Over the May long weekend, Alcalá de Henares once again looks far beyond Cervantes and immerses itself fully in the Empire. The city of Complutum travels back to Ancient Rome once again with a new edition of Complutum Renacida, a historical festival that transforms the Roman archaeological site and the area around the city walls into a living town: a market, taverns, parades, military camps, and gladiatorial combat over several consecutive days.
The epicenter of the celebration is split between the Complutum archaeological site and the walled area. A Great Roman Market will be set up there from April 30 to May 3, featuring dozens of stalls offering crafts, food, and traditional trades: jewelry inspired by classical goldsmithing, pottery, leather goods, ointments, wooden toys, and food served in taverns and bars with loaves of bread, cured meats, wines, and sweets “in the style” of that era.
Everything is adorned with banners, columns, tents, Latin inscriptions, and merchants dressed as tunic-wearers, patricians, or slaves, so that a stroll through the market feels more like walking through a movie set than going shopping.
Roman Market and Camp in Alcalá
The city will also be filled with historical reenactments. More than 100 reenactors will bring ancient Roman Complutum to life, with a special focus on the Roman Camp scheduled for May 2 and 3: a display of tents, banners, and weaponry where the legions will demonstrate how soldiers lived, trained, and fought. There will be military parades, formation drills, explanations of tactics such as the tortoise formation, and guided presentations of a legionary’s equipment, from the helmet and shield to the gladius.
Added to all this are the always spectacular gladiator fights, staged in small temporary amphitheaters and in the impressive Gran Circus Maximus, a performance space that recreates the atmosphere of the great Roman games. Amid the clanging of shields and displays of skill, narrators explain who these fighters really were, what types of gladiators existed, and what role they played in the Empire’s entertainment, debunking some movie clichés.
Complutum Renacida is not limited to combat and the market. During the festival, squares and corners of the historic district host theater, storytelling, workshops, and demonstrations of daily life: Roman weddings and rituals, writing workshops using a reed pen on wax tablets, period children’s games, hairstyles and fashion, or brief lessons on the religion and superstitions of the era. Families can enjoy scavenger hunts, workshops to make shields or laurel wreaths, and mosaic activities, turning the visit into an educational immersion rather than a simple stroll among the stalls.
