Amazing things to do in Madrid in January 2026

Avatar: The Experience transforms Espacio Delicias into Pandora with an immersive one-hour tour through bioluminescent jungles, animatronic creatures, and scientific laboratories.

In the middle of January, with our New Year’s resolutions still fresh and our heads still spinning from the holiday hangover, spending an afternoon strolling through the Pandoran Research Foundation is almost like taking a break from the New Year frenzy. The scientists who guide the tour explain what this moon is like and how the different Na’vi tribes live on it, with a close look at the ecology.

The largest retrospective on the legend of photojournalism Robert Capa closes its doors this month. Through 250 pieces, the exhibition shows us images of the Spanish Civil War and the Normandy landings through the lens of his Leica camera, but also gives us a glimpse of the lesser-known facets of the photographer, including personal objects and self-portraits.

In January, music will not only be heard: it will also be seen. On the 10th of this month, FLOW will open its doors, offering an immersive journey along the Vltava, the river that runs through Prague. Based on the symphonic music that Bedřich Smetana composed inspired by the Czech river, FLOW will unfold a light and sound show at the Friedenskirche: the walls and ceilings of the church will become the canvas for an impressive video mapping that will give rise to the overwhelming force of nature.

Works of art that are transformed by our play: we step on, observe, move, blow… It takes a village to move a desert is a space for sharing and experiencing art, conceived by artist María Jerez, in an invitation to revisit the idea of the playground , whatever our age.

This interactive exhibition is the second iteration of the Situ-akzioak project, which premiered in 2024 at Tabakalera (San Sebastián) with Se necesita un pueblo para levantar una montaña(It Takes a Village to Move a Mountain).

The Madrid headquarters of the Juan March Foundation continues its free classic film sessions with commentary. In January, David Felipe Arranz will present and screen Josef von Sternberg’s The Shanghai Express (1932).

This activity is part of the Foundation’s annual film series, which, until May, will focus on Pre-Code Hollywood films: provocative cinema produced in the years prior to the implementation of the strict Hays Code in 1934, whose censorship would draw a red line between morally acceptable content and that which should be removed from the big screen.

The music craze begins in 2026. Madrid, as we all know, is the epicenter of the best live performances and the city where the tours of the leading international artists pass through. But the capital also welcomes those little gems that perform in medium or small venues, and in January, the show begins! Some dates to keep in mind:

• January 9 and 10, Baiuca
• January 15, Milo J
• January 17, SABA
• January 17, Luz Casal
• January 18, Patrick Watson
• January 23, Militarie Gun
• January 30, Sen Senra
• January 31, Delaossa

New year, new energy… and, if you like, new general knowledge. This immersive game inspired by TV game shows combines tests of memory, intuition, and hearing in an environment full of lights and podiums, with a roulette wheel presiding over the center.

The tests include classics such as guessing songs and music videos from the collective imagination, rounds of price guessing, and general knowledge quizzes where a capital city or historical date becomes an extreme sport. There are also speed and reflex challenges, including roulette and a red button. All this with nods to the TV game shows (and their presenters) that have accompanied us on summer afternoons.

It’s time to say goodbye to the dinosaurs of Jurassic World: The Experience. This immersive experience is leaving Espacio Delicias after a few months of nostalgia (how can you not remember the films in the series when you walk through its sets?), excitement (it’s incredible and overwhelming to walk through the doors of Jurassic World and see the amazing animatronic brachiosaurus in the background) and the occasional scare (we won’t spoil it for you…).

A year of celebrations for the centenary of an essential figure in contemporary Spanish literature culminates at the National Library. The exhibition Carmen Martín Gaite. A Paradigm of Women of Letters takes the form of a chronological journey through the circumstances and relationships that most influenced the Salamanca-born writer, both as a woman and as a writer.

Manuscripts, photographs, correspondence, personal objects, and collages reflect Carmen Martín Gaite, inviting visitors on an exhaustive journey through her work, but also revealing the breadth of intellectual interests that shaped the author’s imagination throughout her life.

From Alfonso XIII’s book on the Tooth Fairy to the horse indexes in which the princesses Beatriz and María Cristina recorded the names of their mares and horses. The Royal Toys exhibition is a journey through the most intimate and everyday history of the Spanish monarchy between 1850 and 1931. You will find it in the Royal Collections Gallery, on the same floor as the temporary exhibition on Victoria Eugenia de Battenberg.

Founded in 1956, Corral de la Morería is recognized today as the oldest active flamenco tablao in the world. Its stage has welcomed great legends of flamenco: Antonio Gades, Paco de Lucía… even Blanca del Rey, its current artistic director. To celebrate 70 years of this immense legacy, the venue is offering a series of six shows starring the biggest names in flamenco dance today:

• Ana Morales, January 16
• Belén López, January 17
• María Moreno, January 23
• Joaquín Grilo, January 24
• Marco Flores, January 30
• David Corla, January 31

In Madrid, anything is possible. Even traveling to Machu Picchu without leaving the Tetuán neighborhood. Machu Picchu: Journey to the Lost City is an immersive virtual reality experience in which, thanks to technology, visitors can enter the Sacred Valley, learn about its history and discover its secrets.

This exhibition opens the door to the dressing room, that intimate and often forgotten space in 19th-century photographic studios. Originally conceived as rooms for women to get ready, the exhibition reveals how they actually functioned as laboratories of identity: a territory of freedom where women experimented with their image and took control of their own representation before facing the camera.

The great International Tourism Fair is back: from January 22 to 26, IFEMA will become the meeting point for countries, tour operators, the travel media, tourism professionals… In this edition, Mexico is FITUR 2026’s partner, meaning that activities, workshops, and various events will be held throughout the city.

And after FITUR, Madrid Fusión, another of the major trade fairs that kick off every year at IFEMA. Madrid Fusión is the closest thing to paradise for gourmets, foodies, and product lovers, but also for those curious about trends in the kitchen. With the presence of the country’s most renowned chefs, as well as restaurants, agencies, companies, and businesses dedicated to food and catering, Madrid Fusión showcases the latest developments in the sector and also hosts highly anticipated workshops and competitions, such as the chef revelation of the year.

In this 2026 edition, entitled “The customer takes control, “ the round tables and demonstrations will focus on analyzing the reasons for this gastronomic revolution in which “diners are demanding more freedom and more authenticity,” in a series of presentations featuring big names such as Joan and Jordi Roca, Oriol Castro, Noelia Tomoshige, and Albert Adrià.

It’s a fact: padel is on everyone’s lips, and you can see it on the public and private courts in Madrid where this sport is played. But the craze will reach its peak with the Generali Hexagon Cup, a team competition that brings together the world’s best padel players at Caja Mágica. These teams are owned by fans of the sport, such as Kun Agüero, Eva Longoria, and Pierre Gasly. Who will take the glory?

Composer and artist Clara Aguilar brings her Figura project to the stage, a proposal that moves effortlessly between electronic, ambient, and chamber pop. The show transcends the conventional concert format to become a visual performance: a pixelated light design accompanies the artist, who performs all the music live.

Vincent River, by British playwright Philip Ridley, is presented as a dizzying journey in real time that explores the relationship between two strangers, Davey and Anita, whose lives are changed forever after an encounter marked by the shadow of a hate crime.

Both heartbreaking and poetic, Ridley’s film uses dark humor as its hallmark to address homophobic violence in a way that is as necessary as it is timely.

Go from spectator to creator. That’s the idea behind the writing workshops flooding the library network during the first quarter of 2026. The offering is a veritable literary laboratory: you can delve into techniques associated with narrative and poetry, explore mythology and its application in writing, or learn all about podcasts.

The courses, available in morning, afternoon, and weekend sessions, cover much of the capital: from Fuencarral-El Pardo to Usera, passing through Retiro, Carabanchel, Chamberí, and Vallecas, among others.

Quiz Room is an exciting quiz game where mental agility and strategy are the keys to success. Perfect for group fun, it offers several ways to play, such as Todo al Quiz, the dynamic musical quiz (which will remind you of a certain TV show, we know) or the Quiz Room Kids version, designed especially for the little ones.

Candles, excitement, music, maestro! Candlelight is a series of concerts by candlelight that reinterprets the great classics but also ventures into pop, rock, soundtracks… In 2026, Candlelight kicks off on January 2 with a tribute to Ludovico Einaudi.

The unforgettable soundtracks of The Lord of the Rings trilogy will fill the halls of the Hotel Wellington with a live string quartet, kicking off the 25th anniversary of the first film in the best possible way. Best of all, let yourself be inspired by the spirit of Middle Earth… and go to the concert dressed as your favorite character!

For the rest of the month, there will be tributes to Ed Sheeran vs. Coldplay, a tribute to Luis Miguel, music by Hans Zimmer, great classics from history such as Vivaldi, Mozart, and Bach… and many others among the twinkling candlelight in incredible locations throughout Madrid.

The Broadway classic Godspell arrives on the Madrid stage with Antonio Banderas at the helm. The musical combines vaudeville, magic, puppets, and rock to revisit the Gospel of St. Matthew from a more contemporary and relatable perspective. The cast, featuring well-known names such as Angy Fernández and Roko, will bring hymns such as Day by Day to life in a production that reflects on coexistence, tolerance, and the need to build something together.

The Círculo de Bellas Artes kicks off 2026 by transforming itself into a large experimentation laboratory for all audiences. Starting in January, the center is launching a new season of practical workshops ranging from Japanese calligraphy to watercolor painting. Among its varied offerings, highlights include a therapeutic writing workshop with Hasier Larretxea, the collective creation of a web series for teenagers with Edu Cardoso, and El armario emocional(The Emotional Wardrobe), where Clara Macías teaches how to transform forgotten garments through upcycling. These are just some of the workshops available in a program designed to learn, get your hands dirty, and reconnect with personal creativity in community.

Matadero has the perfect plan to escape the January cold and travel to the heat of ancient Egypt. Cleopatra, the immersive exhibition, offers an ambitious display covering more than 2,000 m2 to rediscover the figure of the last great queen of the Nile. Through 360º projections, virtual reality, and 3D holograms, visitors can tour Alexandria, witness the battles against Rome, or explore Cleopatra’s lost tomb.

The Teatro de la Comedia pays tribute to the irreverence of Francisco Arderíus, the man who revolutionized the Spanish scene in the 19th century by importing Offenbach’s comic opera. Directed by Rafa Castejón, this revival recaptures the spirit of Los Bufos Madrileños through the entertaining zarzuela Los órganos de Móstoles. A display of humor and social criticism that proves that the classics, when done with enthusiasm, remain tremendously relevant today.

The La Zaranda theater company arrives at Nave 10 in Matadero to celebrate its 48 years on stage with its latest creation, a poetic journey to the periphery of life, where the protagonists are not heroes, but the forgotten: prostitutes, ex-convicts, and wanderers.

True to its “countercurrent theater” style, Todos los ángeles alzaron el vuelo mixes the sordid with the spiritual, loaded with humor born of pain that will serve as resistance and inspiration to find a luminous universe of hope.