Madrid City Council's monthly calendar is packed with citywide schedule of concerts, exhibitions, and religious events
Spiritual events and art exhibitions are the top of the cultural agenda for Spanish capital as Madrid City Council releases its monthly calendar, that is packed with a citywide schedule of concerts, exhibitions, and traditional religious events.
According to Madrid City Council, the city is marking the annual feast of its patron saint, San Isidro Labrador, from May 6 to 15. Public spaces such as Plaza Mayor, Las Vistillas Gardens, and Pradera de San Isidro Park are hosting free events for all ages, including the Giants and Big Heads parade, chotis dancing and concerts.
During the celebrations, Madrileños, as the inhabitants of the city are called, will wear traditional costumes, dance in the streets, and gather for picnics in the Pradera de San Isidro. In tribute to the saint’s historic association with water, a key ritual will involve drinking water from the spring beside the Chapel of San Isidro.
Madrid City Council has also confirmed that other religious ceremonies will form part of the San Isidro festivities. These include the blessing of the water, a mass at San Isidro Collegiate Church, the five-day Quinario, a Eucharist in the Chapel of the Cuadra de San Isidro, and a Romería service at the park.
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In addition to the religious observances, food and drink remain an integral part of the San Isidro celebrations. Among the traditional favourites is limonada, a beverage made from wine, lemon, sugar, and chopped fruit. Another staple is rosquillas, the city’s signature festival doughnuts. These come in several traditional varieties, each with its own preparation: glazed listas plain tontas, de Santa Clara, which are coated in dry meringue, followed by francesas topped with almonds. These treats are widely consumed during the festivities, continuing a longstanding culinary tradition associated with the occasion.
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Following the religious observances, Madrid City Council announces that from May 27 to September 21, the Prado Museum will showcase works by Italian painter Paolo Veronese. Curated by Prado Museum director Miguel Falomir and Professor Enrico Maria Dal Pozzolo of the Università di Verona, the exhibition will focus on three key areas, namely Veronese’s creative process and workshop operations, his role as capobottega and his appeal to the Venetian elite.
This project is part of the museum’s ongoing re-evaluation of its Venetian Renaissance painting collection, following previous exhibitions on artists such as Titian, Tintoretto and Lorenzo Lotto.
Later this summer, Madrid will host the Flamenco Biennial festival from May 23 to June 6. The event, which blends both contemporary and traditional elements, will take place at various venues across the city, including the Conde Duque Contemporary Cultural Centre, Teatro Circo Price, Matadero Madrid, CentroCentro, and Centro Danza Matadero (CDM), as well as at religious buildings and flamenco venues.
The opening gala at Teatro Circo Price will feature artists from Jerez de la Frontera, including Tomasito, Jesús Méndez, Juana la del Pipa, Juan Parrilla, and Pepe el Morao.
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The festival will showcase both traditional and modern performances in singing, guitar playing, and dance, with notable participants such as Vicente Soto Sordera, José de la Tomasa, Juan Villar, La Macanita, Sandra Carrasco, David de Arahal, Andrés Barrios, Belén López, Gerardo Nuñez, Dani de Morón, Joni Jiménez, Antonio Reyes, Esperanza Fernández, and Lela Soto.
Additonally, other performances include Ana Crismán’s harp-based flamenco repertoire, Eduardo Guerrero’s Sombra Efímera, and the Eighteen Strings concert at Conde Duque, featuring Nuñez, Morón, and Jiménez.
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Besides performances, the festival will feature parallel events such as the Flamenco Biennial Congress, which marks the 70th anniversary of Corral de la Morería with talks, round tables, and performances; a tap dance workshop titled Estampío; and the bailArte Madrid photography exhibition by Javier Enrique Fernández.
The festival will culminate with a grand closing gala at the Enrique Tierno Galván Park Auditorium, where flamenco singer Israel Fernández will take the stage, joined by a flamenco choir, a string quartet and his accompanying musicians, marking the final celebration of this vibrant cultural event.
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