Update: a first version of the program guaranteed the presence of Camela, but health problems have caused changes in the program.
The Fiestas de la Melonera will once again fill the Arganzuela district with music, tradition and community life between September 4 and 7. The main stage will be, once again, the esplanade of the fairgrounds of Madrid Rio, where a festive program designed for all audiences will be deployed. This 2025, the musical protagonism will be taken by two names that marked generations: Camela and Nacha Pop.
The event will kick off on Thursday 4 with concerts by Santa Esencia and Javier Ojeda. The following day, Friday 5, Entreduendes will warm up the atmosphere before the expected live performance by Nacha Pop, one of the essential groups of the Movida madrileña. On Saturday 6th it was going to be Camela‘s turn, but due to health problems there have been changes in the program and Antonio Carmona (Ketama) and Soraya will replace them. And on Sunday 7 the musical program will be closed by Bendecida, with a tribute to Héroes del Silencio.
Tradition, sport and popular culture in the heart of Madrid Río
Beyond the concerts, the Fiestas de la Melonera maintain their participatory nature, with a parallel program that includes from workshops and children’s activities, to meetings for the elderly, family shows, popular dances and the traditional mass in honor of the Virgen del Puerto.
One of the most anticipated events will be, as every year, the Carrera Popular La Melonera, which in this edition reaches its XXXIV edition. The registration period is already open for this sporting event that combines the festive spirit with a taste for the outdoors in a privileged environment such as Madrid Rio.
The district councilor, Lola Navarro, stressed that these festivities will be “an appointment to meet again in the streets and squares of Arganzuela and celebrate together a tradition that is already part of our identity”.
August, the month of the verbenas: from the heart of Arganzuela to the center of Madrid
While Arganzuela prepares for its big date with the Fiestas de la Melonera, the center of Madrid is already immersed in the most traditional celebrations of August: San Cayetano, San Lorenzo and the Virgen de la Paloma. The verbenas chained together dye the streets of Lavapiés, Embajadores and La Latina with garlands, shawls and music, turning the city center into an open stage for more than ten days.
This year, the free concerts in August bring together such popular names as Café Quijano, Antonio Carmona, Azúcar Moreno or Anabel Lee, along with emerging proposals and DJs that will liven up squares such as General Vara de Rey, Arturo Barea or the Jardines de Las Vistillas until the early hours of the morning.