Spain faces its first heat wave of summer 2025. In Madrid, these high temperatures are accompanied by a measure that causes controversy every time it is announced: the closure of the Retiro and other parks during such episodes, as they are the few places in the city where people could find shelter and shade.
There are many people who wonder about the meaning of this measure -or, at least, of its rigidity-, and the answer of the Madrid City Council is that it has to do with a protocol that “is activated according to the wind, humidity and temperature conditions” of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET).
With it, says the consistory, they want to avoid incidents such as “falling branches or trees or other risks arising from strong gusts of wind, rain or snow,” although other variables such as the maximum temperature also influence.
Different alert levels
The protocol contemplates four alert levels, which depend on the forecasts of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET):
- Green: corresponds to that situation in which none of the meteorological factors exceeds the established minimum threshold.
- Yellow: There is no risk for the population in general, although it would imply a certain probability of falling branches or trees.
- Orange: there is a significant risk with a greater probability of falling branches and trees.
- Red: the risk is very important, with a high probability of falling branches and trees in gardens.
Which parks in Madrid are affected by the red alert and how?
Each of the alert levels is associated with different restrictions, the most extreme being the closure of the site by the red alert. This is how it affects the different parks:
Parks to which the closure applies
- Buen Retiro Gardens
- Capricho de la Alameda de Osuna Garden
- Juan Carlos I Park
- Juan Pablo II Park
- Quinta Torre Arias Park
- Quinta de los Molinos Park
- Quinta Fuente del Berro Park
- Parque del Oeste Rose Garden
- Parque Lineal del Manzanares
Parks with restricted access areas
- Madrid Río
- Casa de Campo
Parks with event suspension zones
- Parque del Oeste
- Dehesa de la Villa
In the case of orange and yellow alerts, access and outdoor events are restricted.
A map where you can check the status of the parks
From Geoportal of the Madrid City Council have prepared a map where you can check if there is a forecast to close some of the historic and unique parks of the city due to weather forecasts. If they appear in green color it means that there is no forecast of upcoming alerts.
The controversy of the closures in the Retiro and other parks.
As we say, these warnings are quite common and every time they occur, the validity and timeliness of the protocol by which they are governed is questioned again. Many have ironized in networks with the fact that, with the closure of the parks, the people of Madrid will have to seek shade under the new awnings of the Puerta del Sol or the Plaza de Santa Ana, whose reform has been criticized for the removal of trees.
According to the Retiro Norte Neighborhood Association, the Retiro Park has been closed for 13 days in 2025. According to an analysis by El Periódico de España, between May 2021 and 2022 the protocol closed parks 43 days of the 93 that the station has.
This year one of the most resounding occasions was that of May 30, when the inauguration of the Madrid Book Fair 2025 (FLM) was marred by the closure of the Retiro park. The news, communicated by the organization of the FLM through its social networks, caught by surprise many of the people who had planned to go there and also the writers who had planned to sign in the afternoon.
The most beautiful parks and gardens in Madrid
With the arrival of good weather the parks and gardens of Madrid are filled with people willing to take advantage of the hours of sunshine. In this article we compile some of our favorites.