Madrid is a city of festivals: some religious and popular, tied to the castizo tradition of the chulapos, others modern and international, like Pride and the big music festivals. Here is the year's calendar. It is part of the Madrid guide; for national festivals see festivals in Spain.
The calendar
| Month | Event |
|---|---|
| January | Cabalgata de Reyes (5 January), the Three Kings parade with floats and sweets; sales |
| February | Carnival and the burial of the sardine; ARCO, the great contemporary art fair |
| March-April | Holy Week, with processions in the old centre; Mutua Madrid Open tennis |
| May | 2 May, Community day; San Isidro (15 May); Museum Night; the Book Fair in the Retiro (late May-June) |
| June | San Antonio de la Florida (13 June); Veranos de la Villa, the summer music and theatre festival (until August) |
| July | Madrid Orgullo (MADO), Pride; Mad Cool, rock and pop festival |
| August | The San Cayetano, San Lorenzo and La Paloma verbenas (7-15 August) |
| September | Formula 1 Grand Prix (since 2026); start of the theatre and music season |
| October | Fiesta Nacional (12 October), with the military parade on the Castellana; Autumn Festival |
| November | Virgen de la Almudena (9 November), the city's patroness; Jazz Festival |
| December | Christmas market in the Plaza Mayor, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, New Year at the Puerta del Sol |
San Isidro
The feast of the patron saint, San Isidro Labrador, the 12th-century farm labourer saint, is celebrated around 15 May and is Madrid's most castizo festival. Its heart is the pradera de San Isidro, the meadow by the saint's hermitage on the right bank of the Manzanares, painted by Goya: Madrileños go on pilgrimage to drink from the miraculous spring, picnic and dance the chotis, dressed as chulapos, men in waistcoats and checked caps, women in Manila shawls with carnations in their hair. People eat rosquillas, ring doughnuts that can be tontas (plain) or listas (glazed). In town there are free concerts and shows and, at the nearby Las Ventas ring, the world's most important bullfighting season.
The August verbenas
In August, when many Madrileños are on holiday, the working-class districts of La Latina and Lavapiés are decorated with lanterns and shawls for three consecutive festivals: San Cayetano, San Lorenzo and the Virgen de la Paloma, the last on 15 August, with a procession in which firefighters lower the painting of the Virgin. Music in the squares, chotis, lemonade, stalls and dancing until late.
Madrid Pride
In early July Madrid Pride, centred on Chueca, is one of the world's largest: a week of concerts, street parties, cultural events and the great Saturday parade along the Paseo del Prado, drawing over a million people.
Christmas and New Year
At Christmas the centre is lit with light installations by artists and designers; the Plaza Mayor hosts the market of nativity figures and novelty items, and many churches and institutions set up belenes, traditional nativity scenes, like the one at the Real Casa de Correos. On the night of 31 December thousands gather at the Puerta del Sol for the campanadas: you eat a grape for each of the twelve chimes of the Real Casa de Correos clock, broadcast live on every Spanish TV channel. On 5 January the Cabalgata de Reyes closes the festivities with the Three Kings parade, children's favourite celebration, as they receive presents the next day, Epiphany. See Christmas in Spain.
Festivals and culture
- ARCO Madrid in February, at the IFEMA trade fair grounds, one of Europe's leading contemporary art fairs.
- Mad Cool in July, with the big international rock and pop stars.
- Veranos de la Villa in summer, open-air music, flamenco, theatre and cinema.
- Suma Flamenca and the Festival Flamenco Madrid, with the best flamenco artists.
- PHotoESPAÑA, the international photography festival, in summer.
- Madrid Fusión, early in the year, the international haute cuisine congress (see Madrid Fusión).
To choose when to travel see when to go to Madrid.