The second half of winter is synonymous with celebrations for Chinese New Year (also called Spring Festival or Chūn Jié) in the capital. With more than 3,000 years of history, the festival takes over the streets of Usera starting in the last week of January. Once again, organizations related to the event say there will be special workshops, parades and races (among other activities to be confirmed) to pay homage to Madrid’s Chinese community.
Fireworks in Pradolongo
Fireworks, already used in ancient China to attract luck and ward off evil spirits, will be the protagonists of the show that will host the Pradolongo Park. The display of lights will pay homage to the zodiacal sign of the snake.
📍 Location: Pradolongo Park (Usera)
📅 Dates: February 1 (from 20:00 to 20:15)
DJ session in Usera
After the fires, DJ Yang will present a live session of the most exotic to continue the party. We will enjoy a great mix of styles -house, techno and reggaeton, among others- created by a key figure in Asian music parties nationwide.
📍 Location: esplanade of the Municipal Board of Usera
📅 Dates: February 1 (from 20:20 h)
Spring Race
Sport will play an important role in the Chūn Jié of 2025: the Spring Race organized by the Community of Madrid will bring together dozens of runners dressed in red on Sunday, February 9. It will start and finish at the same point, at the Plaza de Colón, and will pass through Madrid’s little Manhattan: the Paseo de la Castellana. Participants will choose between three routes: one of 5 kilometers, another of 8 kilometers and a last one of 16 kilometers.
📍 Location: Plaza de Colón
📅 Dates: February 9th
A festival of Chinese gastronomy.
19 Chinese restaurants in Madrid join a culinary event to celebrate the Year of the Snake with a good menu. Yes, China Taste is back with special dishes that are hard to resist, such as the Agripicante Chicken from Kzen restaurant (O’Donnell, 17) or the fried pickled sea bass from Soy Kitchen (Calle Zurbano, 59).
Featured restaurants of China Taste
- Xiaolongkan (Calle del Maestro Arbós, 3): special menu for 35 euros per person.
- El Buda Feliz 1974 (Calle Tudescos, 5): special menu for 43€ per person.
- Chun Li (c/ del Caballero de Gracia, 22): special menu for 25€ per person.
- China Crown (Calle Don Ramón de la Cruz, 6): special menu for 90€ per person.
📍 Location: several locations
📅 Dates: January 20 to February 16
New Year’s menu at Biáng Biáng
The small restaurant on Pelayo Street is giving its menu a twist for the Spring Festival. It has prepared three dishes with giantnoodles from Xi’an (its specialty) as the protagonists. They are available with boletus and asparagus (ideal option for vegetarians), with Black Angus and with breaded pork. For dessert he has created his own Chinese-style panacotta , with white pear and jasmine tea.
📍 Location: calle Pelayo, 8 (Chueca)
📅 Dates: January 20 to February 16
Calligraphy and dance workshops
The Confucius Institute of Madrid is organizing activities so that we can all do our bit to help organize the festival. There will be a calligraphy workshop (with previous registration via email: write to centro.marisstella@madrid.es) and a classical Chinese dance workshop (10€) with teacher Zhang Zhehao.
Dance workshop
📍 Location: calle Goya, 10
📅 Dates: January 29, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Chinese calligraphy workshop
📍 Location: CEAC Maris Stella (calle Doctor Tolosa Latour, 16)
📅 Dates: February 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Chinese New Year Parades in Madrid.
The grand parade for the Spring Festival will invade the avenues of Madrid’s Chinatown with its vibrant colors on Sunday, February 2. As every year, there will be a performance of the most exotic: hundreds of artists will walk through the neighborhood of Usera with thousands of references to traditional China.
📍 Location: from Marcelo Usera Street to Rafaela Avenue
📅 Dates: February 2, from 12:00 to 14:00 hours
Exhibitions with a focus on Asia
Lovers of Asian culture will be able to visit temporary exhibitions on Asia. A photographic one, reflecting life in the city of Weihai, and another of Chinese ink painting, with 23 works by the artist Yue Yu.
A View from Weihai – photography exhibition
📍 Location: CEAC Maris Stella (Doctor Tolosa Latour street, 16)
📅 Dates: from January 29th to February 28th
Rojo – painting exhibition
📍 Location: Exhibition hall of the Junta Municipal del Distrito de Usera
📅 Dates: from January 29th to February 28th