Madrid is immense, even when it seems otherwise. While many are finishing packing their bags to escape to the Spanish coast, the city is putting the finishing touches on its preparations to welcome the month of leisure in its own right: August. For 31 days, Madrid exudes a purer air, an exceptional silence, an aura of tranquility—and, above all, because summer inactivity is just a mirage: August activities in Madrid are a refreshing reality for everyone. We’re here to have a (really) good time.
Get your carnations, sandals, and spray bottle ready— we’re off to a street festival. August offers no respite: there are many saints to honor and plenty of “gallinejas” to sample.
We kick things off by celebrating San Cayetano in Lavapiés, from the 5th to the 8th, with shawls adorning the streets and activities taking over the neighborhood, with Vara del Rey Square serving as the epicenter for the traditional concerts. We’ll stay in the same neighborhood to dance in honor of San Lorenzo (August 9–12) in Nelson Mandela, Cabestreros, and Arturo Barea squares. And the neighborhood festivals wrap up with the Virgen de la Paloma from August 14 to 17 on Carrera de San Francisco and in Plaza de los Carros (with concerts in Las Vistillas, as is customary).
BattleKart’s days in Madrid are numbered: the karting and augmented reality experience will close its doors for good on August 30, bidding farewell to the 3,000-square-meter ice rink at the Palacio de Hielo.
Behind the wheel of an electric go-kart, BattleKart transports us into a real-life racing video game where you compete on different tracks projected onto the ground. And yes, you can also collect virtual items, launch projectiles at your opponents, or activate speed boosts, among many other game modes. It’s the perfect activity for groups of 2 to 12 players, and you don’t need a helmet or any special gear to race—the only requirement is that you’re over 1.45m tall.
Formula 4 is the motorsport discipline of the future. Are we exaggerating? Not at all: this is the category where young, up-and-coming drivers who have just moved up from karting compete as they begin their climb toward the coveted Formula 1. On August 22 and 23, the Madrid Jarama-RACE Circuit will host the premier championship, EPIC Racing Weekend, where more than 40 drivers will demonstrate their skills behind the wheel in single-seaters reaching speeds of over 200 km/h.
Do you think they don’t make music like they did in the ’90s anymore? Then you’ll have a blast with this nearly 2-hour show, in which a talented group of singer-dancers revisits the decade’s greatest hits, characterized by its wide variety: rock, pop, electronic, dance… You’ll be able to sing along and dance to all these smash hits (who can resist “Freed From Desire” by Gala or “Black or White” by Michael Jackson?). Just make sure to arrive early. The show starts with a pre-show where you can enjoy era-inspired cocktails, arcade machines, and even a museum with retro items that will bring back some great memories.
The World United by a Soccer Ball, by Annie Leibovitz
The 1986 World Cup was the first to move away from traditional illustrated posters, fully embracing a visual identity that combined a passion for soccer with Mexico’s archaeological heritage. Photographer Annie Leibovitz was the eye behind the lens for this commission, and her 13 photographs will be on display throughout the month at the Casa de México in Madrid. Among them are iconic sites such as Chichén Itzá, Teotihuacán, and Tula, as well as the famous backlit photo of the Atlante statues, which would ultimately serve as the tournament’s official poster.
And speaking of soccer: did you know that this building at Puerta del Sol houses more than 4,000 original artifacts chronicling the history of the beautiful game? The permanent collection at the LEGENDS Museum features jerseys such as Maradona’s from ’86, Pelé’s from ’70, and Ivana Andrés’s from the last Women’s World Cup. In addition, there’s a temporary exhibition dedicated to Iker Casillas, featuring jerseys, cleats, gloves, and trophies (such as the 2010 Golden Glove from South Africa).
Going beyond the display cases, the museum also features several immersive rooms with 4D projections whereyou can relive Iniesta’s goal that earned us our first star or play a game of FIFA.
The “19th-Century Clocks” Exhibition
Table clocks, made of marble, porcelain… but also marine-style clocks, specifically designed to withstand life on the high seas. Who would have thought that measuring time could be so exciting?
The Royal Collections Gallery confirms this with this exhibition, a journey through the clocks acquired by Ferdinand VII and Isabella II throughout their respective reigns—to decorate their palaces, yes, but also to gain greater control over time in their daily lives. Through the work of the great master watchmakers of Spain, France, and England, the exhibition showcases the most representative models of the era as well as the various mechanical advances that made it possible to measure time with ever-greater accuracy.
One of the most eagerly awaited events this month is the total solar eclipse, visible in Madrid for the first time in over a century. On August 12, around 8:30 p.m., 11 municipalities in the Madrid region (including Somosierra, Buitrago de Lozoya, and Alcalá de Henares) will be plunged into total darkness. For a few seconds, at least.
To gaze at the sky safely, the Madrid City Council will distribute free, certified sunglasses at various locations throughout the city.
August comes alive at night, when the sun goes down, a gentle breeze begins to blow, and candles illuminate the city’s most surprising venues. This month, the Candlelight lineup ranges from tributes to pop and rock legends like Queen, The Beatles, ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, Coldplay, and Michael Jackson, to urban music with a tribute to Bad Bunny.
If you’re into film and TV music, you can also enjoy live performances of the soundtracks from *The Lord of the Rings* and *Bridgerton*, as well as compositions by Hans Zimmer and Joe Hisaishi. Classical music lovers will also find something to enjoy with performances of Tchaikovsky ’s *Swan Lake* and Vivaldi ’s *The Four Seasons *.
To escape the heat on Madrid’s summer nights, the idea of going out to enjoy the cool air gets even better with a giant screen and some snacks. Madrid rolls out its outdoor movie lineup throughout the city with a program that includes the latest releases, independent films, animation, and cult classics.
Options include the traditional Fescinal festival in Parque de la Bombilla, Cibeles de Cine at the Galería de Cristal, and La Terraza Magnética at La Casa Encendida. Adding to this lineup is Matadero with its film-concert series and live discussions, as well as the capital’s various districts, which screen films for all ages in the city’s plazas and parks.
Ouka Leele, mythology, and Madrid’s art scene of the ’80s
A journey through more than a hundred works to explore how Madrid artists of the 1980s used mythological narratives to reinterpret the reality of their time: this is what the exhibition *Modern Mythologies* offers us. The exhibition kicks off with *Rapelle toi, Bárbara!*, the iconic performance in which Ouka Leele brought traffic to a standstill at the Cibeles Fountain in 1987, but it also features photography, painting, comics, fanzines… All works by various artists associated with the Movida and New Figuration movements, such as El Hortelano, Ceesepe, Carlos Franco, Sigfrido Martín Begué, and the duo Costus.
Various arcade games scattered throughout the venue, virtual reality stations… and a roller coaster? Indoors? Madrid is home to places as wild as Babylon Park, which could be described as a huge indoor amusement park. And with plenty of air conditioning to beat the sweltering summer heat.
*In the American West*, a documentary photo essay by Richard Avedon
For five summers in the early 1980s, Richard Avedon traveled across the western United States to photograph more than a thousand working-class people, from miners and ranchers to homeless people and carnival workers. Now, the Mapfre Foundation is exhibiting these photographs.
The exhibition presents the images in the same order in which they were published in the original 1985 photobook, while also including previously unpublished material that offers insight into Avedon’s creative process for the project and his stance on the plight of the marginalized working classes during that decade.
It’s a fact that we love the Community of Madrid’s public pools: so necessary, so refreshing, so much a part of the neighborhood. But the fact that we’re passionate about natural swimming spots… is undeniable. Luckily, the natural landscape on the outskirts of Madrid offers a series of oases of peace and swimming, such as Las Presillas, the world-famous San Juan Reservoir, the natural pools of Cercedilla, or the Hoya Encavera in Lozoya. The choice is yours.
Summers at Santander Park
“Veranos en el Parque” once againtransforms the facilities of Santander Park with a summer season of outdoor film screenings and performing arts. The program is headlined by family-friendly shows such as the puppet performances by Zurrunka Teatro & La Semilla Voladora and the physical theater of the Portuguese company Concorda. The festival also features performances by the Ballet Español de la Comunidad de Madrid, which presents the second edition of *Patrimonio*, a show that explores styles such as flamenco, stylized dance, and the bolero school.
It’s not the Supreme Court or the National Court, but at The Jury Experience, the audience turns their theater seat into the judge’s bench. This immersive theater format transforms you into a member of a jury where you must listen to conflicting testimonies, analyze evidence, and find contradictions to reach a verdict.
At the end of the play, the decision to declare the defendant guilty or innocent rests solely with the audience. Due to the intensity of the plot, which includes moments of strong emotional conflict and touches on sensitive topics, the minimum age for participation is 12 years old.
From the Chorrera de los Litueros in Somosierra (note: it tops the list of Madrid’s coolest villages) to the Purgatorio waterfall in Rascafría or the stunning Pradillo Reservoir. August is the perfect month to escape into nature and seek out those spots that make us happy after a short walk or hike. Are you up for it?
Yllana’s *The Opera Locos*
The Yllana theater company takes the stage in Madrid with a comedy that blends the greatest hits of opera with other musical genres. Five opera singers begin what appears to be a standard recital, but the performance soon spirals out of control when their hidden passions come to light, turning the stage into a battlefield. The play, which won the 2019 Max Award for Best Musical, breaks with the traditional format to play with the physical and gestural humor that characterizes Yllana.
Dorothy Iannone’s First Solo Exhibition in Spain
Móstoles is hosting Spain’s first solo exhibition dedicated to the late American artist Dorothy Iannone. Known for her provocative work, which brings female desire to the forefront, Iannone’s pieces openly explore love, eroticism, and sexuality.
The retrospective organizes Iannone’s vast creative universe into six thematic sections, featuring paintings, videos, and his iconic sound boxes, including the controversial *People* series and works inspired by his relationship with the Swiss artist Dieter Roth.
The Jazz Room recreates the atmosphere of a 1920s New Orleans club to pay tribute to two giants of the genre: Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong. Amid soft lighting and the chance to enjoy a drink during the concert, a band gives itself over to improvisation and live jazz, performing iconic songs such as“ ” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “What a Wonderful World,” and “New York, New York.”
On the Way to Mecca at the Bellas Artes Theater
Lola Herrera takes the stage to bring Helen Martins to life, a South African sculptor who rebelled against the moral codes of her time to defend her creative freedom. Directed by Claudio Tolcachir and based on the play by Athol Fugard, *Road to Mecca* immerses us in the story of a protagonist who values questions over certainties and seeks to live and create with complete autonomy.
Throughout the play’s 90-minute runtime, Herrera shares the stage with Natalia Dicenta and Carlos Olalla. Tolcachir has crafted this version specifically so that the lead actress can embody “the character’s indomitable spirit, ” focusing the message on the desire to live and the ability to break through the limits imposed by society
The Slowness of Light, an exhibition by María Lara
Long considered a “secret painter” for creating her work in the utmost privacy of her studio, María Lara is exhibiting 40 paintings and drawings at CentroCentro, the result of her career spanning the last 25 years. With a strong connection to minimalist art, the artist constructs her canvases using horizontal and vertical stripes to shape different chromatic fields, creating a space for leisurely contemplation in a world dominated by fast-paced, consumer-driven imagery.
Roof terraces, rooftops, patios… No matter what you call them: they’re a Madrid staple, as they let us experience firsthand those sunsets we Madrileños boast so much about. Plus, many of them host parties, concerts, brunch, and cocktail afternoons with live music… So, which one are you up for?