Although most of the time we seek it out in swimming pools or even in urban fountains dubbed “beaches,” the truth is that for several years now , anyone wanting to escape Madrid’s stifling heat during the summer months has had another option to choose from: the Círculo de Bellas Artes’ climate refuge (42 Alcalá Street), which already has dates set for 2026.
In this new edition, the CBA Ballroom—which will host an installation designed by Recetas Urbanas—will once again be transformed into that large, playful, green, and cool plaza we’ve come to expect from it over the past few years, running from July 10 to September 6, 2026.
Furthermore, this year the central concept of the climate refuge will be play:“Playing to find ourselves. To imagine possible futures. To build community. Because perhaps through play we can imagine worlds that do not yet exist,”reads a post on their Instagram profile regarding the event.
With that in mind, one of this year’s offerings includes board games for all ages, as well as a reading corner, a water fountain, a plant nursery, and spaces to rest, work, or simply hang out.
In addition to this, as is customary, there will be a program featuring workshops, gatherings, music, talks, and other experiences to be announced soon.
An initiative replicated in other parts of the city
The initiative, which was first held in 2024 in response to the increasingly extreme heat waves the city is experiencing as a result of climate change, quickly spread to other parts of the city.
Thus, other spaces such as the Fundación Canal de Isabel II or municipal markets in different neighborhoods of the capital have been converted or repurposed in recent years into places to seek refuge in the shade of one of these thermal shelters.
This year, the Infinito Delicias climate refuge (5 Doña Juana Street) is also joining the list, offering a plant daycare among its services.
