The plans for this weekend in Madrid come with the official start of summer. With June well into June and the solstice marking the change of season, the city is full of cultural plans that do not understand unique tastes: there is a little bit of everything and for everyone. In addition, with the bulk of outdoor festivals getting underway, a season marked by music begins .
It is also a good time to visit the exhibitions that are opening, get to know and enjoy Madrid’s palaces and take advantage of the free entertainment offered by the city.
(until June 29)
What we could call the most instagrammable exhibition in Madrid says goodbye this Sunday. [trackLink link_url="https://madrid.friendstheexperience.com/"]The FRIENDS™ Experience closes its doors on June 29 and with it goes the orange couch, the Central Perk, Monica’s apartment and all those moments that (whether you admit it or not) you know by heart. If you haven’t been there yet, this is literally your last chance to walk through the scenes of the series as if you were one of the characters.
📍 Location: IFEMA Madrid.
📅 Dates: until June 29.
💸 Tickets: from 17€.
The party for the 22 years of Fabrik nights.
Fabrik is one of the best clubs in Spain (and the world). We don’t say so ourselves (that too), it is said by DJMag and this goes without saying. But in addition to celebrating such a laurel, to Fabrik has to organize a birthday party as only Fabrik knows how to do: with hours and hours of DJs in a lineup that overshadows the best electronic festivals.
It will be this Saturday in all its areas and with DJs like Loco Dice, LUCIID or DJ Marta, among others. The program also includes a BRESH party in Area 19, a space dedicated to the remember sound, another one to house, another one to deep-tech… What we were saying: a one-day festival.
📍 Location: Avenida de la Industria, 82, (Humanes)
💸 Admission: from 15€.
Crazy Bingo
This is not a bingo. But it is a bingo. But it is nothing like the image we have of bingo. This is a sidereal party, with screaming, jumping, dancing, artists, drag queens, a wild audience, lip sync battles, dance contests, performances… and prizes so crazy that the laughs are guaranteed. At Bingo Loco you can win from a piano to some garbage bags without even batting an eyelid. Are you ready? It takes place only this Saturday at Sala Mon.
📍 Location:Calle de Hilarión Eslava, 36, bajo, (Chamberí)
💸 Admission: from 19,90€.
A cult Berliner döner lands in Arganzuela
At number 4 Paseo de Santa María de la Cabeza is a new Berlin-style doner mecca, with meat of the day, artisanal bread and homemade sauces like Harissa. There are no shortcuts: each spin is prepared daily and everything is cooked with extra virgin olive oil. Their menu includes options with meat or falafel, fresh vegetables and a trio of sauces that raise the bar. All under the command of renowned chefs and with an honest and forceful proposal.
📍Location: Arganzuela, Paseo de Santa María de la Cabeza 4
The municipal swimming pools are now open
Madrid’s municipal swimming pools are now open and the 2025 bathing season runs until September 7. You can enjoy these facilities in three daily shifts: morning (from 10:00 to 15:00), afternoon (from 16:00 to 21:00) and full day (from 10:00 to 21:00), with prices from 2.25 euros for adults for reduced shift and tickets that are booked online through the municipal website or the app Madrid Móvil. Access is by QR code and, if you choose the full shift, you will receive an identification bracelet for the whole day. Some pools are still under construction but will open before the end of June, expanding the offer available this summer.
📍Location: various locations
Gulah: the typical sandwiches of New Orleans are finally in Madrid.
If you had never heard of the Po’Boys it is because they had not yet landed in Madrid. But now there’s a new restaurant in Arturo Soria that has imported this kind of sandwich typical of the streets of New Orleans with 10 fillings (for now!) and has given some of them a traditional twist.
Gulah’s sandwiches, halfway between baguette and brioche, are attractive on their own, but on top of that the starters are like going without breakfast, such as, for example, the chicken churros (they are what their name suggests), mac and cheese, fries, spicy wings and homemade nachos that are tremendous.
📍 Location: Calle de Arturo Soria, 198 (Ciudad Lineal)
💸 Price: Po’Boys between 11€ and 14,85€. Average ticket: 20€.
More exhibitions in Madrid:
Jurassic World: The Experience
The dinosaurs and scenery of the iconic Jurassic World saga are installed these months in Espacio Ibercaja Delicias. The exhibition is a tribute to the films with scenery and moments that will take us back to the first time we crossed the gates of the famous Jurassic island watching Jurassic Park in a movie theater. Different life-size dinosaurs and animatronics, from the adorable baby dinos to the fearsome velociraptors, a laboratory where the little ones will learn about these incredible creatures, Jurassic atmosphere…
📍 Location: Paseo de las Delicias, 61 (Delicias, Arganzuela)
📅 Dates: all month long
Marisa Flórez. A time to look (1970-2020)
Marisa Flórez marked a way of doing photojournalism in our country. She did it for five decades and now, in the context of PHotoEspaña, we can finally see her work in a monographic exhibition that pays tribute to her career. This is a beautiful, suggestive, critical, in black and white, about the most important events in the history of Spain as well as a magnifying glass to know realities that, without his camera, would remain hidden.
📍Location: Sala Canal Isabel II (Calle de Santa Engracia, 125)
🗓️ Dates: until July 20, 2025
The exhibition Madrid metropolis. The dream of Antonio Palacios
More than 150 pieces (including plans, drawings, books, photographs and watercolors) serve as a map to explore the different facets of the life and work of Antonio Palacios, an architect from Porriño to whom we owe buildings such as the Palacio de las Comunicaciones, the Círculo de Bellas Artes or the Palacio de Cibeles (which from Tuesday hosts this exhibition). The exhibition is one of the initiatives celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Palacios.
📍 Location: CentroCentro, at Plaza de la Cibeles, 1 (Retiro).
📅 Dates: until July 6
💸 Tickets: free
Exhibition of the oldest manuscript of the BN.
The Ezekiel Papyrus (or Codex P967) is one of the oldest and most valuable biblical manuscripts in the world. Until November 1 we can see it at the Biblioteca Nacional (BN), where it is the protagonist of a small free exhibition for the general public.
📍 Location: Biblioteca Nacional (Paseo de Recoletos, 20-22)
📅 Dates: until November 1st.
A special itinerary on “La Maternidad” in the Galería de las Colecciones Reales.
The Royal Collections Gallery designs a new thematic itinerary that runs through “Motherhood” as a common thread between the art collection of the Habsburgs and the Bourbons. Mothers queens, mothers wet nurses, spiritual mothers, mythological mothers, mothers of conquerors …. In addition, throughout the month of May you can participate in free guided tours (see here for schedules).
Also, with a new type of ticket that includes two tickets for 22 € (which you can convert into a ticket-gift) and this guided tour (or self-guided) redeemable until September 30.
📍 Location: Calle de Bailén, s/n (Centro)
📅 Dates: whenever you want within this calendar
💸 Tickets: 2 tickets for 22€.
Exhibition by Joana Vasconcelos at the Palacio de Liria
Flamboyant, the exhibition of Joana Vasconcelos opens at the Palacio de Liria. The colossal works of the Lisbon artist will coexist surrounded by historical pieces by artists such as Velázquez and Goya until July 31.
But if you are already full of plans for the weekend, you can see it for free on Monday. Thanks to an agreement between the City of Madrid and the Palacio de Liria, you can visit free of charge every Monday at 10 am, until a limited capacity of 40 people is reached.
📍 Location: Palacio de Liria (Calle de la Princesa, 20)
🗓️ Dates: until July 31st
Enjoy a concert by candlelight
Candlelight concerts have already illuminated many places in the city. Historical buildings like the Ateneo de Madrid or the Círculo de Bellas Artes, hotels like the Wellington or the Four Seasons or new additions like the Ilustre Colegio Oficial de Médicos or the Galería de las Colecciones Reales are some of its many scenarios.
This weekend, like almost all of them, these venues and many others are hosting Candlelight concerts for all tastes and ages. From tributes to classical composers to more current artists through tributes to the creepiest horror movies or series like the Bridgertons or Game of Thrones. A different show that will make your weekend shine even more.
📍Location: Various locations
💸 Price: from € 11 €.
This article has been written by Isabel Nieto, Alberto del Castillo, Helena Menéndez, María F. Carballo and Elena Francés.