Events - Regional “Fiestas”  / Unique things about Madrid


Events


There is always something going on in Madrid!
Depending on the time of the year you will find different events and “fiestas” taking place in Spain’s capital.

Whatever time of the year it’s really hard to get bored in Madrid since there are plenty of “fiestas” throughout the whole year. For this reason, it is sometimes difficult to decide on the timing of your visit. Thus, we have listed the most important public fiestas for our students:

The most important popular celebrations take place between April and October. In general, we could say that the major fiestas in Madrid are those of Dos de Mayo (2nd of May), San Isidro, La Paloma and La Almudena. All banks and most shops and museums will close on these feast days. There are also very many fiestas in the rest of the Community of Madrid which however do not effect Madrid in respect to opening hours of shops, banks etc.

  •      In April, at Easter, Semana Santa (the Holy Week) there are many processions with the typical procession dresses and carrying around the Holy Mary. However, the “Semana Santa” (Holy Week) processions in Madrid can in no way be compared with the processions carried out in the Andaluzian South such as in Seville.
  •      Dos de Mayo – Historically this is an important day for Madrid: On the 2nd of May is the festival of the community of Madrid (Comunidad de Madrid). It takes place in the district of Malasaña. On this day the city remembers the rebellion against the French started in “Puerta del Sol” which led to the War of Independence and in consequence to the defeat of the French. There are lots of concerts, shows, dancing and sporting events.
  •      On the 15th of May there is the important Festival of San Isidro. San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid and is the most popular festival in Madrid. In the course of the festival there also takes place the famous Feria Taurina, the bullfighting fair, which takes place at the plaza de Las Ventas in Madrid. The most famous torreros (bullfighters) will come to town and guarantee a thrilling show.
  •      The 13th of June is the day of San Antonio de la Florida which takes place in the district of Moncloa. According to a tradition you have to put your hand into the baptismal font and the number of pins which get stuck on your hand marks the number of boyfriends you will have.
  •      From 23rd to 24th of June the Fiesta de San Juan takes place in the Parque del Retiro in which on the night of the 23rd of June pyres are burnt to celebrate the longest day of the year.
  •      The first Sunday of the month is the day of “Nuestra Señora de las Victorias” (in the district of Tetuán) celebrating in different locations and with several concerts.
  •      From 9th to 16th July the Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen (in the district of Chamberí), next to the Canal de Isabel II there are parties with a variety of music shows
  •      From 9th to 17th July the Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen on 25th the Festival of Santiago (in the district of Carabanchel Bajo)
  •      From 8th to 17th July the Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen (in the district of Vallecas).
  •      Around this time also the "Veranos de la Villa" (The summer festival in the Villa) starts and lasts until September. It has a huge offering of cinema, concerts, theatre and all kinds of spectaculars in different areas.
  •      August is the month of celebration in some of the districts of Madrid. From the 6th to 15th there are the Fiestas de San Lorenzo, San Cayetano and the Virgen de la Paloma (in the district of La Latina, Lavapiés and Las Vistillas). The men are dressed like "chulapos" (the typical Madrid folkloric dress) and dance the typical dance of Madrid the “chotis” and the women with the typical mantones (embroidered scarves) dance at the fiestas which take place in the three districts. The fiestas convert the old centre of Madrid into a constant stream of street parties, dances and popular celebrations during the first half of August. On the 15th August (a Spanish national holiday) a statue of this Virgin is paraded through the streets worshipping her beauty.
  •      From 24th to 29th September there is the of Fiesta de Otoño (in the district of Chamartín).
  •      On the 12th October there is the fiesta of Nuestra Señora del Pilar (in the district of Salamanca, in the district of Pilar and Orcasitas). It’s the festival of the Hispanidad and there are military processions in the centre of Madrid.
  •      On 9th November is the fiesta de Virgen de la Almudena, the female patron saint of the city. Her picture was found in a tower of an Arabic wall of the “la puerta de la Vega” (the door of la Vega) where it was hidden from the Christians. Two centuries later, the legend goes, the wall fell away exposing the same lit candles she had been hidden with.


Unique things about Madrid


Spanish film

The Spanish film industry is pretty big within the country and beside Pedro Almodovar, who has often caused a lot of controversy, there are a lot of contemporary filmmakers who produce cinema worthwhile watching. Some of the most popular films of the last view years are “Los Lunes al Sol”, “Lucia y el sexo”, “Mi vida sin mi”, and “El Mar Adentro”.


Spanish music

Similar to the Spanish film industry the Spanish music industry is very big and you can find a huge variety of Spanish music but it is Spanish pop music that is popular on radio stations and in bars and clubs. Some of the most popular artists in Spain are Jarabe de Palo, Juanes, Joaquin Sabina, Ivan Feirrero, Bebe, Rosario, Andrés Calamaro, Pereza, Chambao, El Barrio, Ojos de Brujo, Melendi, Mecano, El Canto de Loco, and  La Oreja de Van Gogh.

 

Flamenco Dance

Although not a huge part of Spain’s population has a passion for the gypsy dance there are still some flamenco “aficionados” to be found and the flamenco scene in Madrid is pretty big.
However, what foreigners (and even Spaniards) normally understand as flamenco are the Sevillanas, which are the folkloric flamenco dances which are especially danced on the feria in Seville with very bright coloured dresses. The real flamenco is very different from that. It consists of the canto (singing), the guitar playing and the baile (dancing). Actually the canto is the most important element of the flamenco and might sound to us at times a little rough.  Flamenco exists of different “paleos” styles like the buleria, alegria, los fandangos, tangos etc.

Tip: El Bar Juglar in Calle Lavapiés (Metro Lavapiés) shows flamenco every Sundays (6 €) and Tuesdays (15-20 €) – www.salajuglar.com.

Bullfights

Bullfighting has a very long tradition in Spain but today very many young people are not very fond of the spectacle and is often discussed controversially in the media. In Madrid Las Ventas is the bullfighting arena, an impressive monument worth a visit.