Madrid

Festivals and Annual Events

Evening processions brighten the city with celebration. Kids are showered with sweets and later given gifts known to have come from Santa through the three wise men. A religious event by nature, it relates to the advent of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem who worshiped the Christ child.

Showing 1–15 of 15 festivals

City guide section

Festivals and events in Madrid

Showing 1–15 of 15 festivals

Plan around 15 festival seasons, public events, Ramadan/Eid periods, book fairs, art cycles, and winter food activity.

La Candaleria (feast of the candles)

All over Madrid, parades, feasts and festivities mark this religious anniversary of the day when Jesus was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem by Mary and Joseph.

Madrid en Danza (Madrid Dance Festival)

April is a month of dance and music in Madrid. Featuring assorted events including the International Dance Festival and the Flamenco Festival, the city livens up with performances par excellence.

Romeria de la Virgen de Gracia.

Termed as a religious pilgrimage, it is about carrying the statue of Virgin Mary to a sanctuary place for final resting and mass. Later festivities include traditional dances and offerings.

Fiesta Nacional de España (National Day)

This festival celebrated on the 12th commemorates the birth of the Spanish unified nation. The main feature of this festival includes a parade by the military which is attended by the Spanish King.

Festival de Otoño, major performing arts festival in Madrid Madrid

Festival de Otono, major performing arts festival in Madrid

The autumn season's biggest cultural show is put up with theatre, dance and musical performances attracting masses. Traditional dances including flamenco and classical are part of the event.

Reyes (Epiphany or Three King's Day)

Evening processions brighten the city with celebration. Kids are showered with sweets and later given gifts known to have come from Santa through the three wise men.

Jueves Santo (Good Thursday) and Viernes Santo (Good Friday)

A week long religious celebration with processions taken out each night by men dressed in long hooded velvet and silk gowns.

Semana Santa (Easter)

The Easter celebrations in Madrid depict religious passion with many processions enlivening the streets. Statues of Jesus and Mary are taken out from Churches and paraded on the streets.

Fiestas del 2 de Mayo

Specific to Madrid, this festival is an amalgam of sports, music, dance and bullfights that go on the entire day and till late night attracting huge crowds.

Fiestas de San Isidro

Dressed in their national dress, Spaniards perform a pilgrimage to San Isidro's meadows in honor of the patron saint of Madrid.

Vernos de la Villa (Madrid Summer Festival)

The onset of summers in Madrid is accompanied by varied cultural colorful events featuring theater, dance, opera, cabaret, and cinema, mostly performed in open theatres and auditoriums.

Fiestas de San Lorenzo, San Cayetano and La Paloma.

The residents put on their traditional dresses and come out on decorated streets to perform open-air dancing and singing.

Todos los Santos (All Saints' Day)

The festival is celebrated on the first day of November as a public holiday. It is about remembering and praying for the dead and visiting graveyards.