There are celebrations that, without having originated in the city, manage to integrate into its calendar with astonishing naturalness. Chinese New Year is one of them. What began as a community proposal has become a canonical event, eagerly awaited by thousands of Madrid residents and visitors, a perfect example of how a thousand-year-old tradition can find a new home in another country.
In 2026, Chinese New Year will begin in mid-February and continue until early March (approximate dates), with Usera as the epicenter of activities that will fill the district with lanterns, parades, and spicy aromas. This edition celebrates the arrival of the Year of the Horse, an animal associated with dynamism, passion, and transformation.
A massive parade, music, and fireworks
Chinese New Year celebration in Usera || Editorial credit: Pedro Rufo / Shutterstock.com
The highlight of each edition is undoubtedly the Chinese New Year Parade, which winds its way through the main streets of Usera with a mixture of fantasy and tradition. Dragons, giant lions, traditional costumes, lanterns, and live music transform the district into a spectacle of color and sound that attracted 42,000 people in 2025. This year it will take place on Sunday, February 22, at 12 noon.
The program (which you can check out at this link) also includes the eagerly awaited fireworks display in Pradolongo Park, a nighttime event (Saturday, February 21, at 8 p.m.) that brings together thousands of attendees, as well as a party with DJs who blend contemporary rhythms with oriental sounds on the esplanade of the Usera Municipal Council.
The calendar is rounded off with workshops, exhibitions, markets, and children’s activities spread across various cultural centers in the district. There will also be food truck areas, as indicated in the program itself: “you can sample delicious traditional Chinese food at thefood trucks located on the esplanade of the Plaza de la Junta Municipal del Distrito de Usera (Rafaela Ybarra 41), in the Parque Pradolongo (bandstand area) and at the Mercadillo del Año del Caballo (Plaza de Julián Marías).”
Ancient culture with a contemporary twist
Archive image of Chinese New Year 2023 || Editorial credit: Madrid City Council
Another of the planned activities is the Spring Race, which this year will be held on Sunday, March 1, and will run along the Paseo de la Castellana from the Puente del Rey bridge. This festive, family-friendly sporting event offers a choice of three distances (5, 8, and 16 kilometers) and passes through iconic locations such as the Puente de Segovia, Paseo de Camoens, and Madrid Río.
The Thompson Madrid is also celebrating Chinese New Year with Arty Dragon New Year, a free exhibition by artist Nimei in the hotel lobby from February 9 to 28. The exhibition, with its colorful aesthetics and optimistic tone, explores calm and feminism through the visual universe of the Chinese illustrator, who is based in Barcelona.
And if there’s a gastronomic way to celebrate the new year, it’s with China Taste 2026, a gastronomic initiative that brings together 28 restaurants in Madrid and Palma de Mallorca. From February 1 to March 3, establishments such as Soy Kitchen, El Bund, China Crown, and Dim Sum Market will offer special menus designed for the occasion. The official opening will take place on January 28 at Madrid Fusión, with a four-handed show cooking event featuring Julio Zhang and Roberto Martínez Foronda.