So much to do it Madrid this weekend - lucky ducks!

🎭 Sara Baras – Vuela (25th Anniversary Tribute to Paco de Lucía)

📅 Dates: 11 September – 12 October 2025 (Thursday to Sunday)
📍 Location: Teatro Gran Vía
💶 Price: From €30
✨ Prestigious dancer Sara Baras returns with a special performance celebrating the 25th anniversary of her company, paying tribute to flamenco legend Paco de Lucía.

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📸 Exhibition: Leica – A Century of Photography

📅 Dates: 10 September 2025 – 11 January 2026
📍 Location: Fernán Gómez Centro Cultural de la Villa
💶 Price: Free
✨ A commemorative exhibition marking 100 years of the Leica I camera, featuring 174 photographs, classic cameras, and unpublished material showcasing Leica’s impact on global photography.

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📰 Life Under Siege – Photojournalism Exhibition

📅 Dates: 23 September – 19 October 2025
📍 Location: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza (Central Hall)
💶 Prices:

• General: €14

• Reduced (students, 65+, pensioners): €10

• Free: Saturdays from 9pm to 11pm
  ✨ Twenty-seven powerful photographs documenting life in Gaza since October 2023.

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🍸 Guest Bartending – Montana Cocktail Bar x Only YOU

📅 Dates: 30 September & 1 October 2025, 19:00–00:00
📍 Location: Only YOU Boutique Hotel Madrid (El Padrino Cocktail Bar)
✨ During Madrid Cocktail Week, Montana Cocktail Bar from Sevilla brings exclusive creations, including a collaborative cocktail available only on these two nights.

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🎶 International Organ Cycle – Royal Basilica of San Miguel

📅 Next Concert: Sunday, 5 October 2025 at 19:30
📍 Location: Real Basílica San Miguel, Calle de San Justo, 4
💶 Price: Free (until full capacity)
✨ Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the basilica’s reconstructed organ. The program Ars transcriptionis will be performed by Braulio Caballero-Figueroa.

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🍺 Oktoberfest at the Madrid Hippodrome

📅 Dates: Saturday 4 October (12:00–23:00) & Sunday 5 October 2025 (10:30–19:00)
📍 Location: Madrid Hippodrome
✨ Enjoy German beer, traditional food, live music, and the festive atmosphere of Oktoberfest in Madrid.

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🍽️ Hotel Tapa Tour 2025

📅 Dates: 22 September – 5 October 2025
📍 Location: Participating 4★ & 5★ hotels (e.g. Four Seasons, The Palace)
💶 Price: Tapas & wine pairing from €8
✨ A gourmet tapas route across luxury hotels, offering creative dishes from oyster croquettes to black pudding baos.

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🎉 Guadarrama Festivities (San Miguel & San Francisco)

📅 Dates: 28 September – 5 October 2025
📍 Location: Guadarrama (reachable from Moncloa via buses 682, 684, 688)
✨ Traditional local festivities with bull runs, concerts, children’s activities, communal meals, processions, and contests. Highlights include:

• 28 Sept: Opening speech + free concert tribute to La Oreja de Van Gogh

• 29 Sept: Potatoes with meat distribution

• 4 Oct: Hot chocolate in Plaza Mayor (09:00)

• 5 Oct: Cider pouring contest in Plaza Mayor

Madrid this weekend!

 

🎭 Culture / Arts / Exhibitions

1. Prado Museum — “Paolo Veronese (1528-1588)” exhibition is on until 21 September. A chance to see a major monographic show of this Venetian Renaissance master. Museo del Prado

2. Art Galleries Exhibitions — There are several contemporary art shows open now:

   • “MYTHS OF OUR TIME” at Arma Gallery (runs into October). Artsy

   • Álvaro Barrios: “The Multiplication of the Paintings” at Galería Fernando Pradilla. Artsy

   • Other gallery listings via Artsy (various places around Madrid). Artsy

3. Museo Nacional del Thyssen — Current special exhibits and regular collections are open; worth checking what temporaries are live. museothyssen.org

4. Exhibitions via FeverUp — Something a bit different:

   • Frida Kahlo: Live Art Experience & Gastronomic Showcase at Pintor Rosales 30 (starting ~18 Sept). Fever

   • Banksy Museum Madrid is showing exhibitions. Fever

   • Goya Flamenco Live Art Musical Sensory Experience. Fever

5. L.E.V. Matadero Festival — From 18-21 September; experimental/electronic sound, audiovisual & digital art experimentation. Plenty of installations, immersive experiences. Great if you like art + technology. Location: Matadero Madrid. Madrid Secreto

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🏛 Theatre / Performance

6. “Los Amores Feroces” at Teatro de La Abadía — Starting 18 September, a play based on texts by Octavio Paz exploring desire, sensuality, etc. El País

7. Other theatre shows — Several plays are back or opening in September: e.g. titles such as Los cuernos de Don Friolera, Los que hablan, Orlando etc., plus newer works from emerging artists/schools. ElHuffPost

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🏃 Outdoor / Community / Events

8. “Madrid corre por Madrid 2025” (Ibercaja Madrid Race) — A 10 km race on 21 September. It’s a sporting event, but also cultural: celebrating Hispanic ties, inclusive etc. Good way to run and see city in a different way. Diario AS

9. Five free / budget-friendly plans:

   • Visit the Leica centenary exhibition (“Leica. A Century of Photography”) which is free and showcasing historical cameras etc. El País+1My Art Guides+1

   • Concert by Ede in the Templo de Debod — outdoor and free. LINK

September 12 - 14

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🚂 Mercado de los Motores

Fashion, décor, music, gastronomy… On the second weekend of every month (except August), the former railway station transforms into a vibrant flea market.

🛍️ Discover second-hand clothes, retro and designer furniture, vinyl records, refurbished bikes, and more. It’s also a great family outing, with children’s activities, plus plenty of food and drink to recharge after shopping.

📍 Paseo de las Delicias, 61
📅 Second weekend of every month (except August)

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🎭 Ibiza Paradise – Dinner Show at Cines Callao

Starting this Friday, the Callao Cinemas swap films for a dazzling musical dinner show. Ibiza Paradise follows two Americans who travel to Ibiza in the 70s, mixing theater, dance, music, and gastronomy. The performance is in English with Spanish subtitles and celebrates the great musical milestones of the era.

📍 Cines Callao (Callao)
💸 Tickets from 25€

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🌊 River Procession of the Virgin of Alarilla – Fuentidueña del Tajo

This Saturday, September 13, Fuentidueña del Tajo celebrates its traditional river procession, one of the most unique in Spain. The Virgin descends 800 meters down the Tagus River, accompanied by swimmers, songs, and water choreographies, in a spectacle illuminated by torches and nearly 2,000 light bulbs. The night ends with fireworks and a lively community celebration.

📍 Fuentidueña del Tajo
📅 Saturday, September 13, 2025

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🍺 Ruta de la Tapa “Ven a Vivirlo” – Carabanchel

Until September 14, Carabanchel hosts the Ruta de la Tapa, offering a tapa and beer for just 4€ at over a dozen local bars. Dishes include shrimp in black tempura, “ear pizza,” and rice with Iberian secret.

📍 Carabanchel, Madrid
📅 Until September 14, 2025

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🌿 Círculo de Bellas Artes’ Climate Shelter

This weekend, the Círculo de Bellas Artes transforms its Ballroom into a cool, shaded indoor plaza with plants, ergonomic seating, drinking water, and quiet areas to rest, read, or work. The free space promotes well-being, sustainability, and community encounters, alongside workshops, cultural activities, and even a summer nursery for plants.

📍 Calle Alcalá, 42 (Downtown)

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First weekend in Madrid

 

🌟 Things to Do in Madrid 

🌆 Explore the City

• Retiro Park – Rent rowboats on the lake, visit the Crystal Palace, and just stroll the gardens.

• Templo de Debod at Sunset – Egyptian temple with amazing views of the city.

• Gran Vía & Sol – Walk Madrid’s bustling center, check out shops, street performers, and the vibe.

• Chueca & Malasaña – Fun neighborhoods for wandering: street art, quirky cafés, vintage shops.

🎨 Arts & Culture (student budget-friendly!)

• Free/cheap museum times:

  • Prado 

  • Reina Sofía 

  • Thyssen 

  • Foundacion MAFRE 

• Matadero Madrid – Old slaughterhouse turned arts center: exhibitions, design shops, and cafés.

• Lavapiés street art walk – Explore murals and multicultural food spots.

• Photo España - Until September 24, 100+ galleries around Madrid 

🍴 Foodie Adventures

• Mercado de San Miguel – A little touristy, but fun for tapas hopping.

• Mercado de San Ildefonso (Malasaña) – Trendy food hall for casual eats.

• Churros & chocolate at San Ginés – A Madrid classic.

• Picnic at Retiro or Casa de Campo – Grab empanadas, jamón, or bocadillos from a local bakery.

🎶 Fun & Social Activities 

• Picinas Publicas - Municipal pools all around the city LINK

• Rastro Market (Sunday morning) – Huge flea market, great for vintage finds. (Metro La Latina or Tirso de Molina) 

• Flamenco show (student-friendly venues like Casa Patas or Cardamomo offer discounts).

• Cine Doré – Retro cinema showing classic films (great local vibe).

• Board games café (e.g. Café Manuela in Malasaña).

🏞️ Day Trip Options (if you want to get outside the city)

• Manzanares el Real – 45 min by train, castle, good hiking options.

• El Escorial – 40 min by bus, Monastery + mountain views.

• Cuenca – Famous for cliffside homes (perfect for a day trip with friends).