flamenco restaurant or any of the other restaurants in Madrid with special Valentine's menus?
March
First Sunday of the month: Festival of Jesús de Medinaceli. In the Jesús de Medinaceli hermitage, attendees observe the tradition of making three wishes. Religious processions also take place, as well as an Andalusian style fair.
March 17: St. Patrick's Day. Now becoming ever more popular due to the growing number of Irish Pubs in Madrid, regular Madrileños join in with the Irish ex-pats to celebrate the day with Guinness, traditional food from the green isle and live Gaelic music.
March 19: San José. The festival of San José has popularly come to be known as father's day.
Carnival: Sometimes known as the Semana Blanca since it was a chance to go and
ski, a few years ago it was a school holiday but, unfortunately for the kids, no
longer, many Madrid inhabitants will dress up for diverse fancy-dress balls such
as the one at
the
Circulo de Bellas Artes.
April
Semana Santa, or Holy Week processions (sometimes in March). The streets of the various neighbourhoods of Madrid play host to processions of the Madrid brotherhoods and various liturgical events take place.
April 23 to May 4: Our Lady of Valverde (Fuencarral area). The Fuencarral neighbourhood celebrates its festival in honour of the patron saint, with liturgical and festive events and music.
May
May 1: Labour Day. This day is celebrated with union marches to make a claim for workers' rights. The
Casa de Campo area plays host to a huge festival with music and gastronomy.
May 2: Festival of the Autonomous Community of Madrid. Commemoration of the rise of the people of Madrid against the French troops in 1808, with festive events in the Plaza del 2 de Mayo, in the Malasaña neighbourhood.
May 15: San Isidro Labrador, Patron Saint of Madrid. Homage is paid to the patron saint of Madrid with liturgical events, street fairs, pilgrimages and all manner of festive activities. Around this date the San Isidro Bullfighting Festival is also held, the main bullfighting event of the year.
June
June 13, San Antonio de la Florida (Moncloa area). Nowadays it is still a well-rooted tradition for young girls to go to the hermitage of San Antonio to ask for a good boyfriend.
June 23 to 24: Festival of San Juan (Retiro area). Fire plays the lead role in the shortest night of the year, in the form of bonfires.
June 29: San Pedro and San Pablo (Carabanchel Alto area). Festivals of these patron saints with street fairs, fireworks and all kinds of competitions and festive events.
July
First Sunday: Nuestra Señora de las Victorias (Tetuán area). The Tetuán neighbourhood celebrates the festival of its patron saint, Our Lady of the Victories, with religious activities and all manner of festive events.
July 9 to 16: Virgen del Carmen (Chamberí area).
July 9 to 17: Virgen del Carmen (Villaverde Alto area).
July 9 to 16: Virgen del Carmen (Carabanchel Bajo area).
July 8 to 17: Virgen del Carmen (Vallecas area). As in many other Spanish towns, various neighbourhoods dedicate these dates in mid July to the Virgen del Carmen. The echoed words: "From el Carmen to Santiago the sun never goes down in Chamberí", can be applied to these days in the Vallecas, La Latina and Carabanchel neighbourhoods, where festive, religious and sporting events come one after the other.
July 25: Santiago (Carabanchel Bajo area). The Villaverde and Carabanchel Bajo neighbourhoods play a particularly important role in the festivities to honour Santiago Apóstol, Patron Saint of Spain.
August
August 7 and 8: San Lorenzo and San Cayetano. Neighbours of the La Latina, Lavapiés and Las Vistillas areas take to the streets to honour their patron saints.
August 15: Virgen de la Paloma (La Latina, Lavapiés and Las Vistillas areas). The La Latina, Lavapiés and Las Vistillas neighbourhoods fill with Madrileños dressed in typical chulapo and chulapa attire (the traditional local costume of this Madrid quarter) and the constant sound of street organs and chotis dance steps fill the air.
September
September 2: La Merced (Mediodía area). The festival of the patron saint of the Ciudad Lineal area, in honour of the Virgen de la Merced, patron saint in Spain and, in many Latin American countries, of the penitentiary centres and their inmates.
September 5 to 13: La Melonera (Arganzuela area). Arganzuela celebrates these fiestas, that date back to the 18th century, in the area around the Manzanares river.
September 24 to 29: Fiestas de Otoño, or Autumn Fair (Chamartín area). The Chamartín neighbourhood celebrates its patron saint's day, San Miguel, with liturgical, festive and sporting events.
October
October 12: Nuestra Señora del Pilar, Our Lady of El Pilar (Salamanca, Pilar and Orcasitas areas). Hispanic Festival. The day of El Pilar is the national festival. The Orcasitas, El Pilar and Salamanca neighbourhoods also celebrate their patron saint on this day.
November
November 1: All Saints' Day. Madrileños make their way to the cemeteries to remember their dead loved ones. There is also a traditional performance of the theatre piece Don Juan Tenorio, by José Zorrilla.
November 9: Virgen de la Almudena, Patron Saint of the City. Festive celebrations throughout the whole city centre in honour of the city's patron saint.
December
December 6: Constitution Day. Celebration of the Royal Court's approval of the Spanish Constitution.
December 8: La Inmaculada Concepción (Immaculate Conception). A festival of religious origin in which the immaculate conception of Mary is celebrated.
December 25: Christmas Day. The festive atmosphere and illuminations fill the streets a few days before Christmas, and don't disappear until after Reyes (Three Kings Day) on January 6. Over these days typical markets play a leading role, such as the one in the Plaza Mayor.
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Please use the
links to the left to find out all you need to know for your visit to Madrid.
