Bring home gifts for your family from the Mercado de Artesania

The Crafts Fair of the Community of Madrid is a major showcase for regional arts and crafts and a popular place to purchase Christmas gifts. This year the fair will comprise 130 stalls.

The majority of the stalls represent workshops from the Region of Madrid, although there are also artisans from other parts of Spain. Thanks to their outstanding and unique work, the fair has become a must for people interested in local craftwork.

Participants in the fair include ceramists, potters, jewelers, leatherworkers, engravers, goldsmiths, fabric decorators, hat makers, toy makers, and artistic glassmakers.

When: December 1- 30

Where: Paseo de Recoletos

LINK to more info

Naturaleza Encendida. LIFE

Experience a light show in Enrique Tierno Galván Park from 26 November to 6 January, Wednesday to Sunday. It is an experience devoted to celebrating the wealth of the natural world with a journey that is divided into three great natural kingdoms (the aquatic, the terrestrial, and the aerial), accompanied by lights, music, and impressive projections, creating unique moments to enjoy with family and friends.


Tickets: 14 euros LINK (currently there is a Cyber Monday sale on!)

Congratulations to our photo contest winner!

Thank you to all 21 students who participated in this year's photo contest. Getting an inside look at your abroad experience thus far was a real treat! Here is the winning photo and the photographer, Daniela Pittman. 

 

Christmas market at El Corte Inglés Castellana

The traditional El Corte Inglés Christmas market is back, a unique space where you can find everything you need to celebrate these holidays from tree decorations to special gifts, as well as artisanal products and typical Christmas sweets. They have everything you need to make these holidays even more special.

This year, you can enjoy a wide variety of stalls, such as Flores + Velas, Nativity Scene, Luces, Adornos para el Árbol, Ocio y Cultura, as well as more classic options such as Disney, Lego, Vicens and Migueláñez. And if you fancy trying something new, there are several gastronomic options, such as the food trucks from La Cocreta, La Romana, Rodilla, and more. Don't forget to enjoy the traditional Garrapiñada or the delicious sweets from Sán Gines.

To enhance your visit, there will be a music and light show, creating a magical atmosphere that will make you feel the Christmas spirit in every corner.

 

Special hours and closing days: 

- Opening hours: 12:00 to 23:00.

Sundays 17th and 24th November

- Booths open from 12:00 to 21:00.

How to get there: 
By metro: Nuevos Ministerios (Lines 6, 8 and 10)
By train: Nuevos Ministerios (Lines C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-7, C-8 and C-10)
By bus: 27-40-126-147-150-C1-C2

Art and culture this week

FERIARTE is an essential commercial, social, and cultural event in Madrid. It is a meeting of the best art of the past as an excellent platform to support all antique dealers and gallery owners. 
The leading Spanish and most prestigious international antique dealers and gallery owners will all be present. With the participation of more than 80 antique dealers and art galleries, they will exhibit pieces that are more than 100 years old from diverse styles, eras and specialties. From furniture, decoration objects, collections and jewelry, including the Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, Alphonsine styles, painting and sculpture, archaeology, Tribal, Pre-Colombian, and Oriental Art.

When: 23 November to 1 December 2024 

Where: IFEMA MADRID (Hall 8).

Price: general admission is 12 euros 

Fall Farmers Market

Small traders sell different food products, ecological and local. Come and enjoy the great food potential that the Community of Madrid has, respecting all the safety and hygiene measures established by the authorities.
The initiative promotes conscious, responsible, and sustainable consumption. This market welcomes 36 small producers from Madrid, all of them with farms located at a distance of no more than 120 km from the capital and with a common denominator, artisanal and/or ecological production.

You can buy, among other products, oils, meats, vegetables and fruits, natural fruits and juices, cheeses, eggs, honey, sweets, preserves, fresh pasta and appetizers. There are also other complementary activities for the whole family.

When: First and third Sunday of the month. 10:00 - 16:00 h

Next edition: November 17
Where: From the Planetarium corner to C/ Meneses, Madrid (Metro: Mendez Alvaro)

Going inside Plaza Mayor, with a gallery treat

Sala de Bóvedas at the Casa de la Panadería is hosting an exhibition on the multi-award-winning film costume designer Yvonne Blake, winner of an Oscar, four Goya Awards, the National Film Award, and former president of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain. It offers a global look at the legacy of Yvonne Blake (Manchester, 1940 – Madrid, 2018), an experience in which to get to know the British designer better, whose life was closely linked to the city of Madrid. She stood out as a pioneering figure within the film industry, being a defender of gender equality in cinema.

The exhibition has been organized by the Association of Plastic, Performing and Audiovisual Artists of Spain (AAPEE) and is sponsored by Madrid City Council through the General Coordination area of ​​the Mayor's Office and with the collaboration of Madrid Film Office , attached to the Delegated Area of ​​Tourism.

It is the largest collection of Blake's original pieces ever exhibited, thanks to the support of one of Spain's leading costume companies, Peris Costumes, and contributions from private collectors, organizations and the designer's family. This brings together a wide variety of costumes, original sketches, and work photographs, as well as previously unseen projections. 

When: Now until December 8 

Where: Plaza Mayor, 27 - Sala de Bóvedas 

Price: Free admission with limited capacity. Tickets can be purchased free of charge through the website of the Association of Plastic, Performing and Audiovisual Artists of Spain

Celebration of history and culture at the old slaughter house

100 Years of Matadero Madrid

The birthday party will consist of around twenty activities for all audiences.

To commemorate this anniversary, Matadero Madrid has designed a series of free activities aimed at all audiences that will be held between October 24 and November 17. The program includes exhibitions on the history of the site, round tables on architecture and urban planning, commemorative concerts, performances with the space as the protagonist, workshops with architecture as the leitmotiv, and film screenings that used the old slaughterhouse as a location.

For more info on specific events: LINK

Autumn in the city

Events to attend:

From 5 October to 3 November 2024, Halloween will take over the streets of the Parque de Atracciones in Madrid. Visitors will experience the next level in terms of adrenalin and thrills.

The Parque de Atracciones boasts the Old Cottage, its mythical passage of terror, which has frightened so many thousands of visitors. It also has a Scare Zone named Area 51, an immersive experience in which the mysteries and secrets of the Area 51 high-security zone can be discovered.


From 2 October to 3 November 2024, Warner Park has prepared a special programme that includes sinister passages, horror zones, musical shows, and themed characters, offering visitors an experience that is only suitable for the most daring.

The 2024 season features the new horror passage, The Nun, located at Movie World Studios, which will enable visitors to enter the ruins of St. Charter's Monastery to discover the truth of the horrific events that took place there.

Foods to try:

Saint's Bones and Fritters

The festivity's traditional sweet dishes are full of flavors. Saint's bones (huesos de santo), which are stuffed with egg yolk syrup, and fritters (buñuelos), which are filled with cream, can be found in endless colors and flavors for all tastes: chocolate, coconut, yogurt, cream…!




Cocido - To warm up and feel at home, the best thing to do is to have a good soup or stew in Madrid. When the temperature drops below 20 degrees, every Madrid resident craves stew, which is much more than just noodle soup. The nationally celebrated meal dates back to at least the Middle Ages and makes thorough use of the bounty of the vast agricultural plateau that surrounds Madrid. At its most basic, cocido (stew) consists of vegetables, meats, and legumes, all cooked in a savory broth. Below are some of the best restaurants where you can try one.
LINK to options around the city

Music and Dance in the coming weeks

With the arrival of autumn, the best of the world’s jazz scene come together at the Madrid International Jazz Festival, better known as JAZZMADRID. The festival is back from 13 September to 30 November 2024 and will once more turn Madrid into the European epicenter of this musical genre, bringing together leading figures from today’s scene. Established artists and up-and-coming talent will form part of the program which will take place in different venues around the city.

Tickets and more information LINK

From 15 October to 3 November 2024, Teatros del Canal and several other performance venues across the region of Madrid will be hosting the nineteenth edition of the Suma Flamenca festival. This year, the festival encompasses 45 shows starring big names from the world of flamenco such as Carmen Linares, Marina Heredia, Israel Fernández, María Terremoto, Vicente Amigo, Jorge Pardo and Pepe Habichuela, among others.


Tickets LINK

Eat your way around the city this week

Bravas Fest at the Museo del Ferrocarril -- LINK 

Friday - 6 pm to 12 am

Saturday - 12 pm to 12 am

Sunday - 12 pm to 10 pm

Admission to the festival is free and has limited capacity that will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The bravas will cost €4 and the other tapas between €5 and €12 , depending on the restaurant. The set menu option (bravas + drink) costs €7.5 if purchased in advance (up to the day before coming) and €8

C. de la Isla de Java, 2, Fuencarral-El Pardo, 28034 Madrid 

The Lavapiés neighborhood celebrates the fourteenth edition of Tapapiés, the Multicultural Tapas and Music Route from 17 to 27 October, in which more than 100 bars and restaurants in the area are participating with diverse culinary proposals to surprise those who come to sample them.

One of the world’s most traditional and international neighborhoods is once more holding the popular tapas route organized by the Lavapiés Traders’ Association and Cerveza El Águila is the sponsor of the fourteenth edition.

With more than 100 bars and restaurants from Lavapiés participating, the program also includes around thirty concerts, batucada bands, street parades, and outdoor children’s entertainment scheduled for weekends at midday and in the evening.

More info at LINK

Volunteer opportunity at the Institute

 

Look up!

Every year Madrid hosts a military parade that marks Spanish National Day, a day commemorating the country's cultural and linguistic expansion beyond the European continent. Personnel from the Armed Forces, Civil Guard, National Police, and Maritime Rescue take part in the parade accompanied by ground vehicles and aircraft.

During the event, which kicks off with the arrival of the King and Queen, the king inspects the troops and greets members of the government. Other highlights of the parade include the descent of a parachuter carrying a giant Spanish flag, the Spanish Legion marching with their pet goat, the solemn raising of the National Flag, which pays tribute to those who’ve died for their country, and the flypast of the Spanish Air Force.

Route 2024 of The 12th of October Parade 

More info LINK

There will also be a fireworks display at Cibeles at 9pm!!