Amazing things to do in Madrid in November

Although it may not seem like it, in Madrid the sun shines high in November. It doesn’t heat up in the same way, but it invites you to take to the streets during the day and take refuge in the warmth of the interiors at night. Get comfortable, open your autumn notebook and warm up your engines with these November plans that we will make in Madrid. The cold, sometimes, can be beautiful.

Official Marvel Exhibition (from November 15)

A gift for comic book lovers, also of the most awaited blockbuster: both Marvel comics and movies have marked generations, have generated quotes that are already part of the collective imagination and have moved masses. Now, the great immersive exhibition Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes, is installed in Madrid to make us happy among more than 200 original objects that cover 85 years of the House of Ideas.

Recinto Ferial de IFEMA Madrid (Avenida del Partenón, 5, Barajas).

💸 Tickets: from 16,90€.

The taco of the million followers (all month)

At Madrid Secreto we are celebrating: we have reached one million followers on our Instagram. And as our work is about discovering places, suggesting experiences and trying new plans, we have created a taco for you to try, taste, taste thanks to the hands and the kitchen of Mami Tacos.

On Wednesday, November 13, we will give away 100 units starting at 20.00h. But in addition, throughout the month of November you can try this exclusive recipe made from grilled pork ear and very crispy with chili oil, salsa brava and aioli and cilantro and onion with a touch of spicy smoked paprika.

📍San Andrés, 31 (Malasaña)

Candlelight’s candlelight concerts (all month)

Candlelight’s program for this November includes tributes to Queen, Coldplay, The Beatles, Metallica, Abba… also a flamenco tribute (to Camarón, Morente, Lola Flores…) as well as thematic ones like the one dedicated to Rings and Dragons and the new show with the best of the Bridgertons.

In addition, the classics among the classics: Tchaikovsky’s Lake of the Cinemas, a Puccini vs Verdi concert or a tribute to Ludovico Einaudi.

Various locations.

💸 Admission: from 15 €

The Berlin Wall. A World Divided (all month)

In November 2023, almost a year ago, the exhibition that tells the story of the Berlin Wall in an exhaustive way and with more than 300 original objects and testimonies, opened. Through the stories of the lives of Berliners on both sides of the wall, a history of the escalation of this global conflict between capitalism and communism is constructed.

The Berlin Wall. A World Divided also reflects on a not-so-previous moment whose consequences are still valid from the personal to the collective; from the social to the political.

Sala Castellana 214 (Fundación Canal) Paseo de la Castellana, 214

💸 Tickets: from 14€.

Humus Revolution (from November 13 to 25)

A festival in the city center that reflects and demonstrates “the potential of urban agroecology from an artistic and cultural point of view”. This peculiar event will invade the Casa Encendida starting from the importance of the urban garden to end up analyzing the power of the community and the connections with the rural environment. Among the activities that we will find in Humus Revolution, we can build musical instruments with recycled material, participate in a treasure hunt finding “hidden green shoots”, even reimagine that green future through the magic of cinema.

📍San Andrés, 31 (Malasaña)

Ronda castiza, a new tapas route (from November 21 to December 1).

Ronda Castiza is the first edition of a new tapas route. Ten establishments in the heart of La Latina neighborhood will present tapas (for 3€) in collaboration with Vermut Bendito (if you want to wash down your tapa with this vermouth, the tapa-vermouth combination will be 4€). The aim is to highlight the value of the traditional bars and the gastronomy of snails, oxtail and tortilla that, with or without reinvention, are still the hallmark of the most authentic Madrid. A note: there is also a vegan wink (the vegan tripe of El Viva).

📍Different places around Plaza de la Paja (La Latina)

An exhibition for the 30th anniversary of The Lion King (from Nov. 1)

Disney has left us true masterpieces that, to this day, are still in force, touching different generations and shaping their collective imaginary of fiction. The Lion King is now thirty years old, three decades since this film was born to become a classic. Now, a free exhibition is installed in the Belgian Serrería paying tribute “to the artists and filmmakers who participated in the creative process” of the film, but also of derivative works such as the Broadway musical or the one in Madrid (the exhibition will feature original costume pieces).

Calle de la Alameda, 15 (barrio de las Letras)

Xiaomi House at PONS Foundation (from November 16 to 18)

Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a hyperconnected home, right? Well, even better! Because the new interactive experience that Xiaomi will bring to Madrid will allow you to discover how your home could be in the future.

Casa Xiaomi is the new meeting place for fans of technology, design and motor (yes, yes, motor). In this space, the brand presents us with an immersive itinerary where its devices are naturally integrated into the domestic environment including the garage, where the new Xiaomi SU7 stands out.

In addition, the space will feature different gastronomic workshops open free of charge to the public for which you can get tickets through Fever.

📍 Calle Serrano, 138

💸 Free entrance until full capacity is reached. Access to the workshops will require prior registration through this link.

Contemporary Dance at Condeduque (November 15 and 16)

Ballet Lorraine lands for two days only at the Centro de Cultura Contemporánea Condeduque. 24 dancers will light up the stage with two pieces: the first , Static Shot (directed by Maud Le Pladec), “captures the artificiality of the fashion world by fusing dance with the catwalk,” as the official press release states; the second, Malón (signed by Ayelén Parolín), deals with the chaos that occurs when many people coincide in the same space, all through corporeality and contemporary dance.

Calle del Conde Duque, 11 (Conde Duque)

IFEMA Madrid Horse Week (from November 28).

IFEMA Madrid Horse Week is considered the most outstanding multidisciplinary equestrian event in Spain. For four days (from November 28 to December 1), there will be high level competitions, dressage exhibitions (classical or cowboy)… In addition, there will be a food truck area, a children’s area and interactive workshops.

Halls 12 and 14 of the IFEMA Madrid Exhibition Center (Avenida del Partenón, 5, Barajas).

💸 Tickets: from 15€ (center ring tickets include access to the Salón del Caballo all day long)

Naturaleza Encendida LIFE (from November 26th)

Naturaleza Encendida returns to Madrid under the LIFE concept. Tierno Galván Park, which will be dressed in nature and light through a dreamlike walk with various art installations. In this edition, so full of life, it is organized around “three great natural realms: the aquatic, the terrestrial and the aerial, each one full of wonders that reveal nature in a surprising way”. The different sections of this dreamlike journey will be contextualized with lights, music and impressive projections.

📍Meneses Street, 4 (Legazpi)

Matadero celebrates the 100th anniversary of the space it occupies with a film season.

From November 5 to 8, Cineteca organizes a film series with a clear protagonist: the building of the former municipal slaughterhouse of Madrid (and today, a cultural center). Matadero, set de rodaje’ includes films such as Felices Pascuas, by Juan Antonio Bardem; Sin noticias de Dios, by Agustín Díaz Yanes; El embrujo de Shanghai, by Fernando Trueba; Matador, by Pedro Almodóvar; and Los Golfos, by Carlos Saura.

Special mention should be made of La buena estrella (The Good Star), a film by Ricardo Franco, which will be presented by Antonio Resines himself on November 6 (who won a Goya for his role in the film). Also, on the same day, the short film Procesos, which narrates the rehabilitation of Nave 17, will be screened.

📍 Plaza de Legazpi, 8 (Arganzuela)

Paper Oaths. The citizen’s pact in the drawings of José de Madrazo (from November 6).

Room 60 of the Museo del Prado’s Villanueva building hosts a micro-universe dedicated to the drawings of José de Madrazo. These 12 works are not only a journey through the artistic career of the Spanish draftsman, but also a trip to his inspirations, apprenticeship, technique and the depths of the neoclassical style.

📍Paseo del Prado (Jerónimos)

Festival Eñe (from November 9 to 26)

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November is that month of pure transition: we are leaving autumn behind and getting ready to make a winter bundle. In this context, reading is a necessary refuge. And new authors, new letters, the importance of words. This sixteenth edition of the Eñe Festival will bring together in Madrid a hundred writers from around the world (with Chile as guest country) and different activities (recitals, talks, conversations…) in dozens of venues throughout the city.

📍 Avenida de Juan de Borbón y Battenberg, s/n (San Lorenzo de El Escorial)

A getaway to El Escorial: special activities

This November, the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial celebrates the 40th anniversary of its inclusion in the list of World Heritage Sites. For this reason, concerts, conferences, special visits to areas normally closed to the public will be held throughout the month. Among them, highlights include dramatized night visits, lectures and workshops on the works of art that keeps the monastic complex or guided tours by the workers of the place, which will reveal all its secrets. Here is the complete program.

📍 Avenida de Juan de Borbón y Battenberg, s/n (San Lorenzo de El Escorial)

Science Week at the Royal Botanical Garden-CSIC (from November 4 to 17)

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The CSIC and the Royal Botanical Garden join forces, one more year, to dedicate a week to science and outreach. Different sessions full of workshops, guided tours… For example, among all the activities, there is a very peculiar one about insects (tasting included), also a visit to the palm collection of the RJB or a practical (and very necessary) workshop on “Wild bees and other pollinators”. You can find out more (and register) here.

📍 Avenida de Juan de Borbón y Battenberg, s/n (San Lorenzo de El Escorial)

Autumn Festival (November 6 to 30)

The Autumn Festival returns for its 42nd edition and, as usual, will join arts such as theater, performance… A festival that has placed Madrid as a reference in the international performing arts circuit and brings together innovative and avant-garde national and international proposals. This 2024, dedicated to its first director, Pilar de Yzaguirre, will expand to eight municipalities and seven venues in the capital.

It will kick off on November 6 with Cántico espiritual de San Juan de la Cruz, by Amancio Prada. It will close on November 30 having presented 25 shows (three world premieres and twelve premieres in Spain), with companies from fifteen countries. Among the highlights, the performance of María Hervás, who will face 24 hours of continuous interpretation with the Spanish adaptation of The Second Woman. Here you can access the complete program.

📍 Various locations

Madrid Christmas Lights (November 28)

As every year, Madrid turns on its Christmas lights in the throes of November (it will be on the 28th). The lights will glow until January 6, as they do every season, and many streets throughout the city will premiere Christmas lighting: practically every corner of Madrid (some 230 locations in 21 districts) will be decorated by a luminous arch, a cherry tree or a chain.

The person in charge of the lighting will be the national soccer coach, Luis de la Fuente, at the Puerta del Sol on the 28th. De la Fuente will light, with a symbolic gesture, a total of 7100 chains, 121 cherry trees and a dozen large luminous fir trees.

📍 Various locations in Madrid

The space between the fingers (all month long)

The Alcalá 31 Exhibition Hall presents the monographic exhibition of Jacobo Castellano, more than a hundred sculptures and paintings of his production of the last two decades. In this exhibition, the author reflects on his own artistic path, one that starts in his own home, the Casa de las Flores (which will have its place with a representation of the doors of the building). As a curiosity, Castellano has recurrently visited the Prado Museum in recent months looking for inspiration (especially in Goya and Zurbarán) for this artistic exercise that we will find in the Sala Alcalá.

📍 Alcalá Street, 31 (Downtown)

The Pillars of the Earth, the musical (from November 20)

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Ken Follett’s classic comes to life at the EDP Gran Vía theater with a super musical production that premieres for the first time in Madrid. For those new to this fiction, a brief summary of what you will see: the book The Pillars of the Earth narrates the adventures of Tom Builder (who, as his surname indicates, is a builder). He has a dream that becomes an obsession and his life’s goal: to build a Gothic cathedral in his village. Set in medieval England, this story is a whole universe in which ambition and power are almost as important as love.

📍 Gran Vía, 66 (Downtown)

Polke/Goya (from November 26)

Sigmar Polke, a 20th century German painter, was one of many artists influenced by Goya’s art. This exhibition at the Museo del Prado explores the artistic relationship between the two through objects, photographs, paintings, films and drawings. All to demonstrate how time sometimes folds when it comes to art, and puts in contact two artistic souls distanced by centuries but connected in themes and workmanship.

📍Paseo del Prado (Jerónimos)

Shaking hands. Sculpture and color in the Golden Age ( from November 19)

This exhibition brings together more than a hundred paintings, prints, sculptures, all to draw a line, an invisible thread, which reflects on the obsession with the figure of the realists of Spanish art during the Renaissance and Baroque.

📍Paseo del Prado (Jerónimos)

Gabriele Münter. The Great Expressionist Painter (from November 12)

More than a hundred paintings, drawings, engravings and photographs will arrive at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum this winter to expand the universe of Gabriele Münter. Münter was one of the founders of the expressionist group The Blue Rider, as well as one of the most outstanding painters of the early 20th century. As a detail, four of the works on display in this exhibition are part of the museum’s permanent collection and, finally, will be accompanied by a large selection of the German artist.

📍 Paseo del Prado, 8 (Center)

Goya x Lita Cabellut. Los Disparates. “Miserable humanity, the fault is yours” (all month).

The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando premieres an exhibition on October 30, to kick off November with a very particular vision of Goya’s imaginary and universe. Lita Cabellut, visual artist, is inspired by Goya’s Los Disparates to create this exhibition that is more of an “intellectual immersion that challenges the viewer to explore the historical and cultural synergies” between these two artists.

📍Alcalá Street, 13 (Sol)

Mírame, by Livianas Provincianas (November 7, 14 and 28)

Berta and Reme arrived in Madrid to fulfill a dream: to be cupletistas. In Tribulete Street, they lived in a boarding house and worked as seamstresses while singing here and there. So they founded Livianas Provincianas, a duo that, in this third edition of their show, has reached the cover of Interviú.

The Livianas Provincianas have reached the top: they have money, they have made a world tour and filled their closet with fanciful dresses. But, alas, all that glitters is gold… Mírame is a fast-paced, fun, exciting show. Not to be missed. You will find it at Teatros Luchana.

📍 Calle de Luchana, 38 (Chamberí)

Madrid’s ice rinks open (end of the month)

The Madrid City Council warms up the engines and cools down the ice rinks of the city. It announces that at the end of November (date to be determined) will open the ice rink in Plaza de España, which for some years has been coming to this point of the city as part of the activities of La Navideña. There are 450m2 of rink and will be active until January 6, after the passage of Their Majesties the Three Kings.

Another of the rinks that will start its activity in November is the one in the Plaza de Colón: it will be on November 24, will remain until November 7 and will be managed by the expert team of skater Javier Fernández. As in previous years, 10% of each ticket will go to Down España.

📍Various locations

Madrid Craft Week – XMAS 2024 (from November 21st)

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Yes, no matter how much we try to delay it, life runs over us with tinsel, street lights and street markets: Christmas is already here (and we will complain; in Vigo they have been installing lights since July). And just as the time of the lighting, so awaited by the Madrilenians, is approaching, we already have closer and closer creative and Christmas initiatives such as the Madrid Craft Week.

That is, a space by and for the handmade, with a selection of author stores, presentations, talks, lectures and the work of artisans who will show here all their talent.

📍Several locations

LesGaiCineMad 2024 (November 13 to 24)

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The most important Spanish-speaking LGTBIQA+ thematic film festival in the world returns to Madrid for its 29th edition, almost 30 years of a festival as vindictive as it is necessary. On this occasion, LesGaiCineMad also pays tribute to the late actress Itziar Castro in its poster: “we highlight the legacy and recent memory left by Itziar in the representation of lesbian women and non-hegemonic corporealities in cinema”.

The event includes competitive sections of feature films, short films and documentaries, where the winners are chosen by the audience attending the screenings, with two screenings at different times for each film.

📍Various locations

El Ojo Cojo Film Festival (November 2-7)

It is not a simple film festival: El Ojo Cojo was born two decades ago in the heart of the Lavapiés neighborhood to stir consciences and to represent those who are not represented. It is a selection of films that are part of sensitive cinema, committed cinema and with the open-mindedness of those who welcome everyone. Inclusive cinema, intercultural dialogue. In its 20th edition, some fifteen proposals from different countries will participate: 40% of these works have been directed by women. One more proof of the intention of this essential festival.

📍Various locations

Spring of Dreams: The Kingdom of Neverland (from November 28th)

A magical kingdom will be installed in the Royal Botanical Garden Alfonso XIII for a total immersive Christmas experience. A story that this year focuses on the origin of Christmas, discovering “the secret of The Kingdom of Neverland”. As in previous editions, inside this space there will be shows, activities, a canteen… All framed in a Christmas atmosphere, in a real Christmas story.

📍Royal Botanical Garden Alfonso XIII, Av. Complutense s/n (Ciudad Universitaria)

Madrid Hotel Week (from November 8 to 17)

The Madrid Hotel Week initiative is divided among various hotel establishments that offer options to attendees, from tastings and cocktails to experiences related to sports and wellness, technology, music and the cultural scene in Madrid… For a week, Madrid’s hotels are open to all audiences.

Various locations.

The best of November in Madrid? The long weekend

You’ll say we’re basic: we’re enjoyers. What we want in November is to rest, explore the city, and enjoy the last traces of this autumn that covers the floors of Madrid with brown leaves. That’s why we are already designing the perfect November long weekend in Madrid. We want to visit the Peter Halley exhibition, enjoy one of the JazzMadrid concerts, take a walk through the Montejo beech forest and, of course, eat some puchero.

📍Various locations.

My First Film Festival 2024 (November 9 to 24)

Bringing cinema closer to children (from 2 to 12 years old) and doing it from a festival perspective: that is, screenings, talks, workshops, deepening and deepening not only in knowledge and film language but also in the culture of the image and references.

📍 Different spaces.

‘Salta Conmigo’: a Musical Show for the whole family (from November 29th)

December comes alive with lights and musicals. Do you dare to travel back to the eighties and enjoy the great musical hits that marked an entire generation? In this musical journey with the SEAT Ibiza, an icon, we will go through the most iconic songs of the last four decades. A tribute to the most representative voices still very present today: Alaska, Tequila, Radio Futura, Los Ronaldos, Los Secretos or Nacha Pop, and many more! It’s a great plan to live this Christmas with the family and move your hips. Are you coming? Get your tickets at Fever before they sell out.

Callao Cinemas
💸 Tickets from 18€.

Rizoma (November 19 to 24)

The audiovisual festival RIZOMA will inaugurate its 12th edition with the premiere of Eduardo Casanova’s new film, Al margen, a feature-length documentary that will compete in the official international section Surrealismo contemporáneo.

This year, a selection of films will be presented with the Ouroboros theme, that is, a raw analysis through audiovisuals of the current moment and, in the words of the organization, “redefine what is considered independent cinema and propel the conversation towards a renewed and balanced audiovisual culture”, in the words of the organization itself.

Various locations.

Feriarte (from November 23rd)

FERIARTE is the gathering of Spanish antique dealers and gallery owners in a great event that this year celebrates its 47th anniversary. It is a way of understanding ancient (and current) art and a business opportunity for the sector. This year more than 70 antique dealers and art galleries will participate and more than a hundred pieces from all periods and artistic disciplines will be exhibited.

📍 Parthenon Avenue, 5

Discover this route of autumn in Madrid

The most beautiful time of the year is here. It’s autumn in Madrid and the city is more colorful than ever: we want to see the capital dyed red and brown, to crunch with our feet the blankets of dry leaves and see how this season manifests itself in all neighborhoods.

We have prepared a route to find the best pictures of Madrid’s autumn: Real Jardín Botánico, Plaza de Olavide, Retiro… among many others.

📍 Several locations

Get to know Node Madrid Alcobendas: new hub for professionals and entrepreneurs

New forms of accommodation are emerging in the city thanks to companies like node, the flex living company that is building spaces that foster the creation of community. After the opening of Node Madrid Alcobendas last July, the brand will soon have other hubs in the capital, specifically in Vallecas and Carabanchel.

A call to young urban professionals who, just 15 minutes from Madrid, will find modern and 100% equipped spaces perfect for staying and sharing experiences with like-minded people, networking and accessing a more accessible space with all the services needed to enjoy life to the fullest: gym and sports courts, swimming pool, wifi, panoramic views of the city from the eleventh highest tower in the city… Better visit it in person!

📍 C/ Perdiguera, 1. Alcobendas