El Escorial is preparing to become a paradise for chocolate lovers. The town is celebrating the 3rd Chocolate Festival, an entire weekend dedicated to cocoa, local history, and family activities. On March 21 and 22, the historic Casa Miñana will open its gardens and halls to host 17 chocolate workshops and master chocolatiers, guided tours, free tastings, scavenger hunts for kids, and even a play inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. At the forefront of this tribute to this sweet gold is the figure of Don Matías López, the entrepreneur who built a veritable cocoa empire in El Escorial in the 19th century and who is now hailed as a sort of Madrid-based Willy Wonka.
The history of El Escorial cannot be understood without chocolate: it was here that the Galician Matías López y López, who had arrived from Sarria (Lugo), established one of Spain’s most important chocolate factories in the second half of the 19th century. Under his leadership, the town became a place teeming with cocoa workers and smoking chimneys—a working-class legacy that is now being revived through exhibitions such as “Hearts of Cocoa: Working-Class Memory in El Escorial, ” included in the conference program.
The heart of the event will be Casa Miñana, one of the municipality’s most iconic venues, which will open its doors on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Its gardens will host the stalls of 17 workshops and chocolatiers, ranging from local classics like Paco Pastel or Vicky Cake to specialized projects such as Cacao Amari, Maychoco, Chocolate Matías López, Chocolates Arpal, and Bombonería D’oro, as well as intriguing offerings like Chocolate in a Bottle or Sonrisa de Ardilla – Squirrel. Visitors can stroll among the stands, discover chocolate bars, bonbons, nougat, fine pastries, single-origin cocoa, and tea pairings, sample many of the creations, and, while they’re at it, fill their bags to continue the chocolate festival at home.
Historical tours, scavenger hunts, and theater
Beyond the stalls, the program is designed to turn the weekend into a true themed weekend centered on cocoa, with activities for all ages. Among the highlights are:
- A historical tour of Don Matías López’s legacy in El Escorial, led by Amparo Ruiz Palazuelos of the Ateneo Escurialense, will explore factories, architectural landmarks, and workers’ stories linked to chocolate.
- Matías López and El EscorialFamily Scavenger Hunt , starting from Casa Miñana, with challenges throughout the town center and prizes for participating families—the perfect way to discover the town through play.
- Ongoing children’s activities in the gardens of Casa Miñana, with workshops and games designed to introduce the little ones to cocoa in a fun way.
- The play Charlie and the Matías López Factory, a local charity adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic, will be performed by the Nuño Gutiérrez Román theater group on Friday afternoon and Sunday at the Pilar Herranz Cultural Center.
Tastings, lectures, and free chocolate
For those looking to go a step beyond tasting and shopping, the event features a robust lineup of tastings and talks with some of the industry’s most respected figures. Carlos Navarro, the driving force behind Cacao Amari and a certified cocoa expert, will lead the “Tree to Bar” tastings—a sensory journey that begins with the dried bean, continues through the nibs, and ends with the finished chocolate, explaining the flavors, textures, and nuances at each stage. Navarro himself will host a cooking demonstration in which he will show, step by step, how these cacaos are transformed into haute cuisine desserts, with a tasting included for the audience.
Sunday will feature a “Bean to Bar” session led by Mayte Sánchez of Maychoco, another leading advocate for single-origin cocoa, and a chocolate baking workshop taught by pastry chef María Victoria Markman of the local bakery Vicky Cake.