Madrid is dyed green while bagpipes are played in the streets, and the excuses to drink more than one pint of Guinness are growing. St. Patrick’ s Day 2025 (or St. Patrick’s Day) is celebrated in honor of the patron saint of the Emerald Isle, St. Patrick, a missionary who was considered to have introduced Catholicism to the area. However, this holiday is no longer so much a religious event as a celebration of Irish heritage and culture, popularized around the world by the Irish diaspora (and the desire to party in the spring).
This popular celebration is now also coming to the capital from March 10 to 17. Madrid celebrates for the third consecutive year the Week of Ireland, a celebration in honor of the green country to bring Irish cinema, dance, literature, history and music to the people of Madrid.
Concerts and Irish dance for St. Patrick’s Day 2025
Irish music and dance will flood the city through a series of recitals, concerts and free performances. The Teatro Monumental will pay tribute to Irish culture on March 14 with the show Noches del Monumental, which fuses Irish folk and rock with artists such as The Greentones, Paloma Chisbert and Luna Celta. The group Irish Treble will also offer a concert entitled Celtic Journey on the same day, at 9:00 p.m., in the Sala Galileo Galilei.
In addition, throughout the week, the dancers of the University College Dublin Dance Society (UCD Dance Society) will perform daily in the lobby of the Gran Vía metro station: from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. on weekends.
Cultural and sports activities in San Patricio
This celebration seeks to raise awareness of the country’s culture and society, so throughout the week different cultural events will be held to bring Spain and Ireland closer together.
Throughout the week The Network of Municipal Public Libraries of Madrid organizes literary events around Irish culture that are yet to be specified. In addition, on March 17, the Victor Espinos Music Library will host the talk The Celtic Treasure with Camille Levecque and Unai Otegi at 7:00 pm.
Cinema could not be missing in the program of the most Irish week in Madrid. At the Cineteca de Matadero, from March 11 to 16, films such as Herself (Phyllida Lloyd), The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin), Perennial Light (Colin Hickey), Nothing Compares (Kathryn Ferguson), and Belfast (Kenneth Branagh) will be screened. There will also be a children’s film session with The Song of the Sea on March 16 at 12:00 noon.
Sports representation will be provided by the Spanish-Irish Business Network, which is organizing an open day of Gaelic soccer with the Madrid Harps team on Saturday, March 15, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., at a venue to be confirmed.
And since almost no culture is understood without the culinary side, food lovers can enjoy the Guinness House Madrid in Plaza del Callao from March 11 to 16, where there will be a special exhibition on the iconic Irish beer. In addition, on the morning of March 17, Chocolatería San Ginés will serve churros accompanied by Irish music and dancing at 10:30 am.
St. Patrick’s Day parade in Madrid
For the second consecutive year, the St. Patrick’s Day parade will be held in the city. It will take place on Saturday, March 15 at 4:30 pm and will feature more than 600 pipers from all over Spain, doubling the number of the previous edition. It is an initiative of the Asturian musician Bras Rodrigo and the Fundación Banda de Gaitas de Corvera with the collaboration of Tourism Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland. The venue? La Gran Vía in Madrid.
St. Patrick’s Fiesta at the Hippodrome
St. Patrick’s Day also takes over the Hippodrome on March 29 and 30 with St. Patrick’s Fiesta: live music by folk and rock bands, fish and chips and cold pints. A weekend where the Irish tradition is lived outdoors.
Live Celtic chords will set the rhythm during the day, and in the evening, a DJ will put the finishing touch to the party. The Hippodrome is dyed green and the spirit of the emerald isle will flood the Madrid Hippodrome.
📍Location: Avenida Padre Huidobro, s/n (Moncloa-Aravaca).
📅 March 15th and 16th.
Irish pubs to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or simply enjoy a festive atmosphere, Irish pubs in Madrid are ideal. These spaces are known for being spacious and offering a wide variety of beers, as well as having live music or screens for sporting events. Many of them are located in old 19th century cafés, maintaining their historic charm with wooden walls and antique lamps. Among the most prominent are the O’conell S.T., El Parnasillo del Príncipe and James Joyce Irish Pub.
📍Location: various locations