Music and Film at "El Matadero" This Weekend and a Warm Farewell to Our Scholars

"Matadero" is the city’s old slaughterhouse, located at Madrid Río Park. It was transformed into a vibrant cultural megacomplex some years ago. If you stay in Madrid this weekend, you can enjoy some events in this amazing location. 

Getting musicians out into the street to share their art is the aim of this event held every year on 21 June. The DEMM (European Music Day at Matadero) is one of the events that has become a classic of this contemporary creation center. More than 15 years have passed since its first edition back in 2009, and over time, the plazas of Matadero Madrid have borne witness to the ups and downs of the indie scene, the birth and rise of national and international bands, and have served as a beacon illuminating the emergence of new genres and musical trends.

Adding to the experience, Cineteca Madrid will host a series of music documentaries, offering a deeper understanding of the creative processes behind some of the most influential musicians and creators in our environment.

MUSIC

Program:

• Friday 20 June, 8pm - Hot Chip (DJ set) / Moxie / Sofía Kourtesis / Emilia Grima
• Saturday 21 June, 12pm - Remate & Wild Honey
• Saturday 21 June, 8pm - Baiuca / Hinds / Error 97
• Sunday 22 June, 12pm - Creativa Junior Big Band

Sources and tickets:

https://www.esmadrid.com/en/european-music-day

FILMS

Program:

https://www.cinetecamadrid.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/CINETECA_JUN_25_PROGRAMA.pdf

Sources and tickets:

https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/cineteca-matadero

And we'd like to take this opportunity to bid a fond farewell to our group of Scholars. May you be very happy, and you already know where your home in Madrid is!

A Last Minute Idea for Tonight

 We assume you have big plans for tonight, but if not, here's a cultural idea:

The Museo Nacional del Prado, in collaboration with Samsung and Radio 3, is offering free evening openings of "El Prado de Noche" (The Prado by Night) on the first Saturday of every month from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

On this occasion, visitors on the evening of June 7th (TODAY!) will be able to enjoy the recently opened exhibition "Paolo Veronese (1528-1588)," the first major monographic exhibition in Spain dedicated to one of the most brilliant and admired masters of the Venetian Renaissance. The exhibition, sponsored by the AXA Foundation, brings together more than 100 works from the world's best museums.

You can also visit the ground floor of the Villanueva building and take a tour from Romanesque and Gothic painting, through the Renaissance, and ending with the 19th century. You can also take advantage of the final days of the exhibition "Shape Change: Myth and Metamorphosis in the Roman Drawings of José de Madrazo."

Welcome to Madrid and Ideas for This Week

We're kicking off the summer with a fantastic new group of students! And soon the Scholars group will join us to fill the AU Madrid classrooms with even more excitement and adventure. Welcome to our blog!

We invite you to browse the fixed sections of our blog, but also these short suggestions for this week (you can find information on dates, locations, and how to purchase tickets at the links below):

MUSIC:

The Tomavistas Festival: A music festival held in Madrid, known for its diverse programming and commitment to independent and emerging music. It is characterized by its openness to different musical styles and proposals, both from national and international artists, and by its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. https://www.esmadrid.com/en/whats-on/festival-tomavistas

Ed Sheeran's Concert: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/whats-on/ed-sheeran-metropolitano-stadium

DANCE

Contemporary Dance: Martha Graham's Company: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/whats-on/martha-graham-dance-company-centro-danza-matadero-nave-11

Flamenco: The Flamenco Biennial 2025: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/whats-on/bienal-flamenco-madrid

BOOKS

The Madrid Book Fair is a large annual literary event held in El Retiro Park, showcasing books from Spanish-speaking countries and promoting the literature of a guest country. It's a major cultural event for literature lovers, featuring over 300 booths, book signings, and opportunities to meet authors: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/whats-on/ferialibromadrid-parque-de-el-retiro

Easter in Madrid… Not only “procesiones” :-)

I am guessing most of you will be traveling around a lot, but you might be spending the last few days of your holidays in Madrid. If that's the case and you're curious about how they celebrate Holy Week in Madrid (those who celebrate it, of course), you can see all this year's information here (the locations and times of the processions and music, the food (this is what Catholics and non-Catholics eat), etcetera.

https://www.esmadrid.com/en/easter

You might also be interested in these previous short posts from our blog, where we explain some key points for understanding this peculiar cultural phenomenon (I suggest you do... these Spaniards are crazy 🙂)

https://exploringwithauspain.blogspot.com/2023/02/already-planning-what-to-do-in-easter.html?m=1

https://exploringwithauspain.blogspot.com/2024/03/what-about-easter.html?m=1

https://exploringwithauspain.blogspot.com/2023/03/for-students-with-sweet-tooth.html?m=1

Quiet Days in a Rainy Madrid

The semester is coming to an end! Oh, oh, oh! Some ideas for a few quiet days before the big Easter break.

First things first: The Museo Nacional del Prado, in collaboration with Samsung and Radio 3, continues its free evening opening of "El Prado de noche" (The Prado by Night) on the first Saturday of every month from 8:30 pm to 11:30 pm (last admission at 11:00 pm), entering through the Jerónimos door. You can enjoy the full opening of the ground floor of the Villanueva building and also visit the recently opened exhibition "Shapeshift: Myth and Metamorphosis in the Roman Drawings of José de Madrazo."

Also, if you haven't already, this is your last chance to chat with Spanish people and practice your language exchange skills: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/language-exchange-venues (this one is from the tourism website, but there are many in Madrid and it's a very common activity for Spaniards).

Looking for some dance shows? Dancers Andrés Marín and Ana Morales are bringing a show to the Centro Danza Matadero (https://www.centrodanzamatadero.es/) that blends traditional and modern flamenco to explore human desires.

It's been 160 years since Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland' was published. Since then, it has been translated into more than 170 languages, films inspired by the novel have been made, and works of art, fashion collections, and plays have been produced that primarily reference the striking world of Wonderland. The Caixaforum exhibition (https://caixaforum.org/es/madrid) explores how this 19th-century publication has become part of our collective imagination and how it has permeated various artistic and even scientific fields, leaving room for play and reflection.

Some Tips to Celebrate the Good Weather

Spring is finally here! Aren't you bursting with energy? Here are some very different ideas to get you going! :-)

PROUST IN THE THYSSEN MUSEUM The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza is offering an exhibition from March 4 to June 8, 2025, showcasing how art influenced the work of the illustrious Parisian writer. Proust is considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, who also excelled in philosophy and art history. In his literary production, one can observe the influence of past and contemporary artists, as well as the recreation of landscapes and monuments that captivated him in his day, along with the artistic environment he experienced. This period was marked by the renewal in the arts brought by the Impressionist artists in a modern and cosmopolitan Paris – where Marcel Proust already lived – illuminated by electricity, with Parisians traveling by car and filling cafés, restaurants, and shows. It is precisely the environment in which he lived and developed his life and work related to the arts that is the fundamental element on which this exhibition is based.

IFEMA (Institución Ferial de Madrid) is a major event venue in Madrid, Spain. It hosts a wide range of fairs, congresses, and exhibitions throughout the year. Located near the Campo de las Naciones and Barajas Airport, IFEMA is known for events like FITUR (International Tourism Fair), ARCO (International Contemporary Art Fair), and MOTORTEC. Two current events:

**WAH MADRID_In true Las Vegas and Broadway style, you can enjoy a musical and gastronomic show from Thursday to Sunday at ESPACIO WAH, located at the IFEMA MADRID fairgrounds. It features a cast of artists and professionals who have worked on the Oscars ceremonies, Eurovision, London's West End, and Broadway, as well as for the world's leading bands and singers from Sting to AC/DC. An unforgettable playlist. Puccini, Paco de Lucia, Guns & Roses, David Guetta, or Lady Gaga, among other music giants, take the stage, starring in a fusion of styles ranging from opera to house, flamenco, electronic, gospel, or rock. Designed to thrill and move the audience through music and its original gastronomic performance. https://wahshow.com/en/

**FRIENDS' EXPERIENCE_The experience inspired by one of the most popular television series in history arrives in Spain for the first time, bringing fans closer to their favorite characters with life-sized recreated sets, iconic backdrops, costumes, and a wide variety of accessories and memorabilia. It can be visited from March 17 to June 29 at the IFEMA MADRID fairgrounds (Pavilion 14.1). Fans of the series will find numerous interactive recreations full of nostalgia and can recreate some of their favorite scenes, such as posing behind the famous purple door of Monica and Rachel's apartment, relaxing in Chandler and Joey's recliners, and, of course, lounging on the legendary orange couch at the famous Central Perk café.  https://madrid.friendstheexperience.com/en/

 A LITTLE OUTDOOR EXERCISE_And next to the Manzanares river, on its west bank, you will find Madrid's largest public park, the Casa de Campo. With its more than 1,535 hectares, it is the ideal setting not only for hiking and cycling along various routes but also for enjoying the outdoor terraces located next to its impressive artificial lake, whose origins date back to the 16th century. If you're up for it, you can even embark on the adventure of rowing in one of its recreational boats available at its large dock.

Free movies and Good Food

 If you like films that don't usually make it to multiplexes, take note: from March 13 to April 10, Cines Embajadores is showing the five finalists for the LUX European Film Audience Award for free.

The menu includes films from Greece, France, Latvia, Ukraine, and Belgium, and themes such as cultural identity, misinformation, work pressure, and the devastation of the planet.

Admission is free: you must register online at this website and then pick up your ticket at the box office 72 hours in advance. Voting for your favorite will enter you into the drawing for a trip to Brussels for the ceremony.

And since spring never seems to arrive, I recommend two traditional Spanish dishes for colder days, because paella isn't everything in Spain. You'll already be familiar with one if you've been on our Rural Spain trip. The other is typical of northern Spain, specifically Asturias.

The Madrid Stew Route celebrates its 15th edition from this Saturday, February 15th, to March 31st, offering 90,000 servings of this iconic dish in 42 restaurants in and around Madrid. Prices range from €14 to €40, with options for vegans and celiacs. Participants can also vote for their favorite stew and win prizes, such as one of the 100 stews raffled off or a prize draw worth €2,000. Find out all the information here (I am sorry, it is only in Spanish) or here.

📍 Location: Madrid and surrounding areas

🗓️ Dates: until March 31st

Until March 23, Madrid hosts the eleventh edition of the Fabada and Verdinas Route, an event that pays tribute to Asturian cuisine. During these dates, several restaurants in the city will offer special menus focused on traditional fabada and verdinas. This event coincides with World Fabada Day, celebrated on March 15. For more details on the participating restaurants and their offerings, you can read the full article in Madrid Secreto.

📍 Location: Various locations.

📅 Dates: Until March 23, 2025