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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend

Wait, what? Did we skip an issue? Is today Friday? Have you been subjected to an unscheduled time jump?

None of the above! You see, it’s the Semana Santa holiday, so we’ve combined the Thursday news edition with the Friday what-to-do one because, let’s be honest, pretty much everyone in Spain has checked out (yes, even our God-fearing politicians).

Still, because we love you, we’ve made a quick summary of some of the things that happened in Spain this week, and that pretty much no one cared about (at least until next week).

• When Spain closed its airspace to American flights involved in its war in Iran, we got all sorts of excited and thought we should write the full newsletter because THE WORLD WAS ABOUT TO END. But with coverage outside of Spain being, like, a 243-word article in Bloomberg and a veiled threat from a U.S. Congressman we’d never heard of that Spain could lose Ceuta and Melilla (a la “Those are nice territories you have there. It would be a shame if something happened to them.“), we figured maybe we were overdoing it. Marco Rubio also complained about Spain “bragging” about cutting off its airspace, but everyone was already on their way to Granada or the Canary Islands for the week, so no one cared.

• And then there was the hat. Pedro Sánchez went mountain biking after filming himself with a “Make Science Great Again” hat trolling the Orange Menace, so we suppose he wasn’t too worried about Ceuta (or Melilla).

• But Rosalía! Rosi is back on tour for eight nights in Madrid, and everyone says it’s amaze-balls. El País saw the show on “Holy Monday, which we experienced in glory“; El Confidential spoke of “tears and euphoria”; El Español said Rosi “conquered” Madrid with her “thousand faces: from mysticism to rave, from opera to saeta.”; and Telva noted her artistic shoutouts, from the Mona Lisa to Goya’s Black Paintings to Madonna’s pointy bras. (Editor’s note: Adrian saw her yesterday and was blown away by her; Ian saw the Motomami tour in 2022 and blessed it as very, very good.)

• Spanish home prices are up 14.3% in ONE YEAR. Not much else to say about that except, jeez.

• And not only did former Public Works Minister José Luis Ábalos meet one of his girlfriends, Jésica Rodríguez, in the Atocha apartment that was rented for “a party with ladies” in 2018, but she also filmed a video to celebrate his 60th birthday the next year in that very apartment. “It was here,” she said. Really, nothing more to say about that.

More news next week. For now, let’s get onto the fun, what-to-do stuff below. Enjoy the long weekend, and we’ll see you on the heretical side.

1. ⛪️ Madrid goes even more Catholic for Holy Week weekend (Part 2)

Wherever we say Jesuspalooza: Part 2 - Jesus Lives, we can’t help but think of this Friday the 13th movie poster. It’s disrespectful, so let’s move on.

Thought it was over? Think again! Last week was just a preview; this long weekend is the main feature. There are more processions, more saetas, and a now-classic giant tamborrada (see video above) on Sunday at the Plaza Mayor that we recommend you don’t miss.

The official Semana Santa program we shared last week is still good (you can download it here), so here’s a quick guide to what you can do this weekend if you want to cosplay devoteness:

Paschal Triduum. For those of you non-Latin speakers who think this is some sort of Belgian tooth paste, let us remind you that the Triduo Pascual is the period that starts with the liturgy on the evening of Maundy Thursday (aka tonight), reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil (aka Saturday night), and closes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday (aka Sunday night). Yeah, that’s pretty much the whole weekend.

Processions: Yes, they are still happening. And yes, the guys who look like the KKK are still stalking the streets of Madrid, so tread carefully. (

Remember to check the official program to see their routes and start times.

Maundy Thursday (today):

• El Divino Cautivo

• Nuestro Padre Jesús del Gran Poder y María Santísima de la Esperanza Macarena

• Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno “El Pobre” y María Santísima del Dulce Nombre en su Soledad

• Jesús Nazareno y Santísima Virgen de la Soledad (Villaverde)

Good Friday:

• Santo Entierro y Santísima Virgen de la Soledad (Villaverde Alto)

• El Divino Cautivo (leaves from the Almudena Cathedral)

• Jesús Nazareno de Medinaceli

• Santísimo Cristo de los Alabarderos

• María Santísima de los Siete Dolores

• Santo Entierro (Parroquia de Santa Cruz)

• Procesión del Silencio (Carabanchel)

• Stations of the Cross at Retiro Park (not a procession but still cool)

Holy Saturday:

• Procesión de la Soledad y Desamparo

Saetas: People are still singing these Andalusian religious songs from the balconies, and yes, you can go see them.

Maundy Thursday:

• 6:30 PM — Ismael de la Rosa, Casa de la Villa (Plaza de la Villa)

• 9:15 PM — Saray Muñoz, Hotel Moderno (Calle del Arenal 2)

• 9:30 PM — Ismael de la Rosa, Real Casa de Correos (Puerta del Sol)

Good Friday:

• 9:00 PM — José Fernando Caballo, Casa de la Villa (Plaza de la Villa)

• 9:15 PM — Fernando Caballo, Casa de la Villa (Plaza de la Villa)

• 9:50 PM — José “El Berenjeno”, Consejería de Medio Ambiente (Calle Alcalá, 16)

• 10:15 PM — Lucía Beltrán, Real Casa de Correos (Puerta del Sol)

Holy Saturday:

• 6:30 PM — Lucía Beltrán, Casa de la Villa (Plaza de la Villa)

Tamborrada: This show is how Madrid closes Semana Santa, but instead of silence and slow processions, it ends with noise. Lots of it.

• Organized by the Real e Ilustre Congregación de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad y Desamparo, and performed by the Cofradía de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz de Zaragoza, it takes place on Easter Sunday and basically flips the mood of the entire week.

• After days of solemnity, mourning, and heavy symbolism, the city suddenly fills with drums, loud, rhythmic, impossible to ignore. It’s less about reflection and more about release.

• The drummers parade through the city in a kind of controlled chaos, turning the Plaza Mayor into a full-on soundscape. It’s a moment that’s less about watching and more about feeling the city vibrate.

Ruta Dulces Pasiones de Semana Santa: The Ruta Dulces Pasiones 2026 food route turns the city into a full-blown tribute to the torrija, with bakeries, pastry shops, and restaurants offering everything from the classic version (milk-soaked, fried, and drenched in sugar or honey) to more experimental takes. Click on that link for a list of all participating bakeries and cafes in Madrid.

• If you’re wondering what to eat besides torrijas to follow tradition, make sure you try Soldaditos de Pavia (an Andalusian tapa that’s fried cod wrapped in a slice of roasted red pepper), potaje de vigilia (a stew made with chickpeas, spinach, and cod, cooked slowly), and (of course), chocolate Easter eggs.

Have a blessed weekend!

2. 📷 Before Instagram, there was Oriol Maspons, and Madrid is bringing him back

This one is for people who like culture and photography (so, hopefully, you?).

At the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid is hosting a retrospective of Oriol Maspons, one of the photographers who basically helped Spain figure out how to look at itself in the second half of the 20th century (aka the Franco era), in a sharp, ironic, very human one.

• Maspons moved effortlessly between worlds: fashion, street photography, portraiture, and editorial work. One day he was capturing everyday life, the next he’s shooting for major magazines, and somehow it all feels part of the same visual language. His style is direct, sometimes playful, sometimes brutally honest, but always intentional.

• This is also not your typical “walk around quietly and pretend you understand everything” exhibition. His work is accessible, and you don’t need a degree in photography to get it. You just need eyes—and maybe a bit of curiosity about how Spain changed, culturally and socially, during those decades.

This is basically a masterclass in visual storytelling

🖥️ What: Oriol Maspons Photo Exhibit

📍 Where: Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Calle de Alcalá 13, Madrid

📅 When: Through June 14

🎟 Tickets start at €10

3. 👾 There’s a Stranger Things reunion happening this weekend in Madrid, and yes, you can meet the cast

If Semana Santa isn’t exactly your thing (or you’d rather swap incense for the Upside Down), we have options.

• Stranger Fan Meet lands at IFEMA this weekend, bringing a solid chunk of the Stranger Things cast to the city. We’re talking Noah Schnapp (Will), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Dacre Montgomery (Billy), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), and more, all in one place, ready to meet fans who are still not over the fact that the finale sucked show is actually over.

• The whole thing is exactly what you think it is: Q&As, autographs, photos with the actors, and a lot of people who know way too much about Hawkins. You can lean into it as much as you want (from casual curiosity to full fan mode), and yes, there will absolutely be people dressed like Eleven.

It’s chaotic, a bit intense, and very fan-driven, but that’s also the point. If you grew up with the show (or binged it in one weekend like a normal person), this is basically your chance to step inside that universe, minus the demogorgons.

🖥️ What: Stranger Fan Meet 9 – The Tour

📍 Where: IFEMA Madrid (Hall 5), Avenida del Partenón 5, Madrid

📅 When: April 4–5

🎟 Tickets start at €69

4. 🎭 Bergman, but make it local: a quietly brutal theatre experience at Teatro Español

If your idea of a good night out involves zero small talk and a mild existential crisis, this one’s for you. The Teatro Español is staging a Bergman adaptation directed by Ernesto Caballero, which already tells you the vibe: intense, intimate, and not exactly light entertainment.

• The play unfolds in an empty theatre, where a veteran director starts reflecting on his life, his work, and, inevitably, the messy overlap between the two. Then a young actress walks in, and what starts as a casual conversation slowly turns into something much sharper.

• What follows is less “plot” and more emotional excavation. Old relationships resurface, including a complicated connection with a former actress who links both characters in ways that are… not simple. There’s tension, resentment, admiration, and that very Bergman-esque obsession with how art and life blur into each other until you can’t really separate them anymore.

It’s the kind of play where not much happens, but everything matters. If you’re into theatre that leans psychological, uncomfortable, and very human, this will land. If you’re looking for something easy… maybe stick to Stranger Things.

🖥️ What: Ingmar Bergman’s After the Rehearsal

📍 Where: Teatro Español (Sala Margarita Xirgu), Calle del Príncipe 25, Madrid

📅 When: April 4 – May 17

🎟 Tickets start at €18

5. 👗 Corsets, drama, and designers: what happens when Balenciaga meets the 19th century

Yes, Fashion Week may be over, but if you’re still interested in the subject matter, here’s a chance to time-travel to the 19th century and lean into some different outfits.

• The Museo del Romanticismo is hosting an exhibition that reimagines romantic-era fashion through the lens of modern designers like Balenciaga, Pertegaz, and Pedro Rodríguez.

• There are dramatic silhouettes, historical references, and a lot of fabric, all curated by people who know how to make it look good in 2026.

• The interesting part is how it’s set up: these pieces don’t just sit there looking pretty; they’re placed in dialogue with the museum’s permanent collection, which makes the whole thing feel less like a fashion exhibit and more like a conversation across centuries.

• You also get original sketches and designs from Pedro Rodríguez, which adds a nice behind-the-scenes layer to all the glamour.

And if you’re the kind of person who likes a bit of context (or just wants to sound smart later), there are guided visits, workshops, and talks to go with it.

🖥️ What: Ecos de la moda romántica Exhibit

📍 Where: Museo del Romanticismo, Calle de San Mateo 13, Madrid

📅 When: Through June 7

🎟 Tickets start at €3

📺 What to watch if you’re staying in this weekend…

🖥️ What: If it’s Tuesday, it’s Murder (Si es martes, es asesinato) | TV Show | 2026

📍Where to watch: Disney+

❓What’s it about: A group of Spanish tourists on an organized trip to Lisbon find themselves investigating a murder after one of them is killed on the first morning. As they try to find the killer among the group, they also visit some of the most beautiful Lisbon sites.

🤩 Why you should watch: Because it’s Knives Out meets Only Murders in the Building. It takes the classic whodunit formula and gives it a playful twist, mixing humor, satire, and mystery in a way that feels fresh and different from the traditional crime drama. It’s self-aware, the characters are exaggerated, and the mystery is engaging enough to keep you guessing without demanding too much from you. Also, Lisbon!

💬 English Subtitles: Yes

💃🏻 Places to try this weekend…

☕️ Café Gijón is back, just not exactly as you remember it

What’s it about: The legendary Café Gijón is back (after being closed for five months), but under new ownership and with a very different vibe. The historic literary café (it opened in 1888) now leans toward a more polished, international concept, complete with a revamped menu and a subtle (or not so subtle) introduction of U.S.-style suggested tipping.

Why you should go: Because it’s still Café Gijón (or at least it looks like it). The classic interiors are intact, the history is very much there, and it remains one of those places you go for the atmosphere as much as the coffee.

Bottom line: A cultural institution going through a bit of an identity crisis. Worth visiting once, if only to decide how you feel about it.

Address: Paseo de Recoletos 21, Madrid

💿 Fenómeno is a new bar where you actually listen to the music

What’s it about: A hi-fi listening bar where music isn’t background noise; it’s the main event. Inspired by Japanese jazz kissas, Fenómeno is built around vinyl, carefully curated DJ sets, and a custom sound system designed to make you actually hear every detail.

Why you should go: Because here, the vibe is the music. Funk and disco from the 80s and 90s played on vinyl, a sound system with 20 handcrafted speakers, and a crowd that’s there to listen, not shout over it.

Bottom line: A stylish, slightly obsessive temple for music lovers, come for the sound, stay for everything else.

Address: Calle de Recoletos 13, Madrid.

👨🏻‍💻 Viral Memes of the Week

🎉 Happy Semana Santa!

@tourvertex

Tour Vertex on Instagram: "Every year, Spain shuts down its str…

✍️ You have to admit the ingenuity

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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend

It’s Friday again!

And this is one of those weekends. First, many people you know are probably leaving the city (many of them are going back to their hometowns). Semana Santa is a big thing here, and everyone loves to take off.

• Fortunately, those of us staying still have a lot of options. Are you into religious experiences? Then the processions are for you.

• Not happy with the current state of the world and the slow decline of our democracies? Then you’ll probably be joining the No Tyrants protest this Saturday at the Puerta del Sol.

• Just want to decompress at home, watch Netflix, and eat torrijas? We got you covered, too.

Semana Santa is that magical time of year when Madrid collectively slows down, reflects on its life choices, and briefly considers atoning for their sins.

• For a few days, we trade chaos for incense, late nights for processions, and questionable decisions for going to Church.

• We eat torrijas, fish and chocolate eggs, and then eventually come to the realization that no, we don’t need to atone. Hell of a week, though.

Happy weekend!

1. ⛪️ Madrid goes full Catholic for Holy Week weekend (Part 1)

Put on your Sunday clothes, heretics! Holy Week (aka Jesuspalooza) is back, which means that for a few days, Spain, a deeply Catholic country, becomes a humble nation devoted to humanity’s one true religion: consumerism.

It’s important to remember the premise of Semana Santa is actually false advertising (festivities take more than one week), but don’t let that get in the way.

• From March 27 to April 5, Spain’s streets fill with incense, drums echo through historic districts, and at any given moment, you might even turn a corner and run into those guys who you think look like the KKK but are totally not the KKK (seriously, we’re tired of explaining it).

• On today’s edition, we recommend what’s happening this weekend (Part 1), while next week we’ll tell you how to celebrate that He is risen by eating chocolate eggs.

Jesuspalooza, Part 1. Alright, let’s get down to business. Things properly kick off with stuff happening throughout the afternoon and well into the night, where you may get to see some of the most striking processions take over central Madrid.

• The brotherhoods, dressed in robes and those unmistakable pointed hoods 👀, will be carrying enormous pasos (ornate religious sculptures that look like they belong in a museum but are instead moving slowly through the streets for hours).

• The atmosphere is serious, almost heavy (so be respectful), until suddenly it isn’t: out of nowhere, someone leans out from a balcony and sings a saeta, a raw flamenco-style lament directed at the procession below.

Saturday is when you start to understand what’s really going on. Yes, there are still processions (and plenty of them), but this is also the day to explore the quieter layers of Semana Santa.

• Churches and cultural spaces open exhibitions of religious art, sculptures, and historical pieces that explain the visuals you’ve been watching in the streets. It adds context and makes the whole thing feel less random and more like a centuries-old performance that Madrid is still very committed to.

• And then there’s the food, which deserves its own moment. This is peak season for the Ruta de los Dulces de Pasión, a city-wide excuse to eat your way through torrijas (Spain’s answer to French toast), pestiños dripping in honey, bartolillos filled with cream, and basically anything fried and covered in sugar. Wrong week to start your diet. Deal with it; resistance is futile.

By Sunday, the mood softens a bit. The processions are still happening, but the city feels more social. People move around more, hopping between neighborhoods. It’s the best day to go with the flow.

• Madrid’s Official Holy Week Program (March 27 to April 5)

Processions: Over the weekend, some of the city’s most important processions pass through the Puerta del Sol. We’re talking about some serious heavyweights: the Cristo de Medinaceli, one of the most venerated figures in the city; the Cristo de la Fe y del Perdón by Luis Salvador Carmona; the Divino Cautivo by Mariano Benlliure; or the Virgen de la Soledad y Desamparo, a masterpiece by Juan Pascual de Mena.

• If you want the “front row” version of all this, the city has you covered. A 600-seat viewing area is set up right in front of the Real Casa de Correos, turning Sol into something like a ceremonial theater. It’s free, first come, first served. The main event on Sunday; La Borriquita leaving from Almudena Cathedral, the Procesión del Silencio, and later the Cristo de la Fe y la Salud and Los Estudiantes, one of the most anticipated processions of the weekend. You can check it all out in the program above.

Saetas: A saeta is an Andalusian religious song that people sing from the balconies (when you least expect it). Fortunately for you, some of them are scheduled for this Palm Sunday, so you can go see (and listen) to them for free.

From the balcony of the Casa de la Villa (Plaza de la Villa, s/n, near the Ópera / Sol metro stations):

• Saeta during the Borriquita procession. Around 4:30 p.m.

• Saeta during the Silencio procession. Around 5:30 p.m.

• Saeta during the Los Estudiantes procession. Around 6 p.m.

Organ music at the San Ginés Church: If you’re into the more safe classic stuff, head over to the San Ginés Church (Calle del Arenal 13) tonight for some live organ music.

• March 27, at 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.). Saskia Roures, organ professor at the Higher Conservatory of Music of Castilla y León, will play works by Johann Sebastian Bach, César Franck, Elfrida Andrée, and Michael Radulescu

Ruta Dulces Pasiones de Semana Santa: The Ruta Dulces Pasiones 2026 food route turns the city into a full-blown tribute to the torrija, with bakeries, pastry shops, and restaurants offering everything from the classic version (milk-soaked, fried, and drenched in sugar or honey) to more experimental takes. Click on that link for a list of all participating bakeries and cafes in Madrid.

• If you’re wondering what to eat besides torrijas to follow tradition, make sure you try Soldaditos de Pavia (an Andalusian tapa that’s fried cod wrapped in a slice of roasted red pepper), potaje de vigilia (a stew made with chickpeas, spinach, and cod, cooked slowly), and (of course), chocolate Easter eggs.

Semana Santa Craft Fair: The Feria de Artesanía de Semana Santa is back for its fourth edition and is taking over Paseo de Recoletos all the way up to Cibeles through April 12.

• It’s the biggest showcase of local craftsmanship in Madrid, bringing together artisans from the city and across Spain to display and sell the result of months of work. There are ceramics, jewelry, textiles, glass, and leather.

That’s all for now. We’ll be back next week with the sequel, Jesuspalooza, Part 2: Jesus Lives!

2.🎈 Madrid gets a giant, inflatable reality check with Balloon Museum’s Euphoria

This has nothing to do with Zendaya’s HBO hit drama, despite its misleading name. However, if the whole Semana Santa thing feels a bit too solemn, this city has a backup plan for you: giant inflatable art.

• Balloon Museum lands in the city with Euphoria – Art is in the Air, an exhibition that turns air into the main character and invites you to literally walk inside the artwork.

• The show features 14 large-scale installations by big-name contemporary artists like Philippe Parreno, Martin Creed, and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.

• Remember that time you tried to touch one of the Goyas at the Prado, and you were almost arrested? Well, that’s not happening here. Because here, the whole point is interaction.

• You move through it, play with it, and become part of it. The concept leans into something almost childlike (if you’ve always complained about the fact that only insufferable children seem to be allowed to enjoy inflatables, this is for you), but pushes it into something more conceptual: how we experience space, emotion, and art itself.

• Bullshit, of course. You just want to play in there like a child.

But we digress. The project has already pulled in more than 7 million visitors in New York, London, and Paris, which tells you everything you need to know about its appeal.

🖥️ What: Euphoria: Art is in the Air (Balloon Museum immersive exhibition)

📍 Where: Paseo del Embarcadero, Recinto Ferial de la Casa de Campo, Madrid

📅 When: March 28 to Sept. 6

🎟 Tickets start at €15

3. 🔥 Jugar con Fuego: A 19th-century zarzuela gets reimagined as a contemporary football (aka soccer) drama

This city loves to take something deeply traditional and give it just enough of a twist to make you look twice. In this case, with one of the defining works of Spanish zarzuela.

• Before you ask, a zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that incorporates elements of opera, but makes it a bit more flexible, more local, and usually more fun.

• Jugar con fuego (Playing with Fire) is a three-act show that is a landmark in the history of zarzuelas. It originally premiered in 1851 with a libretto by Ventura de la Vega and music by Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, and it was such a hit that it became the most performed title in Spain for years.

• However, in this new version directed by Marina Bollaín, don’t expect a classic period-piece revival. While at its core, it’s a comedy of entanglements and chaos, Bollaín’s version relocates it somewhere unexpected: a football stadium.

• The action unfolds in VIP boxes, corridors, and shared spaces where the city’s elite brush up against hooligans, fans, and other weirdos.

It’s a clever shift that makes the story feel surprisingly current. It deals with power dynamics, class divides, and social performance, all playing out in a setting that Madrid understands very well.

🖥️ What: Jugar con fuego (zarzuela in three acts, directed by Marina Bollaín)

📍 Where: Teatro de la Zarzuela, Calle de Jovellanos 4, Madrid

📅 When: Through April 12

🎟 Tickets start at €5

4. 🎨 Madrid reclaims a forgotten pioneer with Menchu Gal retrospective

Let’s all take a moment to look back, properly this time, at someone who probably deserved more attention all along: Menchu Gal. (If you thought we were talking about Lindsay Lohan, yes, we get it. But this isn’t about her. Sorry.)

• Espacio Cultural Serrería Belga is hosting a retrospective of one of Spain’s most quietly groundbreaking painters and, notably, the first woman to win the National Painting Prize back in 1959.

• If Menchu’s name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, that’s kind of the point. This exhibition feels like a long-overdue correction. She spent more than 50 years living and working in Madrid and was part of the influential Escuela de Vallecas, yet she never quite made it into the mainstream narrative in the way many of her male contemporaries did.

• This exhibit walks you through her artistic evolution across landscapes, portraits, still lifes, and interiors, and what ties it all together is a very distinctive voice. In her portraits, many of them of women, she’s not interested in just capturing appearances; there’s a clear attempt to get at something more essential, something psychological.

You can feel the independence in her work, shaped by the turbulence of the 20th century and by an artist who wasn’t particularly interested in fitting into neat categories.

It’s the kind of exhibition that makes you wonder how someone so present in Madrid for decades managed to stay under the radar and why that’s starting to change now.

🖥️ What: Menchu Gal: Imágenes de una vida

📍 Where: Espacio Cultural Serrería Belga, Calle de la Alameda 15, Madrid

📅 When: Through June 28

🎟 Tickets: Free admission

5.♠️ El banquete quemado serves a burnt feast that says more about us than we’d like

If Semana Santa is all about tradition and sugar, this one goes in the opposite direction: same food, different mood.

At Infinito Delicias, artist Rosalía Banet presents El banquete quemado (or the burned feast, also known as El gran banquete), an installation that reimagines a Roman-style feast as something much darker.

• Picture a long table filled with desserts (cakes, sweets, celebratory foods) but completely burned, stripped of color, reduced to blacks and greys. And yet, somehow, still oddly appealing.

• That tension is the point. The piece plays with our relationship to food, excess, and consumption, turning what should feel indulgent into something closer to a funeral ritual.

• These are the kinds of foods you associate with celebrations, but here they hint at an ending instead, a system pushed too far, a society running on overconsumption and slowly burning out.

There’s a recurring idea in Banet’s work that what we’re living through is a kind of exhaustion: systems that no longer quite work, identities in flux, and a growing need to rethink how we relate to each other and to the world around us.

It sounds heavy, and it is. But the visual impact of the installation does a lot of the work for you. You don’t need to read the theory to feel that something is off.

🖥️ What: El banquete quemado

📍 Where: Infinito Delicias, C. de Juana Doña, 5, Madrid

📅 When: Through May 26 (5 p.m. to midnight)

🎟 Tickets: Free admission

📺 What to watch if you’re staying in this weekend…

🖥️ What: That Night (Esa Noche) | Miniseries | 2026

📍Where to watch: Netflix

❓What’s it about: Three sisters face a moral crisis when the youngest hits a man with her car in the Dominican Republic. They must decide how far they'll go to keep her out of jail and prevent her child from losing a mother.

🤩 Why you should watch: Because it turns a simple “what would you do?” into a tense, addictive moral dilemma that keeps shifting under your feet. And just when you think you understand what happened, it rewrites the story and your judgment.

💬 English Subtitles: Yes

💃🏻 Places to try this weekend…

🍽️ GranDuke is the kind of hidden Madrid spot you almost don’t want to share

What’s it about: A hidden, intimate restaurant tucked into one of Jorge Juan’s prettiest alleyways, where classic Madrid vibes meet a slightly irreverent, cosmopolitan edge.

Why you should go: Because the food is seriously good without trying too hard: short menu, bold flavors, and standout dishes like some of the best callos in town, a next-level lentil stew, and a homemade ice cream that’s just too good.

Bottom line: A low-key gem that feels like a private dinner party, but with food that makes you want to come back immediately.

Address: Calle de Jorge Juan, 12G, Madrid

☕️ Café Cervantes gets a literary makeover in Plaza de España

What’s it about: A brand-new restaurant (reopened in January!) in Plaza de España that mixes Madrid tradition with a literary twist, inspired by Don Quixote and the Spanish Golden Age.

Why you should go: Because it’s a full experience: dishes inspired by Cervantes, a beautiful handcrafted dome space, a future terrace setup, and even a small bookstore to lean into the theme (plus proper Madrid vermouth).

Bottom line: It’s a stylish and theatrical spot that feels very Madrid, but with enough originality to make it worth the visit.

Address: Plaza de España 18, Madrid

👨🏻‍💻 Viral Memes of the Week

❤️ De Madrid al cielo…para siempre

@spainsays

SpainSays on Instagram: "De Madrid al cielo.

#SpainSays"

🥂 Spain certainly left the whole conservative Franco thing behind quickly

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LIVE FOR CLASS on Instagram: "Marbella in the 1980s was where E…

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Voto a voto

✉️ Andalucía da el pistoletazo de salida a la temporada electoral en España

¿Os acordáis de las una, dos, tres elecciones autonómicas recientes en España? Pues eran solo el calentamiento para la de Andalucía. La mayor comunidad autónoma, antiguo bastión del PSOE de Pedro Sánchez y que en los últimos ocho años ha girado hacia el PP de centroderecha, Andalucía es el gran premio gordo electoral. Es el Texas de España. ¡O Florida! ¿O… las dos cosas?

• Y ahora Andalucía ya va oficialmente a las urnas. Considerad esto el pistoletazo de salida de una temporada electoral que no terminará hasta que Sánchez diga basta tome la meditada decisión de convocar elecciones generales. Señores, ¡esto ha empezado! 🔫

Moreno mueve ficha. El lunes por la noche, el presidente andaluz, Juanma Moreno (PP), convocó elecciones autonómicas sorpresa para el 17 de mayo, enviando a 6,5 millones de personas (alrededor del 20% del electorado español) a votar dos semanas antes de lo previsto. (Al parecer solo avisó al líder del PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, dos horas antes, y a su propio equipo con 30 minutos de antelación, así que sí: jugada Top Secret para pillar a alguien desprevenido —ahora vamos con eso).

Sobre el papel, la explicación es sencilla. Moreno quiere tener un nuevo gobierno en marcha antes del verano. Pero el verdadero cálculo es más estratégico.

• Agenda apretada. Junio venía cargadito. La visita del Papa a España entre el 6 y el 12 habría alterado la campaña (muchos andaluces viajarán a Madrid y Barcelona para verlo), y el calendario primaveral andaluz —de la Feria de Abril al Rocío— amenaza con afectar a la participación de formas imprevisibles.

• Ni siquiera la fecha elegida es perfecta, ya que coincide con la Feria de Córdoba, algo que preocupa discretamente en el PP. Aun así, el 17 de mayo parece la menos mala de las opciones.

• Y luego estaba el motivo mayor, aunque no dicho: Pedro Sánchez. A medida que crecían las especulaciones de que el presidente podría intentar aprovechar el impulso de su postura de “No a la guerra” en el conflicto con Irán convocando elecciones generales anticipadas el 31 de mayo (la fecha que muchos daban por hecha para Moreno), puede que el andaluz haya preferido no arriesgarse a quedar eclipsado.

¿Quién va por delante? A día de hoy, Moreno entra como claro favorito. Las encuestas le dan unos 55 escaños en el Parlamento andaluz —mayoría absoluta por los pelos en una cámara de 109—. Es menos que los 58 actuales, pero sigue siendo una posición notable en una región que fue feudo socialista durante décadas hasta el giro del PP en 2018.

• Su mayor preocupación no es perder, sino cuánto gana. El ascenso de Vox podría empujarle a un escenario que quiere evitar: quedarse sin mayoría y necesitar un pacto con la ultraderecha para gobernar, como ya ha ocurrido en Extremadura, Aragón y Castilla y León.

• Abriendo la puerta. Vox, que ahora tiene 14 escaños, podría crecer ligeramente y convertirse en árbitro si Moreno no alcanza la mayoría. Y, a diferencia de 2019, ya ha dejado claro que esta vez querría entrar en el gobierno, no limitarse a apoyarlo desde fuera.

• Moreno ha construido su marca sobre la estabilidad y la moderación (y su famoso “fachaleco”), y verse obligado a pactar con Vox erosionaría esa imagen cuidadosamente cultivada.

Los socialistas no tiran la toalla. Frente a él está María Jesús Montero, ministra de Hacienda y mano derecha de Sánchez, que deja el gobierno para centrarse por completo en la campaña.

• Entusiasmo templado. El PSOE llega flojo en las encuestas (Montero podría incluso bajar de los 30 escaños actuales). Su estrategia pasa por convertir la elección en un referéndum sobre los servicios públicos, especialmente la sanidad, una de las grandes preocupaciones en Andalucía por las largas listas de espera y escándalos como los fallos recientes en programas de cribado de cáncer de mama.

• Pero esa apuesta podría no funcionar tan bien como esperan. El gobierno de Moreno acaba de cerrar un acuerdo con los sindicatos sanitarios que mejora las condiciones de 130.000 trabajadores.

• La izquierda a la izquierda tampoco ayuda. Más allá del PSOE, hasta tres fuerzas compiten en ese espacio: la coalición Por Andalucía, Podemos (que aún duda si ir en solitario o en coalición) y Adelante Andalucía. La fragmentación no invita precisamente al optimismo.

Conclusión. Andalucía es la gran prueba simbólica antes de las próximas elecciones generales, previstas oficialmente para 2027 pero que cada vez parecen más cercanas. Sánchez las adelante o no, lo que ocurra el 17 de mayo marcará el tono político en todo el país.

Sigue leyendo que abajo hay más noticias. 👇👇

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Cómo postularse

💬 Cinco temas para debatir con amigos

1. 🛐 La cofradía de Sagunto dice no a las mujeres (otra vez)

No puedes sentarte procesionar con nosotros. La cofradía más polémica de España acaba de decir “no” a las mujeres. Otra vez. Este fin de semana, la cofradía de Sagunto, una de las más antiguas del país, votó en contra de permitir que las mujeres participen en su procesión principal.

• Un momento… ¿qué es una cofradía? Son hermandades católicas que organizan procesiones religiosas durante la Semana Santa (es decir, la semana que viene).

• La de Sagunto, en Valencia, tiene más de 500 años (fundada en 1492) y unos 1.600 miembros. Es la columna vertebral de una celebración que desde 2004 ostenta el título de Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional.

• Pero hay un problema: sigue siendo solo para hombres. Las mujeres pueden ayudar entre bambalinas —preparando túnicas, organizando logística, básicamente haciendo que todo funcione—, pero no pueden salir en la procesión.

Y de eso iba esta votación. La propuesta era de lo más sencilla: cambiar una palabra en los estatutos, sustituyendo “hombres” por “personas”.

• Pero en una asamblea a puerta cerrada en la que solo podían votar hombres (ejem…), el resultado fue contundente: 267 votos en contra, 114 a favor.

• ¿El argumento? La tradición. Algunos fueron más allá: si las mujeres quieren participar, “móntate otra cofradía”. (Que, en ese caso, sería una sororidad; sí, existe la palabra).

• Y el peso, claro. Otros se preocupaban por lo que pasaría si entran mujeres: listas de espera más largas, cambios en las normas internas, incluso quién cargaría los pasos.

Este debate lleva décadas repitiéndose. Ya se rechazó en 1999 y otra vez en 2022. Activistas llevan protestando al menos desde 2021, denunciando una discriminación en toda regla. Pero nada. Ni siquiera una reciente sentencia del Tribunal Constitucional en un caso similar —que dio la razón a una mujer excluida en Canarias— ha cambiado nada.

• Para las mujeres que impulsan el cambio, no se trata de acabar con la tradición, sino de formar parte de ella. “No queremos dinamitar la fiesta, solo participar con igualdad”, decía una de ellas.

Mantener la calma. El clavario, el joven organizador de las fiestas de este año (tiene 23 años), intentó buscar un punto medio. Admitió que en el siglo XXI es lógico pedir inclusión, pero insistió en que el ambiente no es “machista” y que muchos miembros solo intentan preservar una tradición profundamente arraigada.

Pues no cuela. El Gobierno, liderado por el PSOE, ya había advertido que excluir a las mujeres podría costarle a Sagunto el título de Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional, que implica visibilidad y financiación.

• Y ahora, tras el voto negativo, ha confirmado que iniciará los trámites para retirarlo, argumentando que no se puede presumir de participación pública amplia mientras se excluye a la mitad de la población.

• Incluso el presidente valenciano, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, del PP, había pedido diálogo e inclusión y confiaba en otro resultado (aunque reconocía que la cofradía es una entidad privada).

No es cosa nuestra. La Iglesia no va a intervenir. El arzobispo de Valencia ha dejado claro que no habrá imposiciones desde arriba y que cualquier cambio debe venir desde dentro de la propia cofradía.

• Esto puede tardar otros 500 años. Solo avisamos.

2. ✅ El FMI pone nota a la economía española — y advierte sobre la guerra

¿Os acordáis de los Hombres de Negro? No, no de la peli con los alienígenas asesinos monos y el tipo que abofeteó a Chris Rock, sino de los economistas del Fondo Monetario Internacional —los señores trajeados que aterrizaron tras la crisis de 2008 para decirles a países como Irlanda y España que gastaran menos y se apretaran el cinturón (especialmente los de siempre).

• Pues han vuelto. Esta vez no para imponer austeridad (gracias, chicos), sino para publicar su último boletín de notas sobre la economía española (oficialmente, una “Misión del Artículo IV”, porque el FMI nunca pierde la oportunidad de sonar emocionante). Así que… ¿cómo vamos?

Read more

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Ready, steady, vote

✉️ Andalucía fires the starting gun on Spain’s electoral season

Remember Spain’s one, two, three recent regional elections? Well, they were just the warmup to the one in Andalucía. The biggest “autonomous community” (how lacking in poetry that term is!), and a former stronghold of PM Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE center-lefties that for the last eight years has gone for the center-right PP, Andalucía is the big kahuna of regional votes. It’s Spain’s Texas! Or Florida! Or…both?

• And now Andalucía is officially going to the polls. Consider this the kickoff the the election season that will only end when Sánchez cries uncle makes the considered decision to call national elections. Folks, the starting pistol has been fired! 🔫

Moreno brings down the hammer. On Monday evening, the president of Andalucía, PP’s Juanma Moreno, called surprise regional elections for May 17, sending 6.5 million people (around 20% of Spain’s voters) to the polls two weeks earlier than expected. (He apparently only told PP boss Alberto Nuñez Feijóo two hours earlier and his own team 30 minutes before, so we know this was a Top Secret move to catch someone off guard — more on that in a moment).

On paper, the explanation is straightforward. Moreno wants a new government up and running before the summer. But the real logic behind the timing is more strategic.

• Busy times. June was complicated. The Pope’s visit to Spain between June 6 and 12 would have disrupted the campaign (many people in Andalucía will travel to Madrid and Barcelona to see him), and Andalucía’s packed spring calendar, from Feria de Abril to El Rocío, risks depressing turnout in unpredictable ways.

• Even the chosen date isn’t perfect, as it clashes with the Feria de Córdoba, something that quietly worries the PP. Still, May 17 is the least bad option.

• And then there was the bigger, unspoken reason: Pedro Sánchez. As speculation grew that the PM would try to capitalize on the momentum he'd garnered from his "No a la guerra” stance on the Iran war by calling snap national elections on May 31 (the day the chattering classes expected Moreno to choose), Moreno may have decided it was best not to risk being overshadowed.

Who’s ahead? As things stand, Moreno enters the race as the clear favorite. Polls suggest he could win 55 seats in the Andalusian parliament — a majority of the 109 seats, barely. That's down from his current 58, but still a remarkable position in a region that was a PSOE stronghold for decades until the PP’s breakthrough in 2018.

• His biggest concern is not losing, but how much he wins. The rise of far-right Vox could force him into a scenario he is keen to avoid. That is, falling short of a majority and needing a pact with the far-right to govern, as has already happened in regional elections in Extremadura, Aragón, and Castilla y León.

• Open the door. Vox, which now holds 14 seats, is expected to grow slightly and could become kingmaker if Moreno falls short of a majority. And unlike in 2019, Vox has already made clear it would seek to be part of the government this time, not just support it from the outside.

• Moreno has built his brand on stability and moderation (and his namesake"fachaleco"), and being forced into a pact with Vox would undermine that carefully crafted image.

The socialists are not giving up. Facing him is María Jesús Montero, Spain’s (admittedly charmless) Finance Minister and Sánchez’s right-hand woman, who is leaving the government to focus entirely on the campaign.

• Lukewarm enthusiasm. The PSOE is polling poorly (polls suggest Montero could get even less than the 30 seats the PSOE has now). Her strategy is to turn the election into a referendum on public services like healthcare, which has become one of the main concerns for Andaluces amid long waiting lists and scandals like the recent failures in breast cancer screening programs.

• This strategy may not land as cleanly as expected. Moreno’s government has just reached an agreement with healthcare unions that improves conditions for 130,000 workers.

• The further left won't help much. To the left of the PSOE, there are up to three competing forces: the Por Andalucía coalition, far-left Podemos (which still hasn’t decided whether to run alone or in coalition), and Adelante Andalucía, a regionalist left-wing party. Their fragmentation does not augur success.

Bottom line. Andalucía is the most symbolic test ahead of the next general elections, which are officially scheduled for 2027 but increasingly feel closer. Whether Sánchez actually calls them early or not, what happens on May 17 will shape expectations across the country.

More news below. 👇👇

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💬 Five things to discuss at dinner parties

1. 🛐 Sagunto’s confraternity says no women allowed (again)

You can’t seat procession with us. Spain’s most controversial confraternity just said “no” to women. Again. Over the weekend, the confraternity of Sagunto, one of the oldest in the country, voted against allowing women to take part in its main procession.

• Wait, what the hell is a confraternity (or cofradía)? Cofradías are Catholic brotherhoods that organize religious processions during Semana Santa (i.e., next week).

• The one in Sagunto, Valencia, dates back more than 500 years (founded: 1492) and has around 1,600 members. It’s the backbone of a celebration that has held the status of Festival of National Tourist Interest since 2004.

• There’s just one problem: it’s still men-only. Women can help behind the scenes, preparing robes, organizing logistics, basically keeping the whole thing running, but they’re not allowed to actually walk in the procession.

That’s what this vote was about. The proposal was as simple as it gets — change one word in the statutes, replacing “men” with “people.”

• But in a closed-door assembly where only male members could vote (hmm…), the result wasn’t even close: 267 votes against, 114 in favor.

• The reasoning? Tradition. Some members even went further: if women want to participate, “they can just create their own confraternity”. (Which, in their case, would be a consorority; an actual word).

• And the weight! Others worried about what would happen if women joined. Like, longer waiting lists, changes to internal rules, even questions about who carries the heavy floats.

The same debate has been going on for decades. It was rejected in 1999 and again in 2022. Activists have been protesting since at least 2021, calling it outright discrimination. But no dice. Not even a recent Constitutional Court ruling in a similar case that sided with a woman in the Canary Islands who had been excluded moved the needle.

• For the women pushing for change, it’s not about blowing up the tradition but about finally being part of it. “We don’t want to destroy Semana Santa, we want to participate equally,” one said.

Keeping the peace. The clavario, the young organizer of this year’s festivities (he’s 23), tried to strike a middle ground. He admitted that, in the 21st century, it makes sense to ask for inclusion, but insisted the environment isn’t “machista” and that many members are simply trying to preserve a deeply rooted tradition.

Not buying it. The Spanish government had warned that excluding women could cost Sagunto its “National Tourist Interest” status, which brings visibility and funding.

• Now, after the negative vote, the PSOE-led government confirmed they’ll move to revoke it, arguing that you can’t claim broad public participation while excluding half the population.

• Even Valencia’s regional president Juanfran Pérez Llorca, from the center-right PP, had called for dialogue and inclusion and was hoping for a different outcome. (He acknowledged that the cofradía is a private entity.)

Not our fight. The Church isn’t stepping in here. The Archbishop of Valencia has made it clear there will be no top-down intervention to force change, arguing that any reform should come from within the cofradía itself.

• This could take 500 more years. Just saying.

2. ✅ The IMF grades Spain’s economy — and warns about the war

Remember the Men in Black? No, not the movie with the murderous cute aliens and the guy who slapped Chris Rock, but the economists from the IMF — the guys in suits who swooped in after the 2008 financial crisis and told countries like Ireland and Spain to spend less and screw the poor.

• Well, they’re back. Not to impose austerity this time (thanks, guys), but to issue their latest report card on Spain’s economy (officially called an “Article IV Mission” because the IMF is nothing if not poetic). So, how are we doing?

The Good 😇. Spain remains one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe, outpacing most of its eurozone peers. Growth is still expected to lead big EU countries this year, driven by strong domestic demand, solid job creation, rising wages, EU funds, and — wait for it — lots of immigration.

• Even the energy shock from the war hasn’t hit as hard as it could have. Why? Renewables. Spain’s massive investment in solar and wind over the past decade is now paying off, cushioning the blow from soaring gas prices. So the lights stay on, and the economy keeps humming. Which is nice, right?

The Bad ⚠️. Now comes the warning label. The IMF has cut its growth forecast for Spain for this year from 2.3% to 2.1%, and expects a gradual slowdown — to around 1.7% in 2027 — as some of our recent tailwinds fade.

• The biggest risk? The war. Energy prices have already surged — oil is up more than 50%, and gas has nearly doubled — and if the conflict drags on, the IMF warns it could hit investment, consumption, and growth, while keeping inflation stubbornly above 3%. So, like, if this turns into a long war, not even all the solar panels in Extremadura can let Spain escape it.

• There are also political risks at home. The IMF politely notes that Spain’s fragmented parliament raises “questions” about whether the government can actually pass the reforms it needs. (If you need that translated, they mean, “Good luck with that.”)

The Ugly 😬. This is where the long-term scaries begin.

• First, there’s housing. The IMF is blunt here (and they agree with what we’ve been saying). Spain needs more housing. And unless someone proves otherwise, rent controls appear to be making the situation worse by pushing landlords to take homes off the market. Their advice? If the evidence holds, scrap the rent caps when their three-year trial ends next year. And build more — lots more.

• And then, Spain is getting old. From 2030 onward, Spain faces a huge rise in spending on pensions, healthcare, and long-term care — like, one of the biggest increases in Europe. Because so many more olds! Public debt, which is currently under control, is expected to start climbing again. Fun! The IMF suggestion (hidden in economist speak)? Maybe be less generous. (That seems unlikely.)

Our take. Spain is doing a lot right in terms of growth, jobs, and renewables. But the IMF’s message is pretty clear — enjoy it while it lasts. Because between war abroad, housing at home, and a tidal wave of Spaniards heading into retirement, it’s not gonna get a lot easier.

3. 💥 The Iran war takes over parliament

And it was a hot one! PM Pedro Sánchez’s appearance in the Spanish Parliament’s regular oversight session/fight club yesterday focused on the upcoming elections in Andalucía, the Iran war, and a batch of emergency decrees meant to ease the economic pain caused by the conflict (read: high oil prices).

• Oh, and lots of insults. We’ll get to that. But first, your vegetables: the decrees.

Two decrees enter, one decree leaves. Of the two packages of emergency measures, the PSOE-led government has the votes to pass the first, and basically zero chance of passing the second.

• The winner. A €5bn plan with 80 measures aimed at pretty much everyone (20 million households, 3 million businesses). The highlights: cheaper energy (electricity taxes slashed 60%, a gas tax cut of up to €0.30/liter), protections for vulnerable households (no cutting off utilities), and aid for industry, farmers, and transport. Plus more love for renewables, because Spain is all-in on the whole energy independence thing.

• The loser. An obligatory two-year extension of rental contracts and a temporary 2% cap on annual rent rises. Landlords (and many normal people are landlords) were not having this.

• And the surprise! In exchange for backing decree #1, Catalan separatists got Sánchez to agree to adopt an EU rule exempting autónomos earning under €85,000 from charging VAT. As autónomos ourselves, we have never felt more pro-separatist.

Now, the fun part. Highlights of the fighting.

• Worst ever. The PP’s parliamentary spokeswoman, Ester Muñoz, called departing Finance Minister María Jesús Montero, “the most arrogant person in history and the worst Finance minister our country has ever had.” Montero fired back, “They bark, as we ride on.”

• Nice sticker. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo mocked an Iranian propaganda clip showing a missile tagged with Sánchez’s face and “Thank you, Prime Minister” in reference to his opposition to the war: “Hard to defend peace when Iranian propaganda puts you on a missile.”

And then… everyone said ‘No to war.’ Sánchez revived the Iraq-era slogan, and parliament promptly remixed it:

• Alberto Nuñez Feijoo (PP): “No to war, and no to you [to Sánchez].”

• Santiago Abascal (Vox): “No to the war of one brave man with everyone else’s balls.” (Whatever that means❓)

• Verónica Martínez Barbero (Sumar): “No to war, yes to renewables.”

• Maribel Vaquero (PNV): “No to war like a Game of Thrones.”

• Néstor Rego (BNG): “No to war, but with actions, not words.”

Aw, look, they’re all against the war. They just disagree on literally everything else.

4. 🚔 Potential terrorist attack in Mallorca stopped and jihadist arrested

The 2000’s are back. A potential jihadist attack in Spain may have just been stopped before it even began. Yesterday, Spanish police, working with Moroccan intelligence, said they dismantled a suspected jihadist cell that was allegedly planning an attack.

• Three people were arrested, one in Palma de Mallorca, no less, right in the center of one of Spain’s biggest tourist hotspots, and two more in Tangier, Morocco.

• The operation was carried out by Spain’s Policía Nacional and Morocco’s DGST, in a coordinated cross-border investigation led by Spain’s Audiencia Nacional.

The man arrested in Mallorca is believed to be the leader of the cell and was allegedly already moving beyond radicalization into actual planning.

• Investigators say he was preparing an attack in the country inspired by “lone-wolf” terrorism (i.e., the kind that’s designed to be harder to detect and prevent).

• The two suspects arrested in Tangier, were reportedly involved in financing and logistical support for jihadist groups linked to ISIS, particularly in regions like the Sahel and Somalia that have become global terrorism hotspots in recent years.

Yikes. What do we actually know? Not much beyond that. The investigation is still ongoing, officially under secrecy, and police haven’t disclosed targets, timelines, or how advanced the alleged plan really was.

This didn’t turn into an attack, but it’s a reminder of something Spain knows all too well.

• Spain has long been on the radar of jihadist terrorism, most notably with the Madrid train bombings in 2004, the deadliest attack in the country’s recent history, and the 2017 attack at La Rambla in Barcelona.

Spanish security forces since then have focused on prevention, monitoring networks, tracking radicalization, and working closely with partners, especially Morocco.

5. 🪦 Another American tourist died on vacation in Barcelona. Is Spain dangerous?

The tragic death last week of American tourist James Gracey has drawn massive attention in both the U.S. and Spain, after new details emerged about his final hours in Barcelona.

• Spring breaker. Gracey, a University of Alabama student, was in the city for spring break when he was reported missing on March 17, sparking a search by friends and family.

• Tragic finale. Two days later, his body was found in shallow water near the beachfront nightclub he had visited the night before. A local thief had his phone, but authorities say the death appears accidental. Surveillance footage reportedly shows him falling into the water, where he drowned.

Gracey was not the first. Over recent years, several American visitors have died in Spain under tragic circumstances — usually involving risk, bad luck, or both.

Murder on the Camino. In 2015, Denise Thiem, 40, disappeared while walking the Camino de Santiago. She was last seen on April 5 in the town of Astorga, after attending Easter celebrations and continuing her journey along the trail.

• No worries at first. Pilgrims often go off-grid. But as days turned into weeks, fears grew. Months later, her body was discovered in a rural area, and Spanish authorities arrested a local man who later confessed to killing her.

Deadly mountain adventure. Another case is that of Cole Henderson, 27, who disappeared while hiking in the Pyrenees. Five days after putting his cell phone into airplane mode to begin hiking in the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park (Huesca), and two days after missing a flight to the Netherlands, a search was launched.

• Sad discovery. The next month, Henderson’s body was found on the north face of Monte Perdido, the third-highest peak in the Pyrenees. The route to the top is rated as “Peu Difficile” (PD), meaning “somewhat difficult”, but that route — the level sometimes requires ice axes or crampons — was still covered in snow in early July,

Dangerous tides. A young American student, Alan Patrick, died in early 2026 while visiting the Canary Island of Lanzarote. Patrick, just days short of 21, was swimming with friends in the natural rock pools of Los Charcones, an area known for its dramatic volcanic landscape.

• Weather warnings. Strong Atlantic swells had already prompted warnings, and parts of the area had been closed. Despite this, Patrick and his group were swimming in one of the rock pools, and a powerful wave swept them into the ocean. While his friends were able to escape, Patrick was carried out to sea. His body was recovered two days later by a Guardia Civil dive team.

So, is Spain dangerous for tourists? Members of the commentariat have suggested that it is (because that’s what they do). But the data says otherwise.

• The real danger in Spain isn’t human. Thiem’s death is the exception, not the rule. Spain’s homicide rate, at 0.7 per 100,000 people, is one of the lowest in the world (and ⅛ that of the U.S.). The danger here is nature and bad decisions. So maybe pay attention to the sea and mountains — and ease off the tinto de verano.

🙏 Once again, please remember to share this newsletter with your friends on social media. The more we grow, the more information we’ll be able to offer each week.

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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend

It’s Friday again!

Madrid this weekend isn’t just a city… It’s a catwalk! From IFEMA’s runways to the streets of Chamberí, Malasaña, and beyond, everything starts to feel a little more curated, a little more performative.

• Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week takes over the calendar, but the real show spills outside: sunglasses go on despite the clouds, outfits get riskier, and suddenly everyone looks like they might be on their way to (or from) a casting.

• And the best part? You don’t need an invitation to be part of it. Just grab coffee at a perfectly aesthetic spot in Salesas, front-row your own life at a terrace like the main character you are, or just people-watch like it’s a competitive sport. Madrid feels like The Devil Wears Prada on steroids

This weekend, style isn’t something you watch; it’s something you walk into.

Happy weekend!

1.🧵 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid is back (and looks cooler than ever)

Move over, losers! Madrid is fully leaning into its fashion capital ambitions this week, as the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid (MBFWM) returns for its spring edition, spreading across the city with a packed schedule of runway shows, presentations, and industry events.

• The MBFWM is the biggest fashion event in Spain and one of the few moments where Madrid genuinely competes, at least for a week, with the likes of Paris, Milan, or London. (We may not be as cool as them, but we’re definitely getting there.)

• Fashion Week is a mix of established designers and emerging talent presenting their collections for the next season. Big names like Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada, Custo, Hannibal Laguna, or Ángel Schlesser share the spotlight with newer designers trying to break into the industry. It’s where brands build relevance, where trends start to take shape, and where the local industry connects with international buyers, influencers, press, and insiders.

• This year’s edition is also about evolution. The main runway at IFEMA has been redesigned with a more modern, brighter identity, signaling a shift toward a more contemporary and global positioning.

• And importantly, this isn’t just happening inside IFEMA. The OFF program means fashion spills into the city itself, with shows, events, and collaborations all over Madrid.

Even if you’re not sitting front row (let’s face it, you won’t unless you’re one of the cool kids or a Kardashian), you’ll feel it all around. Pop-ups, parties, or just the general increase in people dressed significantly better than you await you.

🖥️ What: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid (MBFWM)

📍 Where: IFEMA Madrid plus various locations across the city

📅 When: Through March 22

🎟 Tickets: Check website. Runway events are paid, some off events are free.

2.🍫 El Escorial is turning into a chocolate wonderland this weekend

If your weekend plans don’t involve eating chocolate until you explode, you may want to rethink them. This weekend, El Escorial (yes, it’s far away, shut up) turns into a full-blown cacao paradise with its III Chocolate Festival, a two-day event that mixes food, history, and family-friendly chaos just under an hour from Madrid.

• There will be tastings, workshops, routes, and enough sugar to carry you emotionally through the rest of this horrendous year.

• The heart of it all is Casa Miñana, where 17 chocolatiers and artisan producers set up shop with everything from bonbons and pastries to high-end cocoa and more experimental creations.

• You can taste, buy, and pretend you understand the difference between origins like a pro. But this isn’t just about eating: the event also leans into El Escorial’s surprisingly rich chocolate history, paying tribute to Matías López, the 19th-century industrialist who basically turned the town into Spain’s cacao capital.

• Beyond the food, there’s a full program designed to keep you moving (and justify the calories): historical routes through the town, family gymkhanas, kids’ workshops, and even a theatrical spin on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (we hope it’s not like the one in Glasgow).

Add in expert-led tastings, live demos, and show cookings, and you’ve got a plan that somehow manages to be indulgent and “cultural” at the same time. Dangerous combo.

🖥️ What: III Chocolate Festival (Jornadas del Chocolate)

📍 Where: Casa Miñana, Av. de Castilla, 4, El Escorial

📅 When: March 21–22

🎟 Tickets start at: Free entry (some activities may require booking)

3.🗣️ Poetry Is Taking Over the Thyssen Museum for World Poetry Day

Despite what you may think, poetry is still a thing. So if you needed a sign to slow down this weekend, this is it.

To mark World Poetry Day, the Thyssen Museum is turning its galleries into something far more intimate: a live poetry circuit where 21 poets will be reading their work across different rooms of the museum.

• That means you’ll be wandering past masterpieces while suddenly stumbling into someone reciting a verse a few meters away.

• The concept is simple but surprisingly powerful: pairing visual art with spoken word, and letting visitors experience both at once (unless you’re wearing those headsets for the museum audio guides, in that case, you’re kinda screwed). It’s less of a structured event and more of a cultural treasure hunt.

• The opening reading will be delivered by singer Massiel (she won the Eurovision song contest in 1968!), setting the tone for an experience that blends disciplines and breaks the usual museum rhythm.

The event also marks the launch of a national poetry initiative aimed at promoting live and experimental formats across Spain, so this isn’t just a one-day thing, but part of a broader push to bring poetry back into public spaces.

🖥️ What: World Poetry Day readings at Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza

📍 Where: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Paseo del Prado 8, Madrid

📅 When: March 21, 11:45 am to 1:30 pm

🎟 Museum Tickets: €14

4.🤤 Madrid is hosting the World Cup of Cachopo (and it’s absolutely unhinged)

You know what? Fuck it. It’s impossible to follow a strict diet in this country, so we’re no longer feeling guilty for it. As if things weren’t already hard enough, now we have to put up with one of the most gloriously excessive competitions of the year: the Best Cachopo in the World International Contest.

• 100 restaurants across 10 countries are battling it out over Spain’s most unapologetically indulgent dish, and it’s so much more exciting than the World Cup. Even better, you don’t need to go to Asturias (where it’s from) to try it, because 20 restaurants in Madrid are competing, serving their entries all month long.

• Chefs are experimenting and flexing with versions that are stuffed with morcilla, wild boar, or trout, and others are topped with gold flakes. There’s one even featuring Cabrales cheese valued at €37,000.

• The competition is a great excuse for a city-wide food crawl, and you can hop from spot to spot trying different contenders, comparing textures, fillings, and levels of post-meal regret.

Each cachopo comes with a drink (cider or beer), and while the official winner will be crowned in Oviedo, Madrid basically gets to host the tasting phase of these weird Olympics of fried meat.

🖥️ What: Concurso Internacional al Mejor Cachopo del Mundo 2026

📍 Where: Multiple locations around Madrid (and the world!)

📅 When: Through March 31

🎟 Menu: 28,50€ (cachopo + drink)

5.🚂 Madrid’s most charming time machine Is back (and it comes with strawberries)

Now that the spring has sprung, Madrid is bringing back one of its most charming (and slightly surreal) traditions: the Strawberry Train.

• First launched in 1984, this historic train recreates the original railway journey from Madrid to Aranjuez, dating all the way back to 1851, when Queen Isabel II inaugurated the line connecting the capital to the royal palace.

• Today, it’s less about transportation and more about stepping into a slower, more nostalgic version of Spain.

• The experience is very much part theater, part history lesson. You depart from the Railway Museum in the old Delicias station in Madrid (one of those beautiful iron-structure buildings that feel frozen in time) and travel in vintage carriages from the 1920s, 40s, and 60s.

• Along the way, staff dressed in period costumes serve you strawberries (yes, that’s the whole point), while you head toward Aranjuez, a UNESCO-listed cultural landscape famous for its royal heritage and, of course, its strawberries.

• Once you arrive, the plan doesn’t stop. The train is basically your entry point into a full day trip: gardens, palace, walks, and a town that feels like a quieter, more elegant extension of Madrid.

Yes, yes. It’s touristy, but in a way that actually works. It’s like time travel but with snacks. If you’re looking for something different this spring that doesn’t involve another terraza and tinto de verano, this is it.

🖥️ What: Tren de la Fresa (Strawberry Train)

📍 Where: From Museo del Ferrocarril (Madrid) to Aranjuez

📅 When: Selected dates from March to June (starting March 22)

🎟 Tickets start at: Check official site (Depends on the tour. Lowest price is €24).

📺 What to watch if you’re staying in this weekend…

🖥️ What: Zeta (Agent Zeta) | Movie | 2026

📍Where to watch: Prime Video

❓What’s it about: A Spanish spy must track down a former spy involved in an undercover mission decades ago, while a Colombian agent is also after him. Secrets from the past will be uncovered.

🤩 Why you should watch: Because it’s Spain’s most serious attempt yet at doing a proper, international-level spy thriller, and with a character that’s less of a James Bond and more of a Jack Reacher. Shot across Spain, Brazil, and Estonia, it actually feels global. Also, actor Luis Zahera absolutely carries the film with a standout performance, making Zeta worth your time because it shows where Spanish action cinema could be heading next.

💬 English Subtitles: Yes

💃🏻 Places to try this weekend…

🍽️ Brazza is Madrid’s hottest new table (and it’s all about fire)

What’s it about: Brazza is Madrid’s newest must-know spot—a fire-driven restaurant by Argentine chef Franco Malacisa that blends open-flame cooking with a deeply personal, global menu built around sharing.

Why you should go: Because it’s not just about the grill: from empanadas and falafel to perfectly cooked meats, seafood, and nostalgic desserts like chocotorta, everything is bold, precise, and full of character—backed by a thoughtful wine list and a warm, family-run vibe.

Bottom line: Brazza doesn’t try to please everyone—it aims to move you. And in a city full of openings, this is one that actually matters.

Address: Orfila 7, Madrid

☕️ Escaramuza is Chueca’s new real-life Central Perk - and it’s amazing

What’s it about: A cozy Chueca café run by a Uruguayan team that feels straight out of Friends, with a Central Perk-style couch, great coffee, and a brunch menu that hits all the right notes.

Why you should go: Because everything works: seriously good eggs Benedict, standout avocado toast, delicious coffee, and a pastry selection (alfajores, cookies, rogeles) that’s borderline addictive, all in a chill, welcoming space with lovely staff.

Bottom line: Escaramuza isn’t just aesthetic; it delivers. Come for the vibe, stay because the food and coffee are actually that good.

Address: Calle de Barbieri 1, Chueca, Madrid

👨🏻‍💻 Viral Memes of the Week

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Rumbo a América

🇲🇽 El rey Felipe VI casi pide perdón por aquello de la conquista

¡Sorpresa! El rey Felipe VI (también conocido como F6) levantó unas cuantas cejas esta semana tras reconocer, así como quien no quiere la cosa, que durante la conquista española de América hubo “mucho abuso y controversias éticas”.

• Suspiro colectivo. Lo dijo de pasada durante una visita discreta a una exposición sobre culturas prehispánicas en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional de Madrid, junto al embajador de México. Una aparición que ni siquiera figuraba en su agenda oficial, pero que tenía bastante carga política.

• En teoría, razonable. Sobre el papel, sonó a reflexión equilibrada, casi académica: sí, hubo abusos, pero los hechos históricos deben juzgarse “en su justo contexto, no con excesivo presentismo moral, sino con un análisis objetivo y riguroso”. En la práctica, funcionó como una bengala diplomática lanzada hacia México.

• Mal rollo. Las relaciones entre España y México llevan unos años tensas, desde que el expresidente mexicano Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) pidió formalmente al Rey en 2019 que pidiera perdón por la conquista (y, sorpresa, no obtuvo respuesta). La cosa se tensó aún más cuando la actual presidenta, Claudia Sheinbaum, no invitó a F6 a su toma de posesión. ☹️

El Rey sabe lo que hace. Al reconocer públicamente el “abuso”, Felipe VI se acerca un poco más al tipo de reconocimiento que llevan años pidiendo desde México, sin llegar a pedir perdón. Algo así como: “Sentimos que te sientas así”.

• ¿Por qué ahora? Algunos creen que no es tanto una revisión histórica como un movimiento para salvar la Cumbre Iberoamericana que se celebrará en Madrid este año, y que reunirá a líderes de toda América Latina y España. Existía el riesgo de que Sheinbaum se la saltara. (Ahhh… ahora encaja todo.)

Mejor que nada. Sheinbaum dijo que reconoce y valora el gesto del Rey, y añadió: “No fue todo lo que hubiéramos querido, pero es un gesto de acercamiento”. Entonces ¿vienes a la cumbre, Claudia?

• Todos avisados. El gobierno del PSOE aseguró que “suscribimos al 100%” las palabras del Rey y que estaba al tanto de lo que iba a decir.

Pero no todos aplauden. Por si no te suena, la Leyenda Negra es la idea de que la historia imperial española ha sido retratada de forma injustamente cruel y opresiva. Para muchos en España, criticar la conquista no es solo revisar el pasado: es aceptar una distorsión histórica de siglos. (Y sí, muchos de ellos tampoco son fans de Pedro Sánchez, sorpresa cero.)

• Salto temporal absurdo. El líder del PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, sacó pecho con el legado español en América. Y además, tema calendario: “Hacer ahora un examen en el siglo XXI de las cosas que ocurrieron en el siglo XV es un disparate”, dijo.

• No, tú más. La presidenta madrileña y troll de vocación, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, fue un paso más allá y sugirió que Sheinbaum mirara más cerca de casa: “Abusos, los que ya se cometían contra la propia población autóctona por parte de las poblaciones aztecas y mayas, que entendían los sacrificios como parte de los rituales”.

• Vox, aún más inflamado. Su portavoz parlamentaria defendió que la Corona española llevó a cabo “la mayor obra evangelizadora y civilizadora de la historia”. Perdón, ninguno.

Probablemente todo esto se diluya pronto, y hay bastantes papeletas de que la presidenta mexicana acabe viniendo a la cumbre. Pero el gran ganador del culebrón puede ser el Rey: tras su no-disculpa disculpa, Sheinbaum invitó a F6 al Mundial de este verano en México.

• Teniendo en cuenta lo difícil que está conseguir entradas, nos da que ese era el verdadero objetivo desde el principio. 🤔

Sigue leyendo que abajo hay más noticias. 👇👇

🔔 Pero antes, echa un vistazo a esta oportunidad de trabajo en 2btube

¿Buscas dar el siguiente paso en tu carrera en España? Acaban de salir dos oportunidades muy potentes.

Nuestros amigos de 2btube están buscando un/a Head of Content internacional senior (con español e inglés, francés suma puntos) para ayudar a definir el futuro del contenido digital en España, liderando la estrategia en YouTube y la creación de IPs virales. Piensa en MrBeast, pero en versión española. (Sí, de esos trabajos de los que luego se presume con humildad en LinkedIn). También buscan un/a CTO centrado/a en IA y estrategia tecnológica para hacerlo todo posible.

Si te encaja —o conoces a alguien—, puedes ver las descripciones de los puestos aquí.

Cómo postularse

💬 Cinco temas para debatir con amigos

1.🗳️ Castilla y León vota: gana el PP, cambia poco

Joder, más elecciones. Castilla y León votó este fin de semana y, spoiler: no cambió gran cosa… pero también cambió todo. El PP (que ya gobernaba) ganó con 33 escaños, mejorando el resultado pero aún lejos de los 42 necesarios para la mayoría absoluta. Es decir, el presidente autonómico Alfonso Fernández Mañueco vuelve al punto de partida — necesita a Vox para gobernar.

• Esto ya empieza a ser el estribillo del PP. Les pasó también en las últimas tres autonómicas: Extremadura, Aragón… y ahora Castilla y León.

• Premios de consolación. El PSOE quedó segundo con 30 escaños (gana dos, en una tímida recuperación tras varias derrotas), mientras que Vox se quedó en 14, sumando solo uno y sin romper la barrera simbólica del 20% del voto. Los partidos regionales aguantaron (más o menos) y la izquierda más a la izquierda básicamente murió desapareció del mapa.

El vaso medio lleno (o medio vacío). Sí, el PP sigue dependiendo de Vox pese a ganar. Pero Vox creció menos de lo esperado. De hecho, el PP casi duplicó a Vox en votos, frenando al partido en una región donde aspiraba a dar el salto.

• Mañueco leyó rápido la situación. Ya está pidiendo un acuerdo parlamentario "de cuatro años” con Vox, pero con matices: preferiría su apoyo sin que entren en el gobierno.

• Mientras tanto, el PSOE no quiere ni oír hablar de facilitar la investidura. Su candidato, Carlos Martínez, lo rechazó de plano, apostando básicamente por repetir elecciones antes que dejar gobernar al PP.

Poco margen para la izquierda. La derecha domina Castilla y León —y lo hace desde 1987—, y un gobierno alternativo requeriría algo cercano a un milagro político.

Próxima parada. Las próximas autonómicas clave son en Andalucía, en tres meses, aunque podrían adelantarse al 31 de mayo para evitar que la visita del Papa en junio se coma la campaña. Prepara las palomitas: esa sí que va a ser un buen espectáculo. 🍿

2. 🏘️ ¿Está funcionando el nuevo sistema de control de alquileres, 2 años después?

El 16 de marzo de 2024, Cataluña puso en marcha los primeros controles de alquiler bajo una nueva ley que permite a las comunidades limitar precios en “zonas tensionadas”, impulsada por el gobierno del PSOE tras años de subidas aceleradas (los alquileres en Cataluña habían subido un 60% en una década). Así que ahora, con dos años de datos, la pregunta: ¿funcionaron?

Read more

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Coming to America

🇲🇽 King Felipe VI almost says sorry for that conquest thing

Surprise! King Felipe VI (aka F6) raised a few eyebrows this week after casually acknowledging that there was “a lot of abuse” and “ethical controversy” during the Spanish conquest of the Americas.

• Audible gasp. He made the comments in passing during a low-key visit to an exhibition on pre-Hispanic cultures at Madrid’s National Archaeological Museum, alongside Mexico’s ambassador, an appearance that wasn’t even on his official agenda but carried very clear political weight.

• That's reasonable. On paper, it sounded like a fairly balanced, almost academic reflection. As in, yes, there were abuses, but historic acts should be judged “in their proper context, not with modern moral lenses, but with an objective and rigorous analysis.” In practice, it worked like a diplomatic flare sent over Mexico.

• Tough times. Relations between Spain and Mexico have been tense for a few years, ever since former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) formally asked the King in 2019 to apologize for the conquest (and, not surprisingly, got radio silence in return). Things escalated when current president Claudia Sheinbaum didn’t invite F6 to her inauguration. ☹️

King knew what he was doing. By publicly acknowledging “abuse” this week, the King is inching closer to the kind of recognition Mexican leaders have been demanding, without actually issuing an apology. Like, “We're sorry that you're upset.”

• Why now? Some believe this isn’t just about revising history, it’s actually about saving the Iberoamerican Summit taking place in Madrid later this year, which is supposed to bring together leaders from across LatAm and Spain — and there was a risk that Sheinbaum might skip it. (Ah, now we understand.)

Better than nothing. Sheinbaum, commented that she “recognizes and values” the King’s gesture, and added that, “It wasn’t everything we would have liked, but the truth is that it’s a gesture of rapprochement.” So, coming to the Summit, Claudia?

• In the loop. Spain's PSOE-led government said it “fully endorsed” the King’s remarks and that it was aware of what he was going to say.

But not everybody was so happy. In case you don’t know the Leyenda Negra (“Black Legend”), it’s the idea that Spain’s imperial history has been unfairly portrayed as cruel and oppressive. So for many in Spain, criticism of the conquest isn’t just about history — it’s accepting a centuries-old misrepresentation of the country. (Many of those same people are not fans of PM Pedro Sánchez, you will be shocked to hear.)

• Absurd time shift. The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, talked up his pride in the Spanish legacy in the Americas. Plus, like, timeline? “To examine events that occurred in the 15th century in the 21st century is absurd,” he said.

• No, you. Madrid’s regional presi and troll artist Isabel Díaz Ayuso let it all hang out, suggesting Sheinbaum might look closer to home: “Abuses are what were committed against the native population by the Aztecs and Mayans, who used sacrifices as part of their rituals.”

• Far-right Vox got even puffier with Spain pride. Its parliamentary spokeswoman argued that the Spanish Crown carried out “the greatest evangelizing and civilizing work in history.” No apologies here!

This will probably blow over quickly, and there's a good chance that Mexico's president will attend Spain's summit. But the big winner of this whole kerfuffle is probably the King: after his non-apology apology, Sheinbaum invited F6 to attend this summer's World Cup in Mexico.

• Considering how hard it is to get those tickets, we suspect that might have been F6's angle all along. 🤔

More news below. 👇👇

🔔 But first, check out this job opportunity at 2btube

Looking for a career move in Spain? Two big opportunities just landed.

Our friends at 2btube are hiring a senior international Content Head (fluent in Spanish & English, French is a plus) to help shape the future of digital content in Spain, leading YouTube content strategy and viral IP creation. Think MrBeast, but make it Spanish (Yes, this is one of those jobs people humblebrag about later). They are also looking for a CTO who focuses on AI and tech strategy, powering it all.

If this sounds like you — or someone you know — check out the job descriptions here.

How to apply

💬 Five things to discuss at dinner parties

1.🗳️ Castilla y León votes, the PP wins, little changes

Oh, look. More elections. Castilla y León voted this weekend and, spoiler alert, nothing really changed, but also everything did. The PP (currently in power there) won the election with 33 seats, improving its result but still far from the 42 needed for a majority, which means regional president Alfonso Fernández Mañueco is back where he started — needing Vox to govern.

• This is beginning to become the PP’s theme song. This also happened to them in the last three regional elections — Extremadura, Aragón, and now Castilla y León.

• Booby prizes. The PSOE came second with 30 seats (gaining two in a small recovery after recent defeats), while Vox got 14, gaining just one seat and failing to break the symbolic barrier of 20% of the vote. Regional parties held their ground (ish), and the farther left basically died disappeared from the map.

Half full, half empty. Sure, the PP is still dependent on Vox despite their victory. But Vox’s growth was smaller than expected. In fact, the PP almost doubled Vox in votes, effectively clamping down on the far-right party in a region where they expected to surge.

• Mañueco wasted no time reading the room. He’s already calling for a “four-year parliamentary agreement” with Vox, but with a twist: he’d prefer they support him without joining the government.

• Meanwhile, the PSOE has made it clear it won’t play along. Candidate Carlos Martínez flat-out rejected facilitating Mañueco’s investiture, essentially hoping for a repeat election rather than helping the PP govern.

It’s bleak for the left. The right dominates in Castilla y León and has been in power since 1987. Governing from the left would require something close to a political miracle.

Next stop. The next big regional elections are in Andalucía in three months, although they may bring elections forward to May 31 to avoid the Pope’s visit in June hijacking the campaign. Get ready, that one is going to be a shitshow fun.

2. 🏘️ Is the new rent-control system working, 2 years in?

On March 16, 2024, Catalonia instituted the first rent controls under a new law allowing regions to cap prices in “stressed areas,” passed by the PSOE-led government after years of fast price increases (rents in Catalonia had risen 60% in a decade). So now we ask, with two years of data, did they actually work?

• Caveat emptor. Like with everything in Spain, whether you think they worked tracks closely with whether you like the party that passed them. But hey, that’s why we’re here!

Top line: prices cooled. In Catalonia’s “stressed zones,” rents rose just 0.8% over 18 months, well below inflation (3.1%), while unregulated areas saw a 5.7% increase.

• In Barcelona, prices actually fell 3.3%. As urban researcher Jaime Palomera says, the caps “broke the previous trend” of runaway increases and helped stabilize prices. In Navarra, prices fell 8.8% between the second and fourth quarter of 2025. Even critics concede some downward movement.

But, but, but… Don’t pop the cava yet.

• Lies, damned lies, and statistics. Prices spiked right before the caps came in (landlords raised their prices while they could), making the subsequent “drop” look bigger than it really was. Adjust for that, and a study from the Instituto Juan de Mariana (a libertarian-leaning think tank) says the decline is basically a rounding error.

• What you get has shrunk. Average apartment sizes are down (in Barcelona, from 75m² to 71m²), while the price per square meter has stayed high or even hit records. In other words, you’re paying more for less space. Which is cozy!

• And then there’s the supply (or lack thereof). Across regulated cities, rental listings have dropped sharply — about 26% in Pamplona, 21% in A Coruña, and 15% in Barcelona, according to Idealista data. In some places, registered rental contracts have fallen by as much as 50%.

So where did those rental apartments go? 🔎 Well, they escaped. Seasonal rentals (which do not have price caps) have exploded — in Barcelona, they jumped from about 7% of contracts to over 23% in two years.

• Others have been sold off, with institutional landlords fleeing the “stressed” markets.

Our take? Rent caps are a sugar fix. They feel great at first — prices stop rising, politicians take a bow — but they don’t solve the underlying problem.

• Spain is short some 800,000 homes (and growing). If renting stops being profitable, fewer homes get built or offered for rent. Which means even less supply in the places that need it most.

• And allies of the governing coalition are talking about new limits. “We see that the supply is decreasing, but prices are not falling,” says Montserrat Junyent, who runs the real estate agents’ lobby of Catalonia. “And all that is being adopted are new regulations that exacerbate the housing problem.”

So yes, prices stabilized (ish). But at the cost of fewer homes, more loopholes, and a market that’s increasingly weird. Short term? We’re all a bit screwed. Long term? Maybe we can build our way out. Maybe.

• And if you already own a place? Smile. Quietly. And for the love of God, don’t brag about it. Angry Gen Zers stuck at home forevs may show up with pitchforks.

3.🎬 Spain has a new “president” (and it’s Torrente)

The Spanish box office has a new (and deeply horrible) president, and his name is Torrente. After more than a decade away, Torrente presidente (“Torrente for President”), the sixth installment of Santiago Segura’s legendary saga about the worst person imaginable, hit cinemas this weekend and absolutely blew up the box office, pulling in around €7m in just a few days.

• That makes it the fourth biggest opening in Spanish film history, and, because this is Spain, three of the top four are Torrente movies. At this point, Segura is competing with his own past self.

Wait, who? For the uninitiated (shame on you), Torrente is one of the most iconic and controversial characters in Spanish pop culture.

• Think of a deeply corrupt, outdated, ex-police officer who embodies every bad stereotype imaginable. Like, sexist, racist, homophobic, islamophobic, lazy, loud, and proudly wrong about everything. In other words, the ultimate “cuñao.”

• The more you know. A cuñao (a mispronunciation of brother-in-law) is Spain’s version of the crazy, racist uncle. He is that guy at the bar who talks bullfighting, soccer, and sevillanas, and has an opinion on absolutely everything that he delivers loudly, confidently, and usually incorrectly over a chupito.

A pretty topical movie. In Torrente presidente, the titular character joins a fictional ultra-nationalist far-right party called Nox (subtle, we know) and climbs his way into power, exposing corruption, incompetence, and hypocrisy along the way.

• The film makes fun of everyone (left, right, and center) and clearly has fun skewering populism, media spectacle, and the general circus that politics has become. The uncomfortable part? A lot of the jokes feel a little too close to reality, which is exactly why they land.

• It’s filled with cameos from real-life political figures and guest appearances such as former PM Mariano Rajoy (we’re not kidding), Alec Baldwin, and Kevin Spacey (again, we’re not kidding).

Numbers as ridiculous as the premise. The film has already passed 1 million viewers in record time, is dominating more than 70% of the total box office, and has become the highest-grossing Spanish film of 2026 in a single weekend.

4.😳 It’s Spanish culture shaming week!

Maybe it was war stress? Or Oscar nerves? Whatever the cause, it’s been a cranky week in Spanish culture. Let us count the ways…

We’re going to start on the fútbol pitch. Because if you don’t think fútbol is culture here, you don’t know Spain.

• Spain v Argentina. The continental champions were supposed to play a Finalissima on March 27 for ‘Best in the World’ bragging rights. Great. In Doha. Less great (the war and all.)

• They needed a new location. So they negotiated. And then on Sunday, the European soccer federation, the UEFA, announced that the game was off.

• What? The UEFA blamed Argentina — loudly — laying out all the offers they made that were rejected, and how a last minute change by the Argentine federation made the cancellation inevitable.

• The conspiracies went wild. Clarín suggested that the Argentine coach, Luis Scaloni, didn’t want to play and risk a loss that could break the team’s confidence ahead of the World Cup. Or maybe it was because Argentine federation boss Claudio Tapia, who is facing a fraud investigation with links to Spain, was afraid of being arrested in Europe? 🤔

And then there’s poor Rosalia. Rosi probably thought she was doing her fans a solid when she sat for a chat with Argentine writer Mariana Enriquez for Spotify Presents.

• Rosi said some things. While discussing Pablo Picasso, Rosalía said that while she might not have liked Pablo had she met him, “I’ve never had a problem with differentiating between the artist and the work,” and that, unless she’d had a real experience with him, “Who am I to judge?”

• The interwebs attack. The social media commentariat was not amused and noted that biographers had documented Picasso’s psychological violence and emotional manipulation, and two of the painter’s partners later committed suicide.

• Modern self-flagellation. A chastened Rosalía set herself on fire on stage recorded a contrite TikTok in which she apologized to her fans and said they were right that she should have known more about Picasso, and please don’t cancel her.

Finally, Yolanda Díaz. You’d think the retiring leader of a party of small and decreasing importance could be ignored on a nice work trip on the government’s dime. But you’d be wrong.

• Gallegos of the world unite. Díaz grabbed a commercial flight to Los Angeles for the Oscar ceremony Sunday, apparently at the invitation of a fellow gallego, Óliver Laxe, who directed the Spanish film Sirāt that was nominated for best international picture (and lost).

• But that ticket! Spanish media dug up that her business class ticket and that of her assistant each cost €7,700, and they stayed at a hotel where rooms cost about €500. So, you know, scandal.

• Fashion press piles on. Trade journal Fashion United noted that Díaz attended the Oscars in a dress from Purificación García, whose stores in Galicia are being picketed by striking members of the union that makes the clothing. Which maybe is a bad look for a leftish Labor Minister.

Feeling superior yet? Good. Next story.

5.🏰 Spain just lost a piece of a medieval castle

Boom. The surreal moments in the footage above look as if they belong in a disaster movie rather than in a sleepy town in Castilla-La Mancha. What happened? On Saturday, the Albarrana tower, part of the Escalona castle, in the province of Toledo, suddenly collapsed.

• Thank god for social media. Tourists standing nearby captured the whole thing on video as the tower collapsed in a very dramatic cloud of dust. The good news is that no one was injured, though a few unlucky cars parked nearby ended up taking some stone souvenirs home.

Sad face. The Castillo de Escalona is not just another crumbling ruin in rural Spain; it’s one of the most historically significant fortifications in the Toledo region.

• Old… Parts of the complex date back to the 11th century, when the original tower was built during the Islamic period, while later expansions in the 15th century turned it into the imposing medieval stronghold locals know today.

• And new again! The castle remained closed for decades and was largely neglected until 2024, when the town council bought the site and began reopening it to visitors, allowing people back inside for the first time in more than 50 years.

The culprit. According to local authorities and heritage experts, the collapse was caused by water damage. Spain has experienced intense storms recently, and the rainfall appears to have seeped into the tower’s interior walls.

• Oh, the irony. The collapsed tower was slated for restoration, but the works hadn’t started yet. One small piece of good news in this architectural tragedy is that the original 11th-century core of the tower remains standing, which means part of the structure may still be preserved.

Not an isolated incident. Spain has one of the largest concentrations of castles in the world, with more than 10,000 fortifications scattered across the country.

• In theory, they’ve been safe since 1949, when Franco issued a decree to protect them. In practice, this often meant little more than good intentions.

• Historians of Spain’s fortifications are blunt about the situation. Miguel Sobrino, author of Castillos y murallas, describes the overall condition of many castles as “calamitous, catastrophic.”

Many were destroyed during the Napoleonic wars in the 1800s, and later, in the 20th century, others were literally sold off stone by stone, before modern heritage protections existed.

🙏 Once again, please remember to share this newsletter with your friends on social media. The more we grow, the more information we’ll be able to offer each week.

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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend

It’s Friday (the 13th) again!

And it feels like the perfect day to kick off a weekend that already looks slightly surreal.

• Madrid is turning green because of St. Patrick’s, and it’s also glowing thanks to a citywide light festival. Add a bit of high drama with a play that’s packed with murder and family secrets, and you basically have the ingredients of a very respectable horror movie plot. (Not as good as the Friday the 13th movies, but getting there).

• It’s the kind of weekend where you might begin admiring a contemporary art installation and somehow end up drinking Guinness with strangers dressed like leprechauns at 2 a.m.

Happy weekend!

1. 🇮🇪 St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Irish Week: Gran Vía turns green

Kiss me, I’m Irish. Madrid may be far from Dublin and have a relatively small Irish community, but since 2023, every March, the city suddenly discovers its inner Celtic spirit.

• St. Patrick’s Week has become a surprisingly big event in the capital in recent years, celebrating Ireland’s culture and its historical ties to Spain’s own Celtic roots. (We say surprisingly, because when the city was approached by a bunch of crazies visionaries with the idea, the first response was a resounding “huh?”)

• The festivities run from March 10 to 17 and include a full lineup of concerts, dance performances, literature events, film screenings, and cultural activities scattered across the city.

• There is tons of stuff going on (download the official program here). The Gran Vía metro station is transformed into the “Green Vía,” where musicians and dancers from University College Dublin perform daily busking-style shows throughout the week.

• Elsewhere in the city, there are Irish-themed talks, literary events, film screenings and even poetry readings marking the 300th anniversary of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.

• Of course, the real highlight is the St. Patrick’s Day parade, which has quickly become one of the city’s most colorful street celebrations. The parade, now in its fourth edition, is spearheaded by Galician musician Bras Rodrigo, along with countless bagpipers, aim to bring a bit of Dublin-style spectacle to Madrid.

The procession kicks off at the Metropolis Building, marching down Gran Vía toward Plaza de España with bagpipers, dancers, performers, sports groups, and plenty of people dressed in green.

🖥️ What: St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Ireland Week

📍 Where: Parade along Gran Vía (Metropolis Building to Plaza de España)

📅 When: Parade on March 14 at 5 p.m. (Ireland Week events run through March 17)

🎟 Tickets: Free admission

2.💡 LuzMadrid is back to turn the city into art

Let there be light. Madrid is damn beautiful at night, so why not turn it up to 11? That’s the idea behind LuzMadrid, the international light festival that returns for its third edition, transforming parts of the city into a glowing open-air strip club gallery.

• Created in 2021 to celebrate the UNESCO designation of the Paisaje de la Luz (the cultural landscape that includes the Prado Museum, Retiro, and Paseo del Prado), the festival invites artists from around the world to use light as their medium, turning plazas, monuments, and façades into temporary works of art.

• This year’s edition features 15 installations by national and international artists, scattered across different locations, encouraging visitors to wander through the city (check the official program here).

• The result is a city-wide night walk where buildings suddenly glow, installations pulse with color, and familiar landmarks look like they’ve been quietly upgraded with a sci-fi filter. And yes, it will look great on your Instagram stories. Your crush might even react to it with a 👏🏻 (the most disappointing of reactions, but you can’t win ’em all).

If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to wander Madrid after dark that doesn’t make it sound like you’re cruising, this is probably it.

🖥️ What: LuzMadrid International Light Festival

📍 Where: Various locations across central Madrid (see official site)

📅 When: Through March 14

🎟 Tickets: Free admission

3.👗 Listen up, cool kids: Madrid’s Fashion Week has already started

And you’re probably not invited. The city’s Spring Fashion Week season kicked off yesterday with one of the key events designed to bring Spanish fashion out of the runway and into the streets.

• Now, before you run out the door with your phone in hand, this is not the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid (aka the country’s biggest fashion event). That’s actually next week.

• This is OMODA Madrid es Moda (basically the warmup event), and instead of confining fashion to convention halls and icy looks from Anna Wintour-wannabes, the event transforms the city itself into a stage, with shows, presentations, and installations across the capital.

• Focused on promoting Spanish designer fashion, the event features 32 designers (like Dominnico, Carlota Barrera, Roberto Verino, and Paloma Suárez) and brands showcasing their work through a packed program of 18 runway shows and performances, eight exhibition-style presentations, and several public events and talks designed to connect designers, industry professionals, and the plebs public.

Instead of traditional catwalk venues, designers present their collections in places that highlight Madrid’s architecture and urban spaces, allowing peasants the public to experience fashion more directly.

🖥️ What: OMODA Madrid es Moda

📍 Where: Various venues across Madrid

📅 When: Through March 17

🎟 Tickets start at: Many events are free, some require invitation (check website)

4. 🎭 A classic Spanish drama returns to the stage with Malquerida

Attention fans of the 1995 movie starring Keanu Reeves, “A Walk in the Clouds”, this one is for you! If you’re in the mood for high drama, forbidden passions, and the kind of rural intrigue that defined early 20th-century Spanish theater, then you better head over to the Teatro Español.

• La Malquerida, one of the most famous plays by Nobel Prize–winning playwright Jacinto Benavente, is back on stage in a new adaptation directed by Natalia Menéndez and Juan Carlos Rubio.

• First premiered in 1913, the story unfolds in a country estate where a wedding celebration turns into tragedy when the groom is mysteriously murdered. Suspicion spreads across the village, old rivalries resurface, and a web of secrets begins to unravel. It’s basically the plot of The Hangover, except the groom dies.

• Leading the cast is veteran Spanish actress Aitana Sánchez-Gijón (omg she was Keanu’s love interest in the movie!!!), who plays Raimunda, a widow determined to uncover the truth behind the crime, even if doing so exposes uncomfortable realities about her own family.

The play explores topics that were controversial when it premiered — jealousy, desire, violence, and forbidden love, all things that are totally non-controversial anymore because who gives a fuck.

Anyway, this new production leans into those tensions, offering a modern staging of one of the most iconic works of Spanish theater.

🖥️ What: Malquerida

📍 Where: Teatro Español, Calle del Príncipe 25, Plaza Santa Ana, Madrid

📅 When: Through April 26 (Tuesday to Sunday)

🎟 Tickets start at €6

5. 🍣 Chifa Nikkei Fest: Las Rozas’ Asian-Peruvian Food Festival

Look, we know that for you, going to Las Rozas feels like you need to grab your passport. God forbid you dare step north of Chamberí, right? Well, grab a few friends and call a Cabify, it’s not the (literal) end of the world. And it’s worth it.

• This city’s love affair with Peruvian cuisine is getting a new twist this month with Chifa Nikkei Fest, a festival dedicated to one of the most fascinating culinary mashups in the world: the fusion of Peruvian, Chinese, and Japanese flavors.

• The Centro Multiusos de Las Rozas will, for two weekends, transform into a mini street-food market where 10 restaurants from across the Madrid region will serve their signature dishes inspired by chifa (Chinese-Peruvian cuisine) and nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian cuisine). There will be bold wok dishes, sushi reinterpretations, classic Peruvian desserts, and plenty of cocktails.

• But wait, there’s more! There will also be free tastings, masterclasses, traditional dance performances, and family-friendly activities, including workshops and games for kids.

• And if all that eating wasn’t enough, the festival will also screen the Real Madrid–Atlético derby on March 22, for those of you soccer weirdos.

Enjoy!

🖥️ What: Chifa Nikkei Fest, Asian-Peruvian Food Festival

📍 Where: Centro Multiusos de Las Rozas, Las Rozas, Madrid

📅 When: March 12–15 and March 19–22 (check website for opening hours)

🎟 Free admission (food and drinks sold separately)

📺 What to watch if you’re staying in this weekend…

🖥️ What: Parecido a un asesinato (Hidden Murder) | Movie | 2025

📍Where to watch: Prime Video

❓What’s it about: A woman is living happily with her family when her police officer ex-husband bursts into their lives. Hiding in her childhood haven will do her no good; nothing will protect her.

🤩 Why you should watch: If you liked the twists and psychological tension of Contratiempo (The Invisible Guest), Parecido a un asesinato delivers a similar experience, mixing an oppressive mountain setting with clever flashbacks and constant plot turns. As the story unfolds through conflicting perspectives, the film keeps you questioning every character and every version of the truth until the very end.

💬 English Subtitles: Yes

💃🏻 Places to try this weekend…

🍽️ La Parra: Old-school Madrid done right

What’s it about: A long-running Madrid classic serving traditional Spanish home cooking with international touches, blending Andalusian charm with a subtle British influence in both the menu and atmosphere.

Why you should go: Signature dishes like roast beef, steak tartar, and crispy cochinillo have made it a local favorite for decades, all served in an elegant dining room mixing Spanish tiles and English-club vibes. (Splurge!)

Bottom line: A Chamberí institution since 1983, perfect for a relaxed business lunch or a romantic dinner with classic Madrid flair.

Address: C. del Monte Esquinza, 34, Chamberí, Madrid

☕️ Porte is Chamberí’s tiny temple of coffee

What’s it about: A tiny specialty coffee shop in Chamberí where the focus is simple: great beans, thoughtful brewing, and a calm space to actually enjoy your coffee.

Why you should go: The baristas help you find the perfect cup (espresso or filter), and their cookies and creamy artisanal ice cream (especially the affogato) are dangerously good.

Bottom line: A cozy neighborhood café where coffee lovers come for the quality and stay for the atmosphere.

Address: Calle de Sta Engracia, 39, Chamberí, Madrid

👨🏻‍💻 Viral Memes of the Week

🥱 Valencia 1, Morrissey 0: Mr. Smiths can't handle the Fallas

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Morrissey just wasn't tough enough to handle Valencia's 24/7 Fallas madness, and he's been bashing the city ever since he arrived. Take the hotel: “Indescribable hell. It will take me one year to recover. And that is an understatement”. 😂

🍷 Galicia has a point

@viajar.galicia

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Asuntos internos

🥊 España va a por la UE (y más o menos gana)

Ya sabéis lo que dicen: cuando tienes la superioridad moral… ¡empieza a disparar! Vale, vale — nadie dice eso en realidad. Pero los políticos parecen creerlo. Y desde que el presidente Pedro Sánchez se subió la semana pasada a lo Alto de la Superioridad Moral —diciendo a EE.UU. que no podía usar bases españolas para atacar Irán (aunque los ’mericans quizá lo estén haciendo igualmente), proclamando “No a la guerra” y poniéndose mano a mano con el mismísimo Orange Menace 😡—, sus aliados parecen haberse tomado la regla bastante en serio.

• Ha sido la Semana de Bronca de España con Europa. Y, sinceramente, no ha salido mal (al menos por ahora). Veámoslo paso a paso…

Todo empezó el lunes. Ese día, la segunda vicepresidenta del Gobierno, Yolanda Díaz (¿ha habido alguna vez un cargo que suene tanto a ascenso y a insulto a la vez?) cargó contra el canciller alemán Friedrich Merz por quedarse sentado en silencio, como un niño asustado, en el Despacho Oval mientras Donald Trump calificaba al Gobierno de Sánchez de “terrible” y amenazaba con cortar las relaciones comerciales con España por el drama de las bases aéreas.

• “Lo que Europa necesita hoy es liderazgo, no vasallos que rindan homenaje a Trump”, dijo. ¡Zasca! 🔥

• No convenció. Antes, Merz había intentado explicar que guardó silencio para no “agravar” al Orange Menace. Nadie se lo tragó. El ministro de Exteriores, José Luis Albares, también lo criticó, y medios cercanos al Gobierno lo calificaron directamente de “cobarde”.

• Momento “curioso”. Al parecer, Merz intentó llamar a Sánchez para explicar su silencio. Pero Mr. Handsome nunca respondió. Más tarde, Moncloa dijo que Sánchez simplemente había cambiado de número de teléfono. Nosotros preferimos imaginarlo susurrando: “Habla con la mano.” ✋

Y entonces la bronca subió de nivel. Políticos españoles de un extremo a otro de la península arremetieron contra la presidenta de la Comisión Europea, Ursula von der Leyen, después de que declarara en un discurso que Europa “ya no puede ser la guardiana del viejo orden mundial”, algo que muchos españoles interpretaron como: el derecho internacional es cosa de blandengues.

• Otra vez Díaz. Yolanda volvió a la carga contra Ursula: “Hay que respetar la legalidad internacional. Lo otro es la barbarie. No basta con lo que acaba de decir la señora Ursula von der Leyen.”

• “No a la guerra, sí al derecho internacional”, dijo Iratxe García, líder del grupo Socialistas y Demócratas en el Parlamento Europeo. “Usted, señora von der Leyen, ha dicho que Europa no puede ser la guardiana del viejo orden mundial. Pero el problema no es si el orden es viejo o nuevo, sino a quién se le permite violarlo.”

• Y luego está Teresa Ribera. La exvicepresidenta española y ahora vicepresidenta de la Comisión Europea tampoco estaba muy convencida del tono de Von der Leyen: “Creo que es justo decir que quizá no fue la forma más adecuada de expresarse.” Ay. Asalto dos.

Ahora bien, parte de esto puede ser personal. Según varios informes, Von der Leyen lleva tiempo diciendo que tiene dos grandes problemas en Europa: el primer ministro húngaro Viktor Orbán y el propio Sánchez, que —según ella— están dando la lata internacionalmente para reforzar sus posiciones electorales en casa. 🤔

Pero oye — España tiene de repente un nuevo BFF internacional. Y ese BFF es (espera…) Turquía. Durante la última semana, Irán lanzó misiles balísticos hacia territorio turco, y esos misiles fueron interceptados dos veces, en parte gracias al apoyo español.

• España mantiene desde 2015 una batería de misiles Patriot en el sur de Turquía para proteger el espacio aéreo de la región. En ambos incidentes, radares españoles detectaron los misiles y enviaron los datos a la red de mando de la OTAN, ayudando a que las defensas aliadas los destruyeran antes de causar daños. El “cerebro” de ese sistema está en Torrejón de Ardoz, cerca de Madrid.

Las redes sociales turcas han explotado con memes celebrando esta alianza improbable. Usuarios han publicado banderas españolas y turcas juntas con frases como “Hermano país España”. Otros se han lanzado directamente al absurdo: imágenes generadas con IA de famosos españoles calvos —como Andrés Iniesta— luciendo exuberantes trasplantes capilares turcos, acompañadas de bromas como: “Ningún español volverá a ser calvo jamás.” 🧑‍🦲

El frenemy de siempre. ¿Sabéis quién sigue sin estar muy contento con España? El senador republicano estadounidense Lindsey Graham, que lleva toda la semana despotricando públicamente por la negativa de Madrid a permitir que fuerzas estadounidenses despeguen desde las bases de Rota y Morón.

• There were complaints. Graham went on Fox News to argue that Washington shouldn’t keep “our air bases in a country that won’t let us use them”. Translation: if Spain won’t help bomb Iran, the U.S. should pack up its toys and go home. Waaaaah. 🙄

• Hubo quejas. Graham apareció en Fox News para argumentar que Washington no debería mantener “nuestras bases aéreas en un país que no nos deja usarlas”.

  Traducción: si España no ayuda a bombardear Irán, Estados Unidos debería recoger sus juguetes e irse a casa. Buaaa. 🙄

Sigue leyendo que abajo hay más noticias. 👇👇

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💬 Cinco temas para debatir con amigos

1. 🗣️ Sánchez presenta el nuevo “señalador” del odio en internet

Pedro Sánchez acaba de lanzar la última andanada en su guerra contra los tech bros, el odio online y la gente que dice cosas con las que no está de acuerdo. Ayer anunció una nueva herramienta digital que medirá “de forma sistemática la presencia, evolución y alcance" del discurso de odio en plataformas online usadas en España y publicará informes señalando a los malos. Ah, y su nombre es… ¡un acrónimo!

• El acrónimo es HODIO. Significa Huella del Odio y la Polarización. Pero nos da pena que la polarización se quede fuera, así que nosotros vamos a llamarlo HODYPO, que desde luego es más divertido que simplemente decir “odio” en español con una H muda delante.

Un paso más. El anuncio, realizado en la Cumbre contra el Odio celebrada en Madrid, llega después del discurso que Sánchez pronunció el mes pasado en Dubái, donde presentó un paquete de cinco medidas para regular las redes sociales, entre ellas prohibir su uso a menores y un plan para imponer responsabilidad penal a ejecutivos de las grandes tecnológicas si no eliminan contenidos ilegales o de odio.

• No está del todo claro cómo funcionará. La herramienta HODIO aún no se ha publicado, pero cuando esté operativa aparentemente servirá para generar un ranking “público y transparente” que permitirá a los usuarios ver qué plataformas —Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube y Facebook serán evaluadas— contienen más contenido que incita al odio. La idea es que la gente sepa “quién frena el odio, quién mira hacia otro lado y quién hace negocio con él”.

• Gente lista. Ah, y académicos y expertos participarán para que el sistema sea “riguroso”.

El problema de la confianza en Sánchez. Internet, como sabemos, puede ser un lugar bastante tóxico hoy en día, y nosotros estaríamos encantados de encontrarnos con menos basura enfadada online. Pero si HODIO te suena sospechosamente cercano a la censura (como… ¿qué cuenta exactamente como “odio” y qué es simplemente “desacuerdo”?), no eres el único. Algunos expertos ya se mostraron preocupados cuando Sánchez mencionó la idea en Dubái, calificándola de “peligrosa” porque podría usarse para limitar la disidencia política. Y los críticos (mayoritariamente de derechas, obvio) tampoco están muy contentos ahora.

• Y luego está el pequeño detalle de la UE. Representantes europeos dijeron el mes pasado a El Mundo que, bajo la Ley de Servicios Digitales del bloque, España no puede imponer obligaciones adicionales ni responsabilidad penal que vayan más allá de la normativa europea —como, por ejemplo, meter a Elon Musk en la cárcel por permitir que prolifere el discurso de odio. (Aunque sería bastante hilarante ver a Elon en Soto del Real).

La prueba del algodón. Por ahora, la nueva herramienta HODYPO (nosotros seguimos con ese nombre) es 💯 teórica, así que todavía no podemos juzgar. Aunque tiene más posibilidades de hacerse realidad que algunos anuncios más “vaporware” de Sánchez —¿recordáis el impuesto del 100% a los compradores extranjeros de vivienda?— porque esta vez no hace falta una votación en el Parlamento.

2. 😨 Arranca el juicio de la “Casa de los Horrores”

El martes comenzó un juicio que nos recuerda que Asturias —verde y montañosa, la Irlanda española— no es solo tierra de queso Cabrales (literalmente) alucinante y de más artilugios para beber sidra de los que uno podría imaginar. También hay raritos. Lo cual nos lleva a la Casa de los Horrores: un chalé en el pueblo de Fitoria, a las afueras de Oviedo, y al descubrimiento en su interior que dejó a España con la boca abierta (incluso más que el Cabrales).

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European beef

🥊 Spain goes after the EU (and wins-ish)

You know what they say: When you’re on the moral high ground…start shooting! Okay, fine — nobody actually says that. But politicians seem to believe it. And it certainly seems to be the rule allies of Spain’s government have followed since PM Pedro Sánchez climbed atop the Moral High Ground last week — telling the U.S. it couldn’t use Spanish airbases to hit Iran (though the ’mericans might be doing it anyway), declaring “No to war,” and getting all mano-a-mano with the Orange Menace himself 😡.

• It's been Spain's Week of Beef with Europe. And honestly, it hasn’t gone badly (at least for now). Let us count the ways…

It all began on Monday. That's when Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz (has a job title ever sounded so much like both a promotion and an insult?) unloaded on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for sitting silent like a scared niño in the Oval Office while Donald Trump called the Sánchez government “terrible” and threatened to cut trade ties with Spain over the airbase drama.

• “What Europe needs today is leadership, not vassals who pay homage to Trump,” she said. Ouch! 🔥

• Not good enough. Earlier, Merz had tried to explain that he stayed quiet to avoid “aggravating” the Orange Menace. Nobody was buying it. Foreign Minister José Luis Albares bashed him, and pro-Sánchez media labeled him a "coward.”

• "Funny” moment. Merz apparently tried to call Sánchez to explain his silence. But Mr. Handsome never responded. The Moncloa later said Sánchez had simply changed his phone number. We prefer to imagine him whispering: “Talk to the hand.” ✋

And then the beef escalated. Spanish pols from one end of Iberia to another slammed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for declaring in a speech that Europe “can no longer be a custodian for the old world order”, which many Spaniards heard as international law is for weenies.

• Díaz again. Yolanda told off Ursula, saying, “We must demand respect for international law. Anything else is barbarity. That’s why what Ursula von der Leyen just said falls short.”

• “No to war, yes to international law,” said Iratxe García, the Spanish leader of the Socialists & Democrats group in the European Parliament. “You, Mrs. von der Leyen, have said Europe cannot be a custodian of the old world order. But the problem is not whether the world order is old or new, the problem is who you allow to violate this order.”

• And then there was Teresa Ribera. Spain’s former deputy prime minister and now a vice-president of the European Commission, was also not thrilled with Von der Leyen’s tone: “I think that it is fair to say that maybe it was not the most adequate manner to express herself.” Ouch. Round 2.

Now, part of this may be personal. Von der Leyen has reportedly been telling people she has two big problems in Europe: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Spain's Sánchez, both of whom, in her view, are being pains in the ass butt internationally in order to boost their own local electoral chances. 🤔

But hey — Spain suddenly has a new BFF. And that BFF is (wait for it) Turkey. Over the past week, Iran launched ballistic missiles toward Turkish territory, and those missiles were intercepted twice, thanks in part to Spanish support.

• Spain has had a Patriot missile battery in southern Turkey since 2015 to help protect the region’s airspace. In both incidents, Spanish radar systems tracked the missiles and fed the data into NATO’s command network, helping allied defenses destroy them before they could do damage; the brains of that system sit in Torrejón de Ardoz, near Madrid.

Turkish social media has exploded with memes celebrating the unlikely alliance. Users posted Spanish and Turkish flags side by side with captions like “Brother country Spain.” Others leaned into absurdity: AI images of bald Spanish celebrities like Andrés Iniesta suddenly sporting luxurious Turkish hair transplants, accompanied by jokes like “No Spaniard will be bald ever again.” 🧑‍🦲

The usual frenemy. You know who still doesn’t love Spain? U.S. Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who has spent the past week publicly fuming about Madrid’s refusal to let American forces take off from the Rota and Morón bases.

• There were complaints. Graham went on Fox News to argue that Washington shouldn’t keep “our air bases in a country that won’t let us use them”. Translation: if Spain won’t help bomb Iran, the U.S. should pack up its toys and go home. Waaaaah. 🙄

More news below. 👇👇

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💬 Five things to discuss at dinner parties

1. 🗣️ Sánchez unveils Spain's new online hate shamer

Pedro Sánchez just unleashed the latest salvo in his war on tech bros, online hate, and people who say things he disagrees with. Yesterday he announced a new digital tool that will “systematically measure the presence, evolution and scope” of hate speech on online platforms used in Spain and publish reports naming the baddies. Oh, and its name is an acronym!

• The acronym is HODIO. That stands for Huella del Odio y la Polarización — Hate and Polarization Footprint. But we feel bad that polarization is being left out, so we’re going to call it HODYPO, which is definitely more fun than just saying “hate” in Spanish with a silent H in front of it.

One more step. The announcement, made at the Cumbre contra el Odio (Antihate Summit) in Madrid, follows Sánchez’s speech last month in Dubai, where he laid out a package of five measures to regulate social media, including a ban on minors and a plan to subject tech bros executives to criminal liability if illegal or hateful content isn’t removed.

• Not totally clear how it works. The HODIO tool hasn’t been released yet, but when it’s live it will apparently be used to generate a “public and transparent” ranking that will allow users to see which platforms — Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube and Facebook will be measured — contain the most hate-inciting content, so that people know “who is blocking this content, ⁠who ​is looking the other way, ​and who is profiting from it.”

• Smart people. Oh, and academics and experts will be involved to make it “rigorous.”

The trust in Sánchez issue. The interwebs, as we know, can be super-toxic these days, and we would be thrilled to face less angry garbage online. But if you think HODIO sounds eerily censorship-adjacent (like, what's "hate", and what's "disagreeable"?), you’re not alone. Some experts weren’t happy when Sánchez mentioned it in Dubai, calling it “dangerous” because it could be used to clamp down on political dissidence. And critics (largely on the right, obvi) are not happy now either.

• And then there’s that EU thing. EU representatives told El Mundo last month that under the bloc’s Digital Services Act, Spain cannot impose extra obligations or criminal liability that go beyond EU law — like jailing Elon Musk for allowing hate speech to flourish. (Though it would be hilarz to see Elon in Soto de Real.)

Proof in pudding. For now, the new HODYPO tool (we’re sticking with it) is 💯 theoretical, so we can’t judge. Though it stands a better chance of coming to fruition than Sánchez’s more “vaporware” announcements — remember the 100% tax on foreign real estate buyers? — because it doesn’t require a parliamentary vote.

2. 😨 The “House of Horrors” trial begins

A trial began Tuesday that will remind us all that green and mountainous Asturias — the Spanish Ireland — is not just home to (literally) mind-blowing Cabrales cheese and gobs of cider-drinking implements. There are also weirdos. Which brings us to the Casa de los Horrores — a chalet in the village of Fitoria outside Oviedo — and the discovery in it that blew Spain’s collective mind (even more than Cabrales cheese).

• The House of Horrors. The story begins in April 2025 when a suspicious neighbor alerted police that there might be, you know, kids being hidden in the house. When officers entered the chalet, they discovered three children — two eight-year-old twins and a 10-year-old sibling — who, according to prosecutors, had barely stepped outside since (drumroll, please) December 2021. 🤯

What they found inside sounds less like a family home and more like a very bleak pandemic bunker.

• Gross. The kids were reportedly wearing masks and living among piles of garbage and animal waste 🤮. They slept in cribs and on a mattress without legs, wore diapers, and had shoes that hadn’t been replaced since 2019. The windows were kept closed, and air barely circulated. The kids had no schooling, no medical checkups, and almost no contact with the outside world — not even TikTok.

Extreme disease fear. When police removed the kids from the house, investigators concluded the parents — a 53-year-old German man and a 48-year-old woman with joint U.S.-German nationality — had kept them isolated out of an “insurmountable fear” of disease outbreak after contracting coronavirus. (Yes, COVID panic rides again.)

Enter the trial. The proceedings opened Tuesday at the provincial court in Oviedo — behind closed doors, given that the victims are minors and the allegations are f’ing grim. (The parents have been in preventive custody since their arrest.)

• Prosecutors accuse the couple of habitual psychological abuse within the family and three counts of illegal detention, with the aggravating factor that the victims were their own children.

• If convicted, the parents could face more than 25 years in prison.

And the children? The kids, meanwhile, are now under the care of the regional government of Asturias, receiving intensive psychological support and — in what must be a very strange adjustment — attending school and learning Spanish.

But the defense says: hold your horses. The parents’ lawyers claim there was no “house of horrors” at all. Instead, they say this was simply a family that chose to isolate itself from the world — perhaps in a way that was “extravagant or heterodox,” but not criminal. You know, just weirdos.

• Their argument? What prosecutors describe as unlawful imprisonment, the defense describes as, um, very committed homeschooling. 🤔

3. 🤳 More beef: Spanish cinema vs. influencers

It’s the fight we didn’t know we needed (but love anyway). The Spanish film world is once again asking a question that feels both ancient and extremely 2026: why are people who don’t seem to know, like, or even vaguely follow Spanish cinema showing up at its biggest events just to flutter their eyelashes and giggle for the cameras?

• The scandal exploded at the Goyas and the Málaga Film Festival, where actors, directors, and film people found themselves watching skin care and travel influencers glide down the red carpet with the serene confidence of people who know they absolutely do not need to name a single nominated film to be there.

• The whole thing caught fire thanks to influencer Ona Gonfaus (1.8m followers on TikTok), who was asked on the red carpet in Málaga to recommend a Spanish film and, after buffering for a few secs, came up with “the latest Ocho apellidos movie”, a film from 2023 that is very much not the hot festival pick of the moment.

Cue the outrage. The reaction from actors and people in the film industry was not great.

• Actress Yolanda Ramos (whom you may know from Paquita Salas!) noted, while cooking and doing the laundry in her pyjamas, that she was at home while influencers were at the Goyas. And the legendary Carmen Maura cut straight to the point: influencers “don’t make cinema.”

• Norma Ruiz reminded everyone that the Goyas are supposed to be the party of Spanish film, not a general gala for people with ring lights. Director Isabel Coixet said that “we’ve built a world where creating something lasting matters less than accumulating followers”. and added that influencers don’t move people to cinemas so much as they move them to buy acne serums. Ouch.

The influencers, naturally, defended themselves. Their argument is simple: they bring reach, visibility, younger audiences, and free publicity to Spanish cinema.

• Influence Inés Hernand took the broader view and argued that influencers are simply the new celebrities, useful for bringing fresh eyes to culture.

• A matter of national concern. Even Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun tried to calm things down by saying that everyone has a place in these events (while politely reminding everyone that the invitation system is not his circus).

Plot twist not so much. And that gets us to the actual reason these people are there in the first place: the sponsors send them (because, of course).

• The Spanish Film Academy has repeatedly said that the influencers at the Goyas were invited by partner brands, not by the institution itself. In Málaga, some were invited by the festival, while others also came through commercial partnerships.

• So the mystery is less “why are they here?” and more “why are brands convinced that an influencer who can’t name a current Spanish film is the best ambassador for Spanish cinema?” The answer, obviously, is followers.

4.🤬 Even more beef: Politicians really need to take a chill pill

As Spain inches closer to elections (yay!), the political class appears to be entering what can only be described as the “please, everyone, calm the fuck down” phase of the pre-campaign season.

• This week alone delivered a remarkable series of incidents that show that tempers are rising, patience is wearing thin, and political careers are, um, ending.

The first meltdown occurred in Collado Villalba (Madrid), where a PP councilwoman decided that a feminist monologue titled Being a Woman had crossed a line.

• Happy International Women’s Day. Ten minutes into the performance, she marched onto the stage and announced the show was over because she considered it “disrespectful” (see video above, it’s unclear what triggered the interruption, but it sounds like somebody said the word “penis” 🍆 😱).

• The audience, understandably confused about how a performance could be shut down like it was 1958 Francoist Spain, started protesting immediately.

• The video went viral, the backlash was instant, and even the PP itself rushed to condemn the interruption, reminding everyone that freedom of expression applies to theater too. In a few hours, the councilwoman apologized, admitted her reaction “was not appropriate,” and resigned from her position.

The second episode took place in Aranjuez (Madrid) and had a bit more (literal) caffeine involved.

• In a tense municipal meeting, a PSOE councilman lost his temper during an argument with a Vox representative. Insults were exchanged (“fascist,” “gilipollas,” the usual parliamentary poetry), and the socialist councilman decided the next logical step was to throw his cup of coffee at his opponent’s face.

• The Vox councillor dodged it, but the scene quickly escalated into a full political scandal. Outrage followed, complaints were filed, and the PSOE councillor acknowledged his behavior had been inappropriate, so he resigned. Sad!

And just when things couldn’t get any more chaotic, there was a third political surprise. Carlo G. Angrisano, the secretary general of Nuevas Generaciones, the youth wing of the PP, suddenly announced he was quitting the party (and not quietly either).

• The 29-year-old declared in a video statement that young Spaniards are fed up with immigration, bureaucracy, and “wokism,” and then did the unthinkable for someone in his position: he publicly asked people to vote for Vox instead.

• The PP quickly distanced itself (like, obvi), suggesting Angrisano had already been inactive for months and implying his resignation was less dramatic than advertised. (Still, pretty dramatic, right?)

If this is just the warm-up, the election year (2027 or…2026?) promises to be a shitshow entertaining! 🎉

5.🏺 Architects recover a Roman ship off one of Mallorca’s busiest beaches

Sounds like the plot of one of the National Treasure movies (look it up, Gen Z!), but it’s not. While German tourists were peacefully cycling along the seafront at Playa de Palma (one of the busiest tourist traps beaches in Mallorca), only a few meters away, archaeologists were starting the recovery of one of the most important underwater discoveries in the Mediterranean: a Roman ship that sank more than 1,600 years ago.

• The operation to recover the vessel, known as the Ses Fontanelles shipwreck, began this month, marking the start of a months-long archaeological project that experts say could transform what we know about Roman maritime trade.

“It belongs in a museum!” What makes the discovery so exciting is its astonishing state of preservation. The vessel, which dates back to the 4th century (!!), has essentially been frozen in time after being buried under a protective layer of sand that protected it from erosion and looting.

• When divers examine the wooden hull, they say it still sounds solid when tapped, almost as if the ship had sunk yesterday.

• Inside, archaeologists have found more than 300 amphorae, many still perfectly sealed and filled with wine, olive oil, and garum, the fermented fish sauce that Romans considered a delicacy. Even more astonishing, researchers have found vine branches used to cushion the cargo that still look freshly cut.

The location makes the story even more surreal. The ship lies just 65 meters from the shore and only about two meters underwater, directly off a beach where more than a million people swim every summer.

• It was only rediscovered in 2019 by a local snorkeler, who noticed part of the structure sticking out of the sand.

The ship itself is relatively small by Roman standards (about 12m long and roughly 6m wide), with a cargo that originated in Carthago Spartaria (modern-day Cartagena) when a storm sank it.

• The amphorae inside are labeled with ancient commercial inscriptions. There are also personal belongings from the crew, rope, and even a carpenter’s drill used for repairing the ship during voyages.

Divers will carefully remove the wreck piece by piece over the next four months, so it can be studied and preserved on land. The goal is to eventually exhibit the finds in Mallorca, which has a super busy history as a Mediterranean crossroads used by Phoenicians, Romans, and beyond.

🙏 Once again, please remember to share this newsletter with your friends on social media. The more we grow, the more information we’ll be able to offer each week.

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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend

It’s Friday again!

Get ready, art connoisseurs and pretentious influencers, this weekend Madrid once again transforms into what can only be described as the global capital of contemporary art and confident interpretations of things nobody actually understands.

• For real, everywhere you look, there’s a fair, an installation, or a white wall with art. The entire city fills with collectors, curators, gallery owners, and people wearing smart people glasses.

• So if you’ve ever wanted to spend a weekend nodding thoughtfully at abstract stuff, discussing “the tension between form and absence” with your friend who is also pretending to know what you’re talking about, congratulations: this is your moment.

Happy weekend!

1.🎨 Madrid’s art world takes over: ARCO returns for its 45th edition

It’s finally here! Madrid’s contemporary art world is celebrating the 45th edition of ARCOmadrid, which returns this week and brings together galleries, collectors, artists, and curious visitors from all over the planet.

• ARCOmadrid is considered one of Europe’s key contemporary art fairs, and it has been shaping the city’s cultural calendar for decades. For a few days, Madrid becomes a global meeting point for the art world.

• This year’s edition features around 170 galleries from 31 countries, showcasing everything from established international names to emerging spaces discovering new artists.

• The fair is structured around various sections: the main General Program, which includes major Spanish and international galleries, Opening: Nuevas galerías, highlighting younger galleries and experimental proposals, and Perfiles | Arte Latinoamericano, which focuses on individual artists and reflects ARCO’s long-standing connection with Latin America.

But wait, there’s more! The Spanish gallery scene will also be strongly represented, with well-known spaces such as Elvira González, ProjecteSD, Nordés, and Travesía Cuatro participating alongside newer galleries making their debut at the fair.

• International heavyweights are also back, including galleries like Esther Schipper, neugerriemschneider, and Thaddaeus Ropac, reinforcing ARCO’s reputation as one of Europe’s most influential contemporary art marketplaces.

Beyond the booths themselves, ARCO also attracts curators, museums, and collectors from across the globe, making it one of the most important networking events in contemporary art.

• Finally, this is your chance to look at a blue blot on a white canvas and interpret it as a profound meditation on the ontological fragility of the self in late-capitalist modernity, preferably while murmuring something about liminality, negative space, and the politics of absence (with a 🍸 in your hand, obvi).

🖥️ What: ARCOmadrid Contemporary Art Fair

📍 Where: Avenida del Partenon, 5, IFEMA Madrid (Pavilions 7 & 9)

📅 When: Through March 8

🎟 Tickets start at: €33 (online)

2.🫟 We’re just getting started: Welcome to Madrid’s Art Week

Hold on to your butts! If ARCOmadrid feels a little too intimidating (or too full of people discussing the “semiotics of absence” while holding a €14 natural wine), don’t worry, it gets worse better: because it’s also Madrid’s Art Week!

This weekend the city is also packed with alternative fairs and exhibitions happening across galleries, hotels, cultural centers, and even shopping malls (yes, those still exist)!

There are emerging artists and experimental galleries, there’s urban art and collector-focused showcases… so many ways to immerse yourself in the art world!

If you enjoy wandering around and pretending to understand conceptual installations, this is pretty much all you will be doing this weekend. Have fun!

• SAM – Salón de Arte Moderno

  A boutique fair focused on modern art and collectors, bringing together galleries specializing in 20th-century works.

  📍 Círculo de Bellas Artes (Ballroom)

  📅 Through March 8

• FLECHA Madrid

  One of Madrid’s longest-running art fairs, known for turning commercial spaces into temporary art galleries.

  📍 Centro Comercial Arturo Soria Plaza

  📅 Until March 15

• Art Madrid

  A major contemporary art fair featuring more than 150 national and international artists presented by dozens of galleries.

  📍 Galería de Cristal – Palacio de Cibeles

  📅 Through March 8

• Artist 360

  A more intimate fair focused on direct interaction between artists and the public, designed to encourage dialogue and discovery.

  📍 Hotel Ilunion Pío XII

  📅 Through March 8

• JUSTMAD Contemporary Art Fair

  One of Spain’s key international contemporary art fairs, with a strong focus on emerging artists and experimental galleries.

  📍 Palacio de Neptuno

  📅 Through March 8

• CAN Madrid Art Fair

  A fair dedicated entirely to contemporary urban art and street-art–inspired practices.

  📍 Matadero Madrid

  📅 Through March 8

• HYBRID Art Fair

  One of the most unusual fairs in the city, where hotel rooms are transformed into mini galleries showcasing emerging contemporary artists.

  📍 Hotel Petit Palace Santa Bárbara

  📅 Through March 8

3.🔮 Mercury is probably in retrograde: Madrid’s Esoteric Fair returns!

Wait, wait! We’re serious! If Madrid Art Week is too pretentious, then don’t worry, we can suggest… whatever the opposite of pretentious is.

Welcome to the Feria Esotérica de Madrid, where people are equally confident about things nobody can prove, except here, there are crystals, tarot cards, cosmic energies, and enough incense to summon half the cast of Rosemary’s Baby.

• Now in its 36th edition, the fair will feature more than 70 stalls selling everything your inner Aunt Gladys might need: Tibetan singing bowls, amulets, talismans, books about summoning Cthulhu unlocking your spiritual path, and probably at least one person explaining which planet is randomly to blame for the fact that everyone on Tinder sucks these days. (Looking at you, TOI-3757 b)

• There will also be talks and workshops (no, really) on subjects like palm reading (seriously), energetic astrology (we’re not kidding), meditation (ah, that one is a thing), and other alternative therapies (sure, Jan). Visitors can book sessions for tarot readings (fun!), aura photography (sounds terrifying), and astrology consultations, which means that by the end of the afternoon, you’ll either have clarity about your future or depression for your present.

The event kicks off with “La Diablada,” a traditional Bolivian performance full of elaborate masks and choreography representing the battle between good and evil (sounds deliciously heretical, we’ll take it).

• You can also join free workshops on Reiki, sound meditation, Tibetan medicine, and therapeutic massage. And on the final day, there’s even a special blessing ceremony designed to help you achieve your 2027 goals (because, let’s face it, 2026 is already a lost cause).

🖥️ What: Feria Esotérica de Madrid (36th Edition)

📍 Where: Sala DEMO 1 & 2, Estación de Chamartín – Calle Agustín de Foxá, Madrid

📅 When: Through March 8

🎟 Tickets start at €3 (splurge!)

4.🚺 Ellas Crean: a festival celebrating women artists

It’s International Women’s Day this Sunday, and Madrid is celebrating it with the return of Ellas Crean, a multidisciplinary festival dedicated to female creators across music, dance, literature, theater, and visual arts.

• Now in its 22nd edition, the festival runs from March 5 to 15 and brings together both established artists and emerging voices in venues across the city.

• The festival has a slightly tighter format this year (10 days of programming) with a particular focus on the Tetuán district, alongside events hosted in several of Madrid’s major state museums, including the Museo del Traje, Museo de América, Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas, and the Museo Arqueológico Nacional.

• The idea is simple: showcase the depth and diversity of women’s creative work while using culture as a platform for social change.

If you hate contemporary art and aura photography, here are a few highlights:

• Contemporary dance performances will take center stage, including La peor de todas by the Compañía Inés Narváez Arrospide 10&10 on March 7 at the Museo de América, and After the Drop by Lucía Montes and Mado Dallery on March 8 at the Museo del Traje.

• Live music arrives on March 7 with Leonor Watling & Leo Sidran performing their new project Leo & Leo at the Centro Cultural Eduardo Úrculo, accompanied by The Groovy French Band and guest musicians from Spain’s jazz scene.

• Poetry lovers can attend the presentation and reading of La llama ebria. Antología de mujeres poetas del surrealismo on March 5 at the same cultural center, a collection that revisits surrealism through the voices of women poets often left out of the movement’s official history.

The festival continues through mid-March with more dance, theater, music, and literature events, but this weekend offers a particularly strong lineup and a good excuse to explore parts of Madrid’s cultural scene that don’t always get the spotlight.

🖥️ What: Ellas Crean - Festival of Female Creativity

📍 Where: Multiple venues across Madrid (Museo del Traje, Museo de América, Centro Cultural Eduardo Úrculo, and others)

📅 When: Through March 15

🎟 Tickets start at: Many events free or low-cost depending on the venue

5.🐸 The Mercado de las Ranas street market is back tomorrow

The Mercado de las Ranas is back this Saturday!

• This street market is similar to the Portobello Road or Camden Town markets in London. This Saturday, stores participating in this mercado in Plaza Santa Ana, in the Las Letras district, bring their goods outside into the street so visitors can buy their favorite book, t-shirt, or grab a slice of pizza on the go.

• If there’s one thing we love about Madrid (and there are actually many), it’s the street market scene, and this one doesn’t disappoint. After a bit of retail therapy, grab a table at the plaza and sip a cool caña or a latte in one of the nearby specialty coffee shops.

You’re welcome.

🖥️ What: Mercado de las Ranas

📍 Where: Las Letras neighborhood, Madrid

📅 When: March 7

🎟 Free admission

📺 What to watch if you’re staying in this weekend…

🖥️ What: Los Domingos (Sundays) | Movie | 2025

📍Where to watch: Movistar+

❓What’s it about: A young woman named Ainara faces personal crossroads (she wants to become a nun) while exploring career possibilities, much to her family's concern.

🤩 Why you should watch: Well… because it just won the Goya Award for Best Film. Also, it’s directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, who brilliantly portrays how Ainara’s decision triggers an emotional earthquake in her family, forcing everyone to confront their beliefs, fears, and the limits of control over someone you love.

💬 English Subtitles: No.

💃🏻 Places to try this weekend…

🍸 Casa Clavel: Malasaña’s comeback bar you should know

What’s it about: Some Madrid places never really disappear; they just reinvent themselves. Casa Clavel is one of them. Once a legendary late-night bar in Malasaña, it has now returned with a new identity: a cocktail bar, a restaurant and fully in tune with the neighborhood’s creative energy.

Why you should go: Because the vibe is relaxed and social, with a menu built around the kind of food that works for everything from a casual bite to a long dinner that slowly turns into drinks.

Bottom line: Come for the tapas and sandwiches, stay for the wine and atmosphere.

Address: Corredera Baja de San Pablo, 18, Malasaña, Madrid

☕️ Hermanas Arce is a beloved neighborhood café in Salesas

What’s it about: Opened in 2018 by sisters Ana and Elena Arce, Hermanas Arce quickly became one of the defining cafés of Madrid’s Salesas neighborhood. Long before “specialty coffee,” “natural wine,” and “real food” became trendy buzzwords, the sisters were already building a place around those ideas.

Why you should go: Because it’s famous for the kind of breakfasts and lunches that make you feel like you’ve discovered a local secret. The sisters have also done something unusual in Madrid’s hospitality scene: they close weekends and shut the café in the afternoon, prioritizing a healthier work-life balance for their team.

Bottom line: Hermanas Arce helped shape Madrid’s modern brunch culture and remains one of the most charming spots in Salesas for a slow breakfast or relaxed lunch.

Address: Calle Marqués de Monasterio, 6, Salesas, Madrid

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🥊 La otra guerra que se nos viene encima

Pedro Sánchez llevaba más de un año buscando pelea con Donald Trump. Y ahora, por fin, la Amenaza Naranja 😡 se ha fijado en el presidente español y ha devuelto el golpe — y la bronca entre ambos ha sido bastante entretenida, como un duelo de dinosaurios en Jurassic Park: mucha sangre, muchos dientes, pero sabes que es CGI.

• Pero no nos burlemos. Esto es un incidente diplomático serio y, aunque dudamos mucho que termine con los Navy Seals desembarcando en las playas de Málaga, es el mayor choque diplomático que ha tenido España en años. Así que… ¡fiesta! 🥳

Vamos al lío. El jaleo empezó el domingo cuando El Independiente informó que Estados Unidos había retirado 15 aviones cisterna de sus bases en Rota y Morón y los había trasladado a Alemania y Francia.

• ¿Por qué? Pronto quedó claro que España había rechazado permitir que EE.UU. utilizara sus bases para los ataques contra Irán. El ministro de Exteriores, José Manuel Albares, dijo que las bases no podían emplearse para operaciones fuera de lo previsto en el acuerdo bilateral y el derecho internacional, y más tarde dijo que la “lógica de violencia” solo lleva a “acciones militares unilaterales” sin un “objetivo claro”.

• La reacción fue rápida (y bastante floja). 😩 El amigo de Trump, el senador Lindsey Graham, escribió valientemente en X que el Gobierno de España se estaba convirtiendo en “el estándar de oro del liderazgo europeo patéticamente débil”. Lo cual tiene su gracia viniendo de alguien con tanta experiencia personal en ser patéticamente débil.

• Sin sorpresa. También el lunes, el ministro de Exteriores de Israel acusó a España de “alinearse con Irán” y dijo que, de forma similar, había apoyado “a todos los tiranos del mundo, como hizo con Venezuela”.

Ahí fue cuando la cosa se puso seria. La propia Amenaza 🍊 intervino el martes con un pequeño berrinche, amenazando con cortar todo el comercio con España (¿adiós a los Fruit Loops? 😭) e incluso sugiriendo que Estados Unidos podría ignorar las restricciones españolas sobre las bases: “Podríamos simplemente volar allí y usarlas”. Diplomacia en estado puro.

• Ladran Sancho. Trump dijo que había ordenado al secretario del Tesoro, Scott Bessent, “cortar todas las relaciones” con nuestro “terrible” país ibérico: “No queremos tener nada que ver con España”. Muy sutil.

Pero la cosa se iba a poner aún más intensa. El miércoles, Mr. Handsome (ya saben, Sánchez) se puso en modo Churchill (más o menos) y pronunció su propio discurso grandilocuente defendiendo la negativa de su gobierno a apoyar la ofensiva militar estadounidense-israelí contra Irán.

• Sánchez rescató una frase con mucho peso político: “No a la guerra”. El lema se utilizó durante las protestas masivas contra la guerra de Irak en 2003 (en la que España participó), y el presidente volvió a insistir en que España no respaldaría lo que calificó como una peligrosa violación del derecho internacional.

• Sin mencionar a Trump por su nombre, respondió a las amenazas de Washington. “No vamos a ser cómplices de algo que es malo para el mundo, simplemente por el miedo a las represalias de algunos”, dijo (guiño, guiño).

• Ojo, que tampoco nos gustan los líderes de Irán. Sánchez también condenó el régimen teocrático iraní… pero insistió en que una escalada militar no es la respuesta, o sea, repudiar a los ayatolás no significa apoyar una guerra.

Las advertencias siguieron llegando. La Casa Blanca elevó el tono ayer por la mañana, cuando el secretario del Tesoro, Scott Bessent, acusó a España de “poner en riesgo vidas estadounidenses”. (También llamó a España “free rider” por no cumplir el objetivo de gasto en defensa de la OTAN del 5% del PIB, pero bueno…)

Entonces, ¿qué está pasando realmente? El Guapo, como sabemos, es impopular dentro de España y su gobierno está ahogado en un mar de investigaciones por corrupción. Pero dado que Trump es aún más loco y mucho más impopular en España (y en el resto de Europa), reinventarse como Mr. Handsome, Héroe Progresista Global™ podría provocar el llamado “efecto bandera”: un repunte de apoyo interno frente a una amenaza externa.

• Además… Por muy irritante que resulte Sánchez para muchos, en este caso parece estar del lado correcto de la historia. Y su discurso tenía bastante sentido.

Pero entonces todo se volvió aún más extraño. En una rueda de prensa en Washington ayer, la portavoz de la Casa Blanca, Karoline Leavitt, afirmó que España había “acordado cooperar militarmente en las últimas horas”.

• ¿Eh? Mientras todos nos rascábamos la cabeza ante ese supuesto cambio de postura, el ministro Albares emitió un desmentido negando “tajantemente” la afirmación. Así que… eso.

¿Alguien quiere pensar en los influencers? Para terminar con una nota curiosa (aunque no exactamente divertida), los influencers han descubierto la geopolítica por las malas… y el internet no perdona.

• Creadores de contenido españoles que se mudaron a Dubái para esquivar impuestos disfrutar de la rica cultura local empezaron a publicar vídeos de explosiones tras ataques iraníes contra su nuevo hogar y a comentar en Instagram sobre la incertidumbre y el miedo.

• Cero simpatía. En lugar de solidaridad, muchas reacciones online fueron brutalmente sarcásticas, con comentarios como: “Ahora que os rescate la embajada española con los impuestos que no pagáis”.

Digamos que la paciencia de internet con el estilo de vida fiscalmente creativo de los influencers es… limitada.

Sigue leyendo que abajo hay más noticias. 👇👇

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💬 Cinco temas para debatir con amigos

1. 👑 España (o al menos una parte) quiere que vuelva el rey emérito

Claramente, nadie le dijo nunca a Alberto Núñez Feijóo que uno no puede volver a casa. Después de que la desclasificación la semana pasada de los papeles del 23-F mostrara al exrey Juan Carlos I — aka JC1 — jugando un papel decisivo para frenar el intento de golpe de Estado de 1981, el líder del PP ha estado pidiendo que el exmonarca regrese de su cómodo exilio (y ocasional objetivo de bombardeos iraníes) en Abu Dabi.

• Pero, eh… hay algunos obstáculos.

Que vuelva. Feijóo se lanzó en X a un modo reconciliación total, argumentando que los documentos “debe reconciliar a los españoles con quien paró el golpe de Estado.”. Sí, ha cometido “errores innegables”, concedió Feijóo — pero alguien que sostuvo la democracia en un momento clave merece pasar sus años dorados “con dignidad y en su país”.

• La presidenta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, se sumó rápidamente diciendo que eso es lo que piensa “la inmensa mayoría de los españoles”. (Teniendo en cuenta lo a menudo que se invoca, la inmensa mayoría de los españoles debe de estar agotada a estas alturas).

Sobre esos ‘errores innegables’. JC1 no salió de España precisamente porque le apeteciera el calor del desierto. En 2020, en medio de investigaciones sobre fundaciones opacas en el extranjero, presuntas comisiones y una transferencia de 100 millones de dólares vinculada a Arabia Saudí, se instaló en Abu Dabi.

• Para ser justos, más tarde pagó más de €5 millones a Hacienda para regularizar ingresos previamente no declarados. La Fiscalía archivó los casos, pero el daño reputacional ya estaba hecho.

• Chico malo. Su hijo, Felipe VI, le retiró la asignación (¡€200.000 al año!) y ha pasado la última década intentando convertir la monarquía en algo tan impecable que casi parece nórdica.

Un momento. No todo el mundo está sacando la alfombra roja. Especialmente los partidos de izquierda que se oponen al PP y/o a la monarquía en general.

• El ministro de la Presidencia, Félix Bolaños, dio la bienvenida a JC1 al mundo adulto diciendo que “una cosa no borra la otra”. Es decir, el heroísmo en 1981 no paga por adelantado el comportamiento posterior.

• Y el siempre citable Gabriel Rufián, de ERC, fue aún más claro: “Los delincuentes, mejor fuera que dentro”.

Hay más problemas que alfombras de bienvenida. Incluso si Juan Carlos quisiera volver mañana, no sería tan simple como reservar un billete de ida en Iberia.

• La Casa Real ha señalado con delicadeza que, aunque es libre de regresar, si lo hiciera “en cualquier caso” tendría que volver a establecer su residencia fiscal en España — para proteger tanto su propia reputación como la de la Corona.

• 183 días. Pasa más de eso en España y vuelves a ser residente fiscal. Lo que implica responder a preguntas incómodas sobre quién paga todos esos jets privados.

• El hecho de que sea la propia Casa Real la que le recuerde públicamente sus obligaciones fiscales sugiere que, digamos, el entusiasmo por el regreso triunfal de papá no es exactamente unánime dentro del palacio.

Y la casa familiar. Luego está el Palacio de la Zarzuela.

• Juan Carlos supuestamente habría dejado claro que volver a Zarzuela — su hogar durante 57 años — es para él una cuestión de principios. Pero no es solo una casa familiar. Es la sede del jefe del Estado español.

• Pero no. En 2020 se acordó que no pasaría allí la noche, precisamente para proteger a la institución de más daño reputacional. Cambiar eso ahora requeriría, digamos, una masiva pequeña reconsideración.

¿Nuestra apuesta? Pasará fuera de España 183 días al año. ¿El resto del calendario? Regatas en su querido Sanxenxo. Revisiones médicas. Largos almuerzos privados. Esperamos ver mucho a JC1 — pero no lo suficiente como para interesar a Hacienda.

2. 🧑‍🔬 ¿Se está convirtiendo España en un polo de startups?

España lleva mucho tiempo queriendo tener su propio Silicon Valley. Viendo el boom de riqueza del original, al sur de San Francisco, ¿quién no querría?

Read more

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Two men enter; one man leaves

🥊 The “war” alongside the war

Pedro Sánchez has been spoiling for a fight with Donald Trump for more than a year. And now, at long last, the Orange Menace 😡 has noticed the Spanish PM and punched back — and their spat has been super entertaining, like a dinosaur duel in Jurassic Park: lots of blood and gnashing teeth but you know it’s CGI.

• But let’s not mock. This is a proper international incident and while we have severe doubts it will end with U.S. Navy Seals rolling up on the beaches of Málaga, this is the biggest diplomatic blow-up Spain has had in years. So… Party! 🥳

Let’s get into it. The ruckus started Sunday when El Independiente reported that the U.S. had withdrawn 15 tanker aircraft from its bases in Rota and Morón and moved them to Germany and France.

• Why? It soon became clear that Spain had refused to let the U.S. use its bases in the attacks on Iran. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the bases couldn’t be used for operations outside Spain’s agreement with the U.S. and international law, and later said the "logic of violence” the world was seeing only led to “unilateral military actions” with no “clear objective.”

• The pushback was swift (and weeny). 😩 Trump pal Sen. Lindsey Graham bravely wrote on X that Spain’s government was “becoming the gold standard of pathetically weak European leadership.” Which is saying something, coming from a guy who has such a long, personal experience of being pathetically weak.

• No surprise. Also on Monday, Israel’s Foreign Minister accused Spain of “standing with Iran” and said similarly it had supported “all the tyrants of the world, as it did with Venezuela.”

That’s when things got hairy. The 🍊 Menace himself had a tantrum weighed in on Tuesday, threatening to cut off all trade with Spain (no more Fruit Loops? 😭) and even suggesting the U.S. might ignore Spain’s restrictions on the bases: “We could just fly in and use it.” Diplomacy at its finest.

• The nice fella’s words. Trump said he told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with our “terrible” Iberian country: “We don’t want anything to do with Spain.” Subtle.

But not as hairy as they would get! On Wednesday, the Handsome Fellow (you know, Sánchez) got all Churchill (ish) and delivered a soaring address of his own defending his government’s refusal to support the U.S.-Israeli military offensive against Iran.

• Sánchez revived a phrase with political weight: “No a la guerra” (No to war). The slogan was used during the mass protests against the Iraq War in 2003 (which Spain took part in), and he repeated his argument that Spain wouldn’t back what he called a dangerous violation of international law.

• Without mentioning Trump by name, he pushed back against Washington’s threats. “We’re not going to be accomplices to something that is bad for the world, simply because of fear of reprisals from some,” he said (hint, hint).

• Not that we like Iran’s leaders. He also condemned Iran’s theocratic regime… but insisted that military escalation was not the answer. “Repudiating the ayatollahs does not mean supporting a war.”

The warnings kept coming. The White House escalated its rhetoric yesterday morning, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Spain of “putting American lives at risk”. (He also called Spain a "freeloader” for failing to meet NATO’s defense spending target of 5% of GDP, but who's counting…)

So what’s really going on? Mr. Handsome, as we know, is unpopular inside Spain, and his government is drowning under a sea of corruption investigations. But with Trump being even crazier and more unpopular in Spain (and the rest of Europe), rebranding oneself as Mr. Handsome, Global Progressive Hero™ could trigger the so-called “flag effect” surge of domestic support in the face of adversity.

• Plus… As annoying as many find Sánchez, he looks to be on the right side of history on this one. And his speech made total sense.

But then the whole situation got even stranger. At a D.C. press briefing yesterday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt claimed Spain had “agreed to cooperate militarily in recent hours”.

• Huh? While we were all scratching our heads about the sudden change of heart, Foreign Minister Albares, issued a denial, saying the statement was “categorically false.” So there’s…that?

Someone, please, think of the influencers. To end on a funny note (though not really ha-ha funny), influencers have discovered geopolitics the hard way and the internet doesn’t forgive.

• Spanish “content creators” who moved to Dubai to dodge taxes enjoy the rich local culture, suddenly began posting videos of explosions after Iranian strikes on their new home and commenting on their Instagram stories about uncertainty and fear.

• No sympathy. Instead of solidarity, many of the reactions online were brutally sarcastic, with comments like “Now let the Spanish embassy rescue you with the taxes you don’t pay.”

Let's just say that the internet’s patience for tax-friendly influencer lifestyles is… limited.

More news below. 👇👇

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💬 Five things to discuss at dinner parties

1. 👑 Spain (or at least part of it) wants its ex-King back

Clearly, no one ever told Alberto Núñez Feijóo that you can’t go home again. After last week’s declassification of the 23-F papers showed former king Juan Carlos I — aka JC1 — playing a decisive role in stopping the 1981 coup attempt, the PP boss has been calling for the ex-monarch to return from his comfortable exile (and occasional Iranian bombing target) in Abu Dhabi.

• But, um, there are a few obstacles.

Bring him back. Feijóo went into full reconciliation mode on X, arguing that the documents “should reconcile Spaniards with the person who stopped the coup.” Yes, he’s made “undeniable mistakes,” Feijóo conceded — but someone who sustained democracy at a key moment deserves to spend his golden years “with dignity and in his own country.”

• Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso quickly chimed in that this is what “the immense majority of Spaniards” think. (Considering how often it is invoked, Spain’s immense majority must be exhausted by now.)

About those ‘undeniable mistakes.’ JC1 didn’t exactly leave Spain because he craved desert heat. In 2020, amid investigations into opaque offshore foundations, alleged commissions, and a $100 million Saudi-linked transfer, he decamped to Abu Dhabi.

• To be fair, he later paid more than €5 million to Spain’s tax man to regularize previously undeclared income. Prosecutors closed their cases, but the reputational damage was done.

• Bad boy. His son, Felipe VI, cut his allowance (€200,000 per annum!) and has spent the last decade trying to rebrand the monarchy so squeaky clean as to be almost Nordic.

Wait a minute. So not everyone is polishing the welcome mat. Especially the leftish parties opposed to the PP and/or monarchy in general.

• Minister of the Presidency Félix Bolaños welcomed JC1 to adulting, saying that “One thing does not erase the other.” As in, heroics in 1981 don’t prepay for later behavior.

• And ERC’s ever-quotable Gabriel Rufián was even clearer: “Criminals are better off outside than in.”

There are other problems beyond a shortage of welcome mats. Even if Juan Carlos wanted to return tomorrow, it wouldn’t be as simple as booking a one-way Iberia ticket.

• The Royal Household has delicately noted that while he is free to return, if he did, he would “in any case” need to reestablish tax residency in Spain — to safeguard both his own reputation and that of the Crown.

• 183 days. Spend more than that in Spain, and you’re a tax resident again. That means answering uncomfortable questions about who pays for all your private jets.

• The fact that the Casa Real is the one publicly reminding him about tax obligations suggests that, shall we say, enthusiasm for Dad’s triumphant return is not universal inside the palace walls.

And the family home. Then there’s Palacio de la Zarzuela itself.

• Juan Carlos has reportedly made returning to Zarzuela — his home for 57 years — a matter of principle. But it’s not just a family house. It’s the headquarters of the Spanish head of state.

• But, no. Back in 2020, it was agreed that he would not stay overnight there, precisely to shield the institution from further reputational damage. Reversing that now would require a massive small rethink.

Our guess? He’ll stay out of Spain 183 days a year. The rest of the calendar? Regattas in his beloved Sanxenxo. Medical visits. Long private lunches. We expect to see lots of JC1 — just not quite enough to interest Hacienda.

2. 🧑‍🔬 Is Spain really becoming a startup capital?

Spain has long wanted to grow its own Silicon Valley. Looking at the wealth boom in the original one south of San Francisco, who wouldn’t?

• But Silicon Valley is a brutal act to follow, and Europe is stuck in a low gear. London, Paris and Berlin have made a mark, and Barcelona is making a serious push, but still… Let’s just say there’s probably more VC money in one breakfast at Buck’s in Woodside than in Barcelona, Madrid, and the rest of Spain combined.

But that may be changing 🥳! The Financial Times just rolled out their 2025 ranking of Europe’s leading startup hubs, and not only is Iberia showing up — Spain and Portugal host 24 of the 150 ranked hubs — but an accompanying article (by our very own Friend of Bubble Lucas Laursen) lays out the shifting landscape in Spain.

• The simple message. The startup boom is leaking out of the usual suspects. Yes, Madrid and Barcelona still dominate the money (they accounted for 29 of 33 funding rounds/deals in January, per El Referente), but the FT–Statista 2025 ranking puts Valencia, Málaga and San Sebastián ahead of the big two — with Valencia’s accelerator Lanzadera landing in the top 10.

And the winner is… The article zooms in on Málaga, where founder Félix Martín-Aguilar is building Alqindoi (a “device as a service platform” — we love a good tech buzzword) out of BIC Euronova — an incubator founded in 1991 that has survived every apocalypse since the dotcom era — and is now plugged into Berkeley SkyDeck, a start-up accelerator at UC Berkeley, which gives Málaga startups a direct line to California without the “move to Madrid first” step.

• Why Málaga? It’s cheaper, it has engineering talent, local institutions are unusually supportive, and foreign founders are a bigger share of the ecosystem than in Madrid/Barcelona.

• The catch. Funding is still thin in smaller markets like Málaga, and weak English skills can sludge things. Still, as regions move into their second generation of founders, experience gaps should shrink — and Spain’s startup map gets more compelling.

Still, a ways to go. There were 654 venture capital investments in Spain last year, for a total of €1.7bn, up 54% from 2024 and the third best year ever, according to the industry association SpainCap. Which is great — until you consider that Europe overall got $68bn, while the U.S. pulled in $328bn 😱.

• And don’t count Barcelona and Madrid out! They also show up plenty in the FT ranking, led by Madrid’s Tetuan Valley. Which, incidentally, did not accept our application for the latest cohort. NOT THAT WE’RE BITTER. (We will absolutely apply again because, you know… cough... We need funding.)

3. 😔 Five students die on Santander’s coast after a walkway collapse

Late Tuesday afternoon on Spain’s northern coast, a quiet walk along the cliffs of Santander suddenly turned catastrophic.

• At around 4:45 p.m., a group of seven students in their late teens and early twenties was crossing a wooden walkway along a coastal trail near Playa de El Bocal, a scenic stretch of shoreline just west of the city. The path winds along steep cliffs between the beach and the nearby oceanographic institute, offering sweeping views of the Cantabrian Sea.

As the group stepped onto one of several wooden platforms built along the cliffside, the structure suddenly gave way beneath them.

• The collapsing walkway sent the students plunging several meters down onto jagged rocks and into the rough water below.

Emergency services arrived quickly. Within minutes, rescuers spotted two bodies floating about 25 meters offshore. Both young people had already died. Over the following hours, firefighters and maritime rescue teams recovered three more victims from the sea and the rocky shoreline. One young woman remains missing.

• The victims, aged between 19 and 22, came from regions across Spain, including Cantabria, the Basque Country and Almería.

• One survivor was pulled alive from the water and taken to the Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, where she is being treated in intensive care for hypothermia and injuries.

The collapse occurred at Punta Cortada, a remote and rugged section of coastline along a popular walking route between the Cabo Mayor lighthouse and the fishing village of La Maruca.

• The wooden structures along the trail were installed more than a decade ago as part of a coastal path project intended to make the cliffs accessible to walkers.

• But their condition has long been questioned. Environmental groups and local organizations had repeatedly warned that several of the platforms were deteriorating and should have been removed years ago.

Search operations continued yesterday as firefighters, maritime rescue units, police and a government helicopter combed the rocky shoreline for the missing student.

• The effort has been complicated by strong waves and the jagged coastline, which make it difficult for divers to reach parts of the area safely. Authorities are also waiting for low tide, when the receding water could expose crevices and cavities among the rocks where the missing woman may have been swept.

4.🌡️ Relax, Pedro Sánchez is not dying (or so he says)

I'm not dead yet! Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been forced to deny one of the weirder political rumors circulating in Madrid this week — that he is secretly suffering from a serious heart condition and he may be dying. 🩻

• The whole thing began in a pretty surreal way. Sánchez has long been known for his unusually polished appearance. People gave him the nickname “Pedro el guapo” (“Pedro the handsome” or, as we like to call him, Mr. Handsome).

• But in recent months, observers have noted that he looks… skinnier. And that visible weight loss quickly became political speculation.

Some media outlets began publishing stories noting that the prime minister looked “demacrado” (gaunt) and suggesting the physical changes were the result of stress or health problems after years of governing amid scandals and political battles (which, if you read us, you will probably know are many).

• And the Marias said… Only a few weeks ago, a bunch of ladies who were greeting him at an event went full Spanish grandmother on him and told him he had to eat more because he was “too skinny”.

The rumor escalated when a popular right-wing online publication of dubious reputation (the kind we’d prefer not to link to here) claimed Sánchez had been receiving treatment for a serious cardiovascular condition at Madrid’s Ramón y Cajal hospital.

• From there, it spread rapidly across social media (of course) and talk shows. Soon, PP MP Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo (our very own Ice Queen — which we say with love) mentioned the story during a parliamentary session and demanded the government “declassify” the PM’s medical records (obvs a reference to the recent 23-F declassification).

The government initially tried to ignore the claims. But as more media outlets seemed to pick it up, Sánchez himself finally responded with a statement on X.

• Ye olde mud machine. “The far right and the right have been predicting the end of this government since day one,” he wrote, referring to the "mud machine” of criticism from the right (a fave complaint of his). “Now they are spreading hoaxes about my health.”

• Sánchez insisted he does not suffer from any heart disease, and said that even if he did, it would hardly be unusual, as millions of people live normal lives with such conditions thanks to public healthcare. 👩🏻‍⚕️

So there you have it. For those of you who miss the times when Sánchez didn’t look “gaunt” (which, to be honest, he does), here is a photo of him from back in the day. You’re welcome.

5. 🎬 Susan Sarandon got all political at the Goyas (and she got an award too)

Awards season. It was the 40th edition of the Goya Awards (the Spanish Oscars) this weekend, and Susan Sarandon received the International Goya, one of the Spanish Film Academy’s highest honors.

• The annual award recognizes a figure whose career has had a global cultural impact. In previous years, it has gone to actors like Cate Blanchett, Juliette Binoche, Sigourney Weaver, and Richard Gere. This year, it went to one of Hollywood’s most outspoken actresses. (More on that in a sec…)

Let us praise Susan. Sarandon may be known for films such as Thelma & Louise and Dead Man Walking, but she’s really in our hearts for the kitsch masterpiece that is The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Haven’t seen it? Well, you have an assignment. Tonight.

• Loving herself some Spain. At the Goyas, she used her acceptance speech (see video above) to praise Spain’s cultural life and what she described as the “moral clarity” of its public figures.

Cue the controversy. Sarandon has long been a lefty icon, and her political activism is widely known, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she praised Pedro Sánchez (who, btw, was sitting in the audience 😉).

• Pouring it on. Wearing a pin in support of the Palestinian people, she contrasted the current political climate in the U.S. with what she sees in Spain. “In these days when the world is so dominated by violence and cruelty,” she said, “I look around and see your president and many artists speaking with such clarity, and it gives me strength.”

• But there’s more! Sarandon had already praised Sánchez a day before during a press conference in Barcelona, where she said he was “on the right side of history” for his criticism of the situation in Gaza.

• Awww…and a diss. Sanchéz tweeted that he was “moved” by her words in Barcelona, and the PP reacted by saying that the two have something in common: “They both act better than they govern”. Ouch 😂.

Whoopsie! Quoting historian Howard Zinn, Sarandon spoke during the ceremony about hope in difficult times, insisting that it is neither romantic nor naïve but rooted in historical truth.

• But there was a brief moment of awkwardness when a live translation slip mixed up the words “textual” with “sexual” while Sarandon was quoting Zinn, but the mistake was quickly corrected, and everyone sighed in relief.

Anyway, who won? The big winner was Los domingos (Sundays), a movie about a brilliant 17-year-old who shocks her family by abandoning university plans to become a cloistered nun. It’s directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, who took Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and two major acting awards — basically, Best Everything.

• Our own Oscar hopeful. Sirât, directed by Oliver Laxe, collected six awards, largely in technical categories, strengthening its momentum ahead of the Oscars, where it is nominated for Best International Feature Film.

🙏 Once again, please remember to share this newsletter with your friends on social media. The more we grow, the more information we’ll be able to offer each week.

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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend

It’s Friday again!

And what do you know? We’re once again recommending activities that involve a high-calorie diet and getting out of downtown Madrid your comfort zone because, unless you’re a certain British spy, you only live once. I don’t think you can blame us.

• This has undoubtedly been the winter of our discontent: non-stop rain, stupidly cold mornings, and the inevitable retreat of democratic values. Dude, if you’re not depressed, do you even have a pulse?

• So loosen that belt, put away those ridiculous winter jackets (finally!), and get ready for a weekend of fun and sun with your friends. The nuclear winter Spring is only a few weeks away, so you’d better make it count.

Happy weekend!

But first, click on this if you love art and the Prado Museum ⬇️

1.🥢 China Taste 2026: A taste of the Year of the Horse

Yes, we celebrated the Chinese New Year last week, but that doesn’t mean we’re done partying. In fact, Madrid is hosting the ninth edition of China Taste, a month-long gastronomic festival bringing together 24 top Chinese restaurants across Madrid to celebrate the Year of the Horse.

• Each restaurant offers a special menu or dish inspired by Lunar New Year traditions, giving you the perfect excuse to explore everything from fiery Sichuan flavors to delicate Cantonese classics.

• And it’s not just about food; there’s meaning behind every bite. In Chinese culture, the New Year reunion dinner is the most important meal of the year, symbolising prosperity, longevity, and good fortune.

• Some of the dishes include whole fish (unity), long noodles (long life), dumplings, and other traditional delicacies reimagined for the occasion.

• We know that for some of you, making it all the way to Usera (Madrid’s Chinatown) is cause for anxiety. So before you go all Kim Kardashian on us, asking if it’s “safe to be there 😭”, let us tell you the good news: some of these restaurants are in the Centro area. You’re welcome.

Oh, and there’s also a solidarity angle: for every special menu sold, a donation goes to the Red Cross.

🖥️ What: China Taste 2026

📍 Where: 24 participating restaurants across Madrid

📅 When: Through March 3

🎟 Prices vary by restaurant (special set menus available)

2.🤤 The reopening of the Mercado de San Miguel

In the immortal words of contemporary mean girl Madison Montgomery: Surprise, bitch. That’s right, after being closed for renovations for some time, one of Madrid’s most iconic tourist traps culinary landmarks reopened this week and it’s ready to be busy.

• Oh, we kid. The Mercado de San Miguel was inaugurated in 1916 as a traditional food market and one of the city’s best examples of iron architecture. But it exploded in popularity in 2009, when it became the first gastronomic market in the city.

• Located just steps from another tourist trap Plaza Mayor, it now attracts more than 10 million visitors a year and remains a temple of Spanish produce under one elegant glass-and-iron roof.

• Inside, you’ll find more than 30 stalls showcasing top-quality ingredients from across Spain: Galician seafood, Iberian ham, artisan cheeses, rice dishes, tortillas, smoked fish, vermouth, pastries, and more.

• Big culinary names that you probably never heard of are part of the draw, including Joan Roca’s Rocambolesc ice cream, Rodrigo de la Calle’s paellas, and Arzábal’s classic Madrid-style tapas.

So yes, it’s one of the city’s most touristed spots. But if you time it right and go in with a strategy (lap first, order second), it’s still one of the easiest ways to taste Spain in one sitting.

🖥️ What: Reopening of Mercado de San Miguel

📍 Where: Plaza de San Miguel s/n, Madrid

📅 When: It just re-opened!

🎟 Tickets start at: Free entry, but you must pay for the food inside, or you’ll get kicked out and/or arrested.

3.🎨 From Heaven to Hell: Bosch’s nightmares return with a digital twist

Alright, so you’re on a diet because the summer is only four months away. Then let us offer you something darker (and stranger) than tapas and vermut.

The Fundación Juan March is presenting an exhibition co-produced with the Colección SOLO that places two small panels by a follower of Hieronymus Bosch (aka El Bosco, aka the guy who painted this) alongside contemporary works charged with surreal, metamorphic, and fantastical imagery.

• The two paintings (Heaven and Hell) originally formed part of a now-lost triptych dedicated to the Last Judgment. They capture the moral satire, meticulous detail and delirious imagination that made Bosch a singular figure in art history. But the exhibition makes a bigger point: Bosch’s dreamlike logic didn’t die in the 15th century.

From André Breton (who saw in Bosch a kind of proto-surrealist) to today’s digital artists experimenting with AI as a “machine of metamorphosis,” the show traces a lineage of fantasy, mutation, and black humor that runs straight into the present. Medieval nightmares meet Fortnite on psychedelics.

🖥️ What: A la Manera del Bosco

📍 Where: Calle de Castelló 77, Madrid

📅 When: Through April 12

🎟 Tickets: Free admission

4.📸 Unveiling the gaze: Hoda Afshar at La Casa Encendida

If you’re looking for something more esoteric so you can look cool on Instagram, La Casa Encendida is hosting The Fold, one of the season’s most thought-provoking exhibitions, created by Iranian visual artist Hoda Afshar, who interrogates photography, power, and perception.

• The exhibition stems from Afshar’s research at Paris’s Musée du Quai Branly, where she encountered an archive of thousands of photographs taken in Morocco by French psychiatrist and photographer Gaëtan Gatian de Clérambault.

• His images of veiled Muslim women (and occasionally men) were tied to his psychoanalytic theories about the veil and fantasy — and embedded in a distinctly colonial gaze.

• In The Fold, Afshar reworks this archive for the first time in her practice, examining the legacy of Orientalist and colonial photography while asking a sharper question: who controls what we see — and how we see it?

• Through silver mirroring, darkroom printing, digital animation, video and installation, she builds a layered response that connects past regimes of representation with today’s politics of visibility.

Afshar’s work consistently explores the tension between aesthetics and violence, knowledge and control. Highly recommended.

🖥️ What: The Fold by Hoda Afshar

📍 Where: La Casa Encendida (Sala A), Ronda de Valencia 2, Madrid

📅 When: Through April 26

🎟 Tickets: Free admission

5.💃🏻 Flamenco, pushed to the edge: Jesús Carmona’s Tentativo at Matadero

You think you know flamenco? Jesús Carmona is here to challenge you. Centro Danza Matadero hosts Tentativo (Basado en paisajes reales), the latest creation by the National Dance Prize-winning bailaor and choreographer.

• Performed by his company, the piece is an exploration of identity, vulnerability and the limits of movement, all through the evolving language of contemporary flamenco.

• Carmona, one of the most innovative figures in today’s dance scene, blends technical precision with emotional intensity. In Tentativo, he turns inward, questioning what it means to be a bailaor while opening flamenco to dialogue with other disciplines and soundscapes.

With an international career that includes stages like Sadler’s Wells in London and New York City Center, Carmona is synonymous with global experience, but the raw power remains deeply rooted in flamenco tradition.

🖥️ What: Tentativo (Basado en paisajes reales) by Jesús Carmona

📍 Where: Centro Danza Matadero (Nave 11), Paseo de la Chopera 14, Madrid

📅 When: Through March 8 (Wednesday to Sunday performances)

🎟 Tickets start at €27

📺 What to watch if you’re staying in this weekend…

🖥️ What: Singular | Movie | 2025

📍Where to watch: HBO Max

❓What’s it about: Twelve years after their son's death, Diana and Martín reunite for a weekend at their old lake house. She's an AI specialist; he lives in seclusion. When a mysterious young man appears, old secrets and new suspicions emerge.

🤩 Why you should watch: Because it’s Spain’s most direct, intimate answer to the AI anxiety we’ve all been quietly absorbing since Black Mirror, and this time, it hits closer to home. It starts tense and elegant, and while the plot eventually loops and overstretches its central idea, Singular captures something unsettlingly current: the feeling that the future we feared is no longer theoretical.

💬 English Subtitles: No.

💃🏻 Places to try this weekend…

🍦 Colosso Gelato: Madrid’s creamiest obsession

What’s it about: Colosso Gelato, in Plaza de Santa Bárbara (Alonso Martínez), is serving authentic Italian artisan gelato made on-site under the direction of master gelato maker Julio Bertoni. Everything is produced in their own obrador, with Mediterranean-inspired recipes.

Why you should go: Because it’s proper gelato. Less fat, creamier texture, served at the right temperature, so the flavor actually hits. The pistachio is a must. The Dulce de Leche Colosso (with chocolate shards folded in) is dangerously good. Tramontana and the viral Chocolate Dubái are also standouts. Add specialty coffee and a prime central location, and you’ve got the perfect post-lunch, mid-afternoon or late-night stop.

Bottom line: If you love real gelato, Colosso delivers some of the smoothest, most flavour-packed scoops in Madrid right now.

Address: Plaza de Santa Barbara, 6, Madrid

🦞 A taste of Galicia in Retiro: Why O’Grelo still delivers

What’s it about: For over 30 years, O Grelo has been flying the Galician flag in Madrid’s Retiro neighbourhood. Get ready for top-quality seafood, fish, meats, and rice dishes prepared with traditional techniques and subtle modern touches.

Why you should go: It’s the kind of place that understands its product — and doesn’t need to overcomplicate it. You order pulpo con cachelos, empanada de vieiras, arroz con bogavante or merluza a la gallega and let the ingredients do the talking.

Bottom line: If you’re craving Galicia without leaving Madrid, O’Grelo is a reliable classic that still earns its reputation.

Address: Calle de Menorca, 39, Madrid

👨🏻‍💻 Viral Memes of the Week

😱 Therians everywhere!

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🛂 Y una nota de nuestro patrocinador. Nos hemos aliado con nuestros amigos de Bureaucracy.es para traerte más recursos sobre inmigración y la vida en España. Échale un ojo a nuestras guías para conseguir el visado de nómada digital o el visado no lucrativo.

No son los Epstein Files, pero da igual

👨🏻‍🏭 El detrás de escena del 23-F tiene su momento de gloria

Puede que el presidente Pedro Sánchez estuviera celoso del protagonismo que tuvo la Casa Blanca con el volcado de documentos de los Epstein Files. Puede que quisiera desviar el foco de las nubes de corrupción que sobrevuelan a su Gobierno. O puede que, de verdad, crea que la historia debe ser libre. Sea cual sea la razón, le damos todo nuestro apoyo.

• La ropa sucia, al sol. Sánchez anunció este lunes que el Gobierno desclasificará documentos relacionados con el famoso 23-F — el intento de golpe de Estado contra la joven democracia española hace 45 años.

Para cualquier boomer español, el 23-F es probablemente el gran acontecimiento doméstico de su vida — seguido por el 11-M en Atocha y por David Bisbal quedando segundo en la primera edición de Operación Triunfo.

• El golpe. El 23 de febrero de 1981, el teniente coronel Antonio Tejero, junto a 200 guardias civiles armados, irrumpió en el Congreso de los Diputados en Madrid durante la votación para investir a Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo como presidente (y sí, está todo en vídeo). Los golpistas mantuvieron retenidos a diputados y ministros durante 18 horas, con la esperanza de que el rey Juan Carlos I respaldara un regreso al autoritarismo.

• Spoiler: JC1 no lo hizo. La democracia sobrevivió. Y Javier Cercas escribió una gran crónica del episodio, Anatomía de un instante, que hace poco tuvo adaptación televisiva.

Dejemos la política de lado. A Sánchez no le vendrá mal hablar de cualquier cosa que no sea la gestión de su Ejecutivo, así que no sorprende que el Partido Popular y Vox hayan calificado la medida de “cortina de humo”, mientras que un aliado por la izquierda separatista, ERC, sugirió que busca “tapar” los problemas del presidente.

• Pero, honestamente, nos da un poco igual la pelea partidista. Queremos los detalles jugosos. Queremos saber quién estaba realmente detrás. Y si JC1 pensó, aunque fuera por un segundo: “Oye, igual prefiero ser un rey de verdad y no un monarca constitucional blandito”. Vamos al lío.

¿Sabía el Rey? Durante décadas se ha especulado sobre si JC1 sabía más de lo que admitió. Estos documentos no zanjan el debate, pero tampoco lo dejan mal parado.

• Un análisis interno manuscrito señala que uno de los principales errores del golpe fue tratar al Rey con respeto — o sea, “dejar al borbón libre como si fuese un caballero” — cuando en realidad debía ser considerado un “objetivo a batir y anular”.

• Un registro del Ministerio de Defensa recoge una llamada tensa desde Zarzuela a las 20:20 de aquel día, en la que el secretario del Rey ordena a Tejero que deponga su actitud de inmediato y le pregunta repetidamente por qué decía actuar “en nombre del Rey”.

• Tejero insistió en que solo obedecía al teniente general Jaime Milans del Bosch antes de colgar.

• Más tarde, JC1 ordenó a Milans del Bosch que acatara: “Por España primero, y por la Corona, después, te ordeno que cumplas cuanto te he dicho”. (Hacia las seis de la mañana, la intentona había terminado y las tropas se retiraron.)

¿Qué tan cerca estuvo España del desastre? Las revelaciones más inquietantes muestran lo fino que fue el hilo.

• Casi una masacre. Se barajó asaltar el Congreso con una operación del GEO (los “SWAT” españoles). Las estimaciones hablaban de entre 80 y 110 muertos.

• Otro documento describe las órdenes dadas durante la toma de RTVE: “tirar a matar” si era necesario, armas listas y seguros quitados.

¿Quién estaba realmente implicado? Los servicios de inteligencia no salen impolutos.

• Un informe desclasificado del Cesid admite que seis de sus agentes participaron en la intentona y revela que, tras el fracaso, se activaron mecanismos internos para encubrir sus movimientos.

• Mientras tanto, una nota interna de la Policía Nacional de noviembre de 1981 se atribuye el papel de principal “dique” que frenó el golpe.

La farsa humana. También está la capa tragicómica.

• Tarea de tontos. Transcripciones de llamadas muestran que, durante el golpe, la esposa de Tejero lo llamó repetidamente “tonto” y “desgraciado”, lamentando que sus compañeros lo hubieran dejado solo "como una colilla”.

• En Washington tampoco tenían muy claro qué pensar al principio. Los primeros cables de EE.UU. lo calificaron como “asunto interno”. Más tarde, Reagan elogió personalmente a JC1 por defender la democracia.

Y ahora, giro final de ironía cósmica. Tejero murió ayer a los 93 años. Condenado a 30 años por rebelión, salió en libertad en 1996 y vivía discretamente en Málaga — símbolo nostálgico para sectores de la extrema derecha hasta el final.

• Será recordado para siempre por disparar al techo del Congreso y gritar su ya mítico: “¡Se sienten, coño!”.

Sigue leyendo que abajo hay más noticias. 👇👇

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💬 Cinco temas para debatir con amigos

1. ⛷️ España tiene sus mejores Juegos de Invierno en 90 años

Los abucheos y los vítores que resonaron por los Alpes. La gran noticia de los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de 2026 en Italia fue, según a quién preguntes, que los equipos masculino y femenino de hockey sobre hielo de Estados Unidos ganaran el oro tras finales agónicas en la prórroga contra Canadá.

• O que el vicepresidente estadounidense JD Vance fuera abucheado sin piedad en la ceremonia de apertura.

• O quizá que el biatleta noruego Sturla Holm Lægreid, de 28 años, rompiera a llorar en plena entrevista en directo para pedir perdón a su exnovia por una infidelidad.

• O que la eterna esquiadora estadounidense Lindsey Vonn regresara desafiando la edad, las operaciones y las articulaciones rotas… solo para estrellarse de tal manera que casi pierde la pierna.

Pero por aquí, la noticia fue la actuación récord de España. “¿España?”, dirais vosotros. Pues sí, España.

• Juegos históricos. Los atletas españoles lograron tres medallas en Italia:
  una de oro y dos de bronce.

• Las tres llegaron en pruebas de esquí de montaña (créednos: es jodidamente difícil).

• Oriol Cardona consiguió el primer oro olímpico de invierno para España en más de cinco décadas. Ana Alonso sumó un bronce individual. Y juntos se llevaron otro bronce en el relevo mixto.

¿Hazaña? Desde luego. En parte porque España no es precisamente una potencia invernal. Ni siquiera un país particularmente invernal.

• Una tradición limitada. En casi 90 años de participación olímpica en invierno, el palmarés español había sido, siendo generosos, una nota al pie comparado con Noruega. Antes de este año, el total de medallas invernales cabía en una mano (cinco): algunos bronces sueltos y un oro de Francisco Fernández Ochoa en 1972.
  Pre-TikTok. Pre-internet. Pre-televisión en color.

¿Por qué le cuesta tanto a España en los Juegos de Invierno? En palabras del presidente de la Federación española de deportes de invierno, May Peus: “La tradición del hielo y la nieve en España son los que son”. El deporte invernal aquí siempre ha sido minoritario, históricamente territorio de familias acomodadas, aristócratas, nuevos ricos o gente vinculada a estaciones de esquí.

• España tiene 35 estaciones. Suena razonable. Excepto que muchas no pueden garantizar nieve toda la temporada. Y las que sí pueden, a menudo carecen de instalaciones de gran escala para entrenar a la élite.

• ¿Centros de alto rendimiento? Pensados para deportes de verano (y fútbol, claro). Sin simuladores invernales, sin infraestructura específica, sin una cantera profunda.

Así que no, España no está diseñada para dominar el invierno. Pero oye: ¿a dónde escapa todo el Gran Norte Blanco cuando quiere sol y alegría? Exacto. A España. Nos apostamos algo a que Sturla Holm Lægreid y JD Vance acabarán viniendo. Aunque solo sea para no llorar.

2. 🧯 Vox vs. 🌍: La ultraderecha se pelea con… todo el mundo

Vox está teniendo una de esas semanas en las que casi se pueden oír los gritos desde la sede nacional. En apenas unos días, la fuerza ultraderechista ha conseguido pelearse consigo misma, con el PP (otra vez) e incluso con su querida Iglesia católica.

Read more

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Not quite the Epstein Files

👨🏻‍🏭 23-F gets its day in the sun

Maybe Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was jealous of the attention the White House got around the Epstein Files document dump. Maybe he wanted to distract from the corruption clouds hanging over his government. Or maybe he genuinely believes history should be free. Whatever the reason, we’ll take it!

• Dirty laundry, aired. PM Sánchez announced Monday that the government would declassify documents related to the famous 23-F — the attempted military coup d’état against Spain’s fledgling democracy, 45 years ago.

For Spanish Boomers, 23-F is pretty much the biggest domestic event in their lifetime — followed by the 11-M Atocha train station bombings and David Bisbal not winning the first season of Operación Triunfo.

• The coup. On Feb. 23, 1981, Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero, along with 200 armed Guardia Civil officers, stormed the parliament in Madrid during a vote to swear in Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo as prime minister (and yes, it’s all on video). The officers held the MPs and ministers hostage for 18 hours, hoping that King Juan Carlos I would back a return to strongman rule.

• Spoiler: JC1 didn’t. Democracy survived. And Javier Cercas wrote a great chronicle of the incident, Anatomía de un instante, that recently came out as a TV miniseries.

Let’s get the politics out of the way. PM Sánchez would undoubtedly like to talk about anything but the performance of his administration, so it is not surprising that the opposition parties on the right, Partido Popular and Vox, both called the move a “smoke screen,” while an ally on the left, the ERC Catalan separatists, said it was meant to “cover up” Sánchez’s problems.

• But honestly, we don’t care about politics right now. We really want to know the juicy nuggets in the documents, who was in on the coup, and whether King JC1 thought, even for a second, “You know, I’d like to be a real King, not a wimpy ‘constitutional monarch.’” So let’s get into it!

Did the King know? For decades, critics have speculated whether JC1 knew more than he let on. These documents won’t put those speculations to bed, but they don’t make him look bad.

• One handwritten internal analysis of the coup states that one of the main mistakes for its failure was “leaving the Borbón [aka JC1] free,” criticizing the decision to treat the King with respect and concluding that he should have been neutralized as an obstacle.

• A Defense Ministry record describes a tense phone call from the Zarzuela Palace at 8:20 p.m. that day, in which the King’s secretary ordered Tejero to immediately stand down and repeatedly asked why he said he was doing it “in the name of the King”.

• Tejero, however, insisted he only obeyed Lt. Gen. Milans del Bosch (another mastermind of the coup) before hanging up.

• JC1 later ordered Milans del Bosch to comply. “For Spain first, and for the Crown second, you must obey”. (Around 6 a.m., the uprising was over, and Milans announced the withdrawal of his troops.)

How close did Spain come to bloodshed? The most chilling revelations concern how narrowly Spain avoided catastrophe.

• Massacre averted. Authorities considered storming Parliament with a GEO (Spain’s SWAT) operation — estimates suggested 80 to 110 deaths.

• Another document describes the orders given to soldiers during the takeover of Spanish public television RTVE — they were told to “shoot to kill” if necessary, with weapons ready and safeties off.

Who was really involved? The intelligence services did not emerge spotless.

• A declassified report from Cesid (Spain’s former intelligence service) admits that six of its agents were involved in the coup and reveals that after the failed attempt, internal mechanisms were activated to cover up their movements.

• Thank you for your service. Meanwhile, an internal Policía Nacional memo from November 1981 claims the force was the main “dam” that stopped the coup.

The human farce. Then there’s the tragicomic layer.

• Fool’s errand. Transcripts of recorded calls show that during the coup, Tejero’s wife repeatedly insulted him, calling him “a fool” and “a disgrace,” and lamenting that he had been abandoned by his peers.

• Even Washington seemed unsure what to make of it at first. Early U.S. cables called it an “internal matter.” Later, President Reagan personally praised JC1 for defending democracy.

And now he’s dead! Oh, and in an unexpected twist of cosmic irony, Tejero died yesterday at 93 years old. Sentenced to 30 years in prison for rebellion, he was paroled in 1996 and had been living quietly in Málaga — a nostalgic symbol for parts of the far right to the end.

• Tejero will be forever remembered for getting the attention of the MPs by shooting the ceiling of Parliament and shouting “¡se sienten, coño!” — “Sit down, dammit!”

More news below. 👇👇

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💬 Five things to discuss at dinner parties

1. ⛷️ Spain has its best Winter Olympics in 90 years

The boos and cheers heard round the alps. The big news from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy was arguably the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams both winning gold in thrilling overtime victories over Canada.

• Or the U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance being roundly booed at the opening ceremony.

• Or maybe Sturla Holm Lægreid, a 28-year-old Norwegian biathlete, breaking down in tears during a live TV interview as he apologized to his ex-girlfriend for having an affair.

• Or the immortal American skier Lindsey Vonn coming back from age, surgery and broken joints to crash so hard she almost lost her leg to amputation.

But around here, the news was a record-breaking performance from Spain. “Spain?” you ask. Yes, Spain…

• Historic Olympics. Spanish athletes won three medals in the Italian games. One gold. Two bronze.

• Spain received all three in ski mountaineering events (trust us — it’s hella difficult).

• Oriol Cardona delivered Spain’s first Winter Olympic gold in more than five decades. Ana Alonso followed up by receiving bronze for her efforts. Together Cardona and Alonso won another bronze in the mixed relay.

Accomplishment? Of course, this feels historic partly because Spain isn’t exactly a winter-sports dynasty. Or a winter sports country.

• In nearly 90 years of Winter Olympic participation, Spanish athletes have built a résumé that, at best, felt like a footnote compared with Norway’s. Before this year, Spain’s total in winter medals could be counted on one hand (i.e. there were 5), with a few stray bronzes and one gold from Paquito Fernández Ochoa back in… 1972. Pre Tiktok, pre internet, pre color TV.

So why does Spain struggle in the Winter Olympics? In the words of the president of Spain’s winter sports federation, May Peus, “The tradition of ice and snow in Spain is what it is.” Winter sport in Spain has long been a minority activity, historically the playground of the wealthy, the aristocratic, the nouveau riche, or families who worked at ski resorts.

• Spain has 35 ski resorts. Sounds decent. Except many can’t guarantee snow all winter. And the ones that can? They often lack the large-scale facilities needed for elite training and competition.

• The high-performance centers? They’re built for summer sports (and fútbol!). They have no winter simulators, no specialized infrastructure, and no deep development pipeline.

So Spain isn’t built for winter dominance. Fine. But hey, where does everyone in the Great White North escape for sun and joy? Exactly. Spain. We bet Sturla Holm Lægreid and JD Vance will visit. Just so they don’t cry.

2. 🧯 Vox vs. 🌎: The far-right picks fights with… everyone

Vox is having one of those weeks where you can practically hear the shouting from party HQ. In just a few days, Spain’s far-right force has managed to pick fights with itself, with the PP (again), and even with its beloved Catholic Church.

Vox vs. Vox. Madrid City Hall is hosting a full-blown family feud. Javier Ortega Smith — Vox co-founder, longtime enforcer, and former secretary general — is refusing to step down as the party’s spokesperson in the city council.

• The awkward bit? Party leader Santiago Abascal has suspended Ortega Smith and begun the process to expel him. But he can’t simply fire him from City Hall. The spokesperson is chosen by the five-member municipal group, and it’s split — three back Ortega Smith, two back Abascal. The numbers aren’t on the boss’s side.

• A more awkward bit? Ortega says he’ll only leave if councillors vote him out. But they won’t. If Abascal expels the rebels, they could remain on the council as non-attached councillors, costing Vox resources and influence.

Why the drama? This isn’t ideological. It’s a power struggle. Ortega Smith is casting himself as a victim of Abascal’s dictatorial top-down control, while the leadership line is simple: the direction decides, everyone obeys. But Ortega Smith says he’ll go to court, if necessary — and is hinting that he knows a lot about how the party works behind the scenes. 😉

Vox vs. the PP. Meanwhile, the PP still needs Vox to govern in places like Extremadura and Aragón, and negotiations are proving… difficult.

• PP boss Alberto Nuñez Feijóo tried to impose order this week by publishing a national “framework” laying out the PP’s red lines for deals with Vox: He wants proportionality, approval of all budgets, lower taxes, institutional respect… you know, the whole “we’re the adults in the room” deal. (It’s also a preview of how Feijóo wants politics to look if he ever becomes PM).

• Abascal bristled with pure indignation because he hated the power dynamic, saying that the PP is treating Vox like a wild animal that needs to be “tamed.”

• His argument? If you need our votes, you don’t get to hand us a rulebook like we’re interns. The PP then tried to walk its document back, but the damage was done.

Vox vs. the Catholic Church. In the oddest subplot, there were reports that Pope Leo XIV (who, btw, just confirmed he’ll be in Spain June 6-12) privately warned bishops that his biggest concern in Spain was the far right trying to “instrumentalize” the Church and “win the Catholic vote”; multiple outlets insisted he explicitly mentioned Vox.

• Vox’s leadership tried to defuse it at first, but then Abascal dismissed the supposed comment as an invention fed to the press by “a bishop who collaborates with immigration.”

Either way, it’s a headache. Vox wraps itself in Catholic identity, but the Spanish Church hierarchy has been publicly supportive of migrant regularization and has pushed back on Vox’s anti-immigration rhetoric.

3. 🪩 You can use Spain’s youth card for clubbing, right? Um, no

Kids these days. TikTok has discovered what may or may not be a loophole in Spain’s Bono Cultural Joven — and the internet has decided that Pedro Sánchez is now personally funding 18-year-olds’ tequila shots. Spain’s Ministry of Culture? Not happy about the turn of events.

• Party = art. Over the past few days, viral videos have claimed that young people can use the €400 cultural allowance they get from the state to get into nightclubs. In one widely shared clip, a guy confidently explains to a group of teenagers how the prepaid card can be used at a Madrid club because “people don’t realize it works for nightlife.”

Revolutionary scholarship. Some of the teens brag that they’ve still got €150 left on their cards. In other words, they’re ready for a long night out. The meme spreading online is simple and irresistible: “Pedro pays for your party.” But not quite…

What the card actually is. The Bono Cultural Joven gives 18-year-olds €400 to spend on cultural goods and “experiences.” It’s split neatly into buckets: €100 for physical products (lol, imagine an 18-year-old buying a physical magazine 😭); €100 for digital products (subscriptions, video games); €200 for live cultural events (theatre, cinema, museums, concerts)

• It’s valid for one year, usable in 3,800+ registered establishments, and backed by a €170 million budget. This is not pocket change.

The problem? Nightclubs are not culture. At least not under the program’s rules. The money is meant to get teens into museums, not into the VIP. And certainly not for bottle service.

• So how are these payments going through? The suspicion is that some venues are processing transactions under categories that technically qualify — for example, labeling events as “live music.” That bureaucratic gray zone is where this whole thing gets spicy.

The government response? Yeah…not amused.

• The Ministry of Culture has warned that anyone using the card fraudulently “must reimburse those amounts to the Administration.” Businesses that allow improper use could face penalties — or be kicked out of the program entirely.

No fun! The government is planning to ban the sale of energy drinks to the under 16 set too. 😭

4. 🫵 Julio Iglesias strikes back in lurid sex assault scandal

If you thought Julio Iglesias would quietly huddle with his lawyers, hoping that the explosive stories of his alleged sexual assaults published last month would blow over, you would be wrong.

• Take it back! This week, he struck back pretty dramatically, demanding that Yolanda Díaz, the deputy prime minister, “rectify” comments she made about the case that suggested that she, well, thought he did it.

The backstory, briefly. In January, El Diario published an explosive investigative piece in which two former employees of Iglesias’s Caribbean mansions accused the well-tanned crooner of sexual assault, coercion, and what they described as conditions akin to sexual slavery.

• On to court. Their claims — involving alleged abuse in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas — were filed before Spain’s National Prosecutor’s Office with the backing of Women’s Link Worldwide.

• But no love from the law. The prosecutor ultimately archived the complaint, citing lack of jurisdiction: the alleged events took place abroad, and Spanish courts, post-2014 reforms, are picky about such things. It was a procedural dead end, not a declaration of innocence.

Enter Yolanda. On Jan. 13, just after the investigation dropped, Díaz shared the headline of the El Diario story on Bluesky and added her own gloss: “Chilling testimonies… Sexual abuse and a situation of slavery with a power structure based on constant aggression.”

• And then, more. The next day on state TV, she doubled down, saying the investigation “is terrifying, it’s panic-inducing,” and that the women were in a position of “extreme inferiority.” She did, to be precise, use the word “alleged” at one point. But the overall vibe was less “alleged” and more “resounding condemnation.”

Julio would like an apology. Through his lawyer, José Antonio Choclán, the 82-year-old icon has filed a demanda de conciliación — the obligatory prelude to a criminal complaint for slander or libel. He wants Díaz to “publicly rectify,” to acknowledge the “gravely offensive and slanderous nature” of her statements, and to compensate him “in the amount to be determined based on the serious social damage caused.”

• Presumption of innocence guilt. The filing accuses Díaz, a “high ranking public official,” of broadcasting “clear prejudices of guilt” and trampling his presumption of innocence. Iglesias, his team notes pointedly, has “never had the condition of a person under investigation or a suspect.”

And if you thought Yolanda would back down? Think again. Her response Tuesday, also on Bluesky: “I defend working women… With or without complaints,” she wrote, “women will no longer be silent.”

• A quick translation. See you in court. And Díaz might have time for the fight: She announced yesterday she wouldn't run for reelection.

5. 🐶 Are teens turning into animals? Inside the Therian frenzy

Move over, Punch the monkey! Therians are the latest internet “identity panic” to go mainstream in Spain: Teenagers (and some young adults) are posting videos in animal masks, sometimes moving around on all fours, smelling each other’s butts (lol gross), and describing how they identify with a (non-human) animal on a psychological or spiritual level.

• The term comes from therianthropy (Greek for “beast” + “human”). Crucially, it’s not actually new — it’s been floating around since the 1990s — but in the past two weeks it’s exploded because it’s perfect algorithm bait. It’s visually absurd, easily mocked, and tailor-made to travel fast from tiny subcultures to mass audiences on TikTok and Instagram. And the media is loving it.

Local excitement. “Therian meetups” are happening in Madrid and Barcelona, with similar flareups in Latin America (where they are all over Argentina and Mexico).

• But when journalists and gawkers showed up expecting hordes of masked teens, they mostly found… influencers, hecklers, and people hoping to film something weird enough to go viral. The Therians themselves? Harder to spot.

The Therians who dare to speak publicly insist this isn’t a cosplay trend. They describe their identity as involuntary and internal and often very private.

• Here’s an example. Ivy, a 22-year-old data administrator in Catalonia who says she was a ram in another life, told El Español, “A therian is someone who involuntarily identifies as an animal on some level.” Her realization emerged, she said, like a “spark” — with, “small flashbacks, lucid dreams, and behavioral signals.”

Cue moral panic. The media and pearl-clutching broader society have treated the trend either as curiosity or civilizational collapse — and that gap is where controversy thrives.

• Parts of Spain’s extreme right have latched onto the trendlet. Analysts say therians are useful for the “anti-woke” right because they can serve as “proof” that society has gone insane and we live in a decadent world where boundaries don’t exist. Oh and they can then link it to trans people and LGBTQ+ rights (because, you know, first trans pronouns, then animals).

If it feels familiar, it should. Remember the Satanist panic in the U.S.? We do. That’s the period in the 80s and 90s when people reported thousands of unsubstantiated cases of Satanic ritual abuse (mix the expansion of daycare centers with fears of Satanism and it sorta makes sense?), culminating in Missouri passing House Bill 1370 in 1990, which increased penalties for crimes involving ritual or ceremony. This panic is like that, but cuddlier.

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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend

It’s Friday again!

And as you probably know by now, Madrid doesn’t really do quiet weekends.

• This one especially feels like the city has decided to throw everything at you at once. From dragons dancing through Usera for Chinese New Year to steaming bowls of cocido and late-night cultural openings in Lavapiés, there’s a great option for everyone.

• Yes, yes. It still may be cold, but socially, this city is on fire. If you’re looking for fireworks, comfort food, and contemporary photography, we’ve done the filtering for you.

Happy weekend!

1.🐲 Welcome the year of the horse with dragons, fireworks, and a Lunar New Year Parade in Usera

Face it, you don’t go to Usera often (some of you don’t even know where that is!), but at least once a year, it’s good to grab your coat and head over to Madrid’s Chinatown to witness the unexpectedly cinematic Chinese New Year celebrations.

• One of the city’s coolest neighborhoods becomes the stage every February for a festival that mixes tradition, community pride (the non-gay one), and pure street-level energy. In 2026, the celebrations welcome the Year of the Horse, and we once again lean into the joy, noise, and color of the Lunar New Year.

• The centerpiece is the Gran Desfile (Big Parade), which this year comes with a major novelty: instead of sticking only to the usual streets, it will also unfold through Parque de Pradolongo, giving the celebration a wider, more open-air setting. There will be cool costumes, giant dragons, martial arts demonstrations, choreographed performances, and those drums, gongs, and cymbals that make it totally worth it to leave the comfort of Chamberí.

• But wait, there’s more! Turns out the celebration doesn’t end with the parade. In fact, one of the highlights this year is the final performance by the Escuela Superior de Wudao de Madrid and the prestigious Compañía Juvenil de Yingge de Cantón, bringing the ancient Yingge warrior dance (a tradition with more than 300 years of history) right into the heart of the city.

Boom! However, if you want the most magical moment, come the night before. On Saturday, Pradolongo hosts a fireworks show over the lake: fifteen minutes of lights, color, and sound designed to scare away pets bad spirits and welcome the new year with prosperity.

• DJ Dr. Kielmannsegge will be setting the mood beforehand, so it’s the perfect weekend plan. Can’t afford a trip to China? There’s always Usera.

🖥️ What: Chinese New Year Parade (Year of the Horse)

📍 Where: Parque de Pradolongo, Usera (Madrid)

📅 When: Feb. 22 (parade starts at 12:00) + Fireworks on Feb. 21

🎟 Tickets: Free admission

2.🤤 Ruta del Cocido Madrileño: the ultimate comfort food tour is back

Yes, spring is a month away, and it looks like we’re starting to get glimpses of warmer weather. But it’s still fucking cold outside, so don’t get your hopes up. And since you can’t wear those sexy jorts of yours, why not just give in to the winter blues and grab a comforting plate of proper cocido madrileño?

• The city’s most beloved cold-weather ritual is back: the Ruta del Cocido Madrileño, celebrating its 16th edition. For a month and a half, Madrid turns into one big steaming map of chickpeas, broth, and unapologetic comfort food.

• If you’ve never had cocido, you’re missing out. Traditionally, cocido is served in its famous three “turns”: first the soup, then the chickpeas and vegetables, and finally the meats. Consider it a full Madrid winter ceremony, best enjoyed slowly, preferably with friends (and forget about making plans afterward, you’ll be unable to move).

• The idea for this Ruta is simple: 40 restaurants across Madrid and the surrounding region serve their own version of cocido, the city’s most iconic slow-cooked dish.

• Some are historic taverns in Centro, others are neighborhood favorites, but all of them are part of a collective tribute to the kind of cuisine that takes hours to make and about five minutes to gulp fall in love with.

Big names are on the list, including legendary spots like Malacatín, La Bola, Taberna Antonio Sánchez, Los Galayos, and La Rayúa, alongside lesser-known contenders like Los Arcos de Ponzano, El Café de la Ópera, and Manolo 1934. Also worth noting: La Gran Tasca, which won the award for Best Cocido in 2025, is back to defend its title.

🖥️ What: Ruta del Cocido Madrileño 2026

📍 Where: Participating restaurants across Madrid & the region

📅 When: Through March 31

3.🗿 Eduardo Chillida at 100: A landmark retrospective celebrates the sculptor’s centenary

Madrid has a habit of doing cultural anniversaries properly, and this spring it’s Eduardo Chillida’s turn. The Centro Cultural Conde Duque hosts a major exhibition marking the centenary of the famous Basque sculptor’s birth — a rare chance to see the full breadth of an artist who shaped the language of modern sculpture in Spain and beyond.

• Chillida is best known for his monumental works in iron and stone, the kind that seem to wrestle with space itself. But this show goes deeper than the public icons. Curated by Alicia Vallina and organized with the support of Chillida Leku and the Fundación Eduardo Chillida-Pilar Belzunce, the exhibition brings together 102 pieces spanning his entire career: small and large sculptures, graphic work, drawings, and portraits.

• The heart of the exhibition is a set of 20 sculptures that invite an unusually intimate encounter with Chillida’s materials. You’ll see works in plaster, alabaster, forged iron, reinforced concrete, and his famous Lurrak — dense clay blocks fired in wood ovens, where subtle tonal shifts depend on time and heat.

• Even when barely “touched,” these pieces feel alive, like physical meditations on weight, silence, and form.

If you want a crash course in one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century, a man who won the Prince of Asturias Award and spent his final years building the Chillida-Leku museum, this is the perfect entry point.

🖥️ What: Eduardo Chillida Centenary Exhibition

📍 Where: Centro Cultural Conde Duque, Calle del Conde Duque 11, Madrid

📅 When: Through June 21

🎟 Tickets: Free admission

4.🍸 Lavapiés reopens a community cultural hub: Espacio Loseta launches this Saturday

Great news! Lavapiés is getting back one of those places that feels instantly necessary: Espacio Loseta, a new community cultural hub opening tomorrow. It’s a shared living room for the neighborhood, a “casa común” created by a group of young locals who want to bring artists, neighbors, and curious visitors together around exhibitions, workshops, and gatherings that don’t revolve around spending money.

• In a city where so much culture comes with a price tag, Loseta is trying something refreshingly different: a space built on presence, participation, and community rather than transactions. The goal is simple: to create new ways of relating, meeting, and making things happen in the barrio.

• The opening day is already shaping up to be a proper Lavapiés-style celebration. From midday until late, there will be churros and vermut, DJs, bingo, and a few surprises thrown in for good measure.

It’s casual, welcoming, and very much the kind of plan that reminds you why Madrid’s neighborhood culture still matters.

🖥️ What: Reopening of Espacio Loseta (community cultural space)

📍 Where: Espacio Loseta, Calle Torrecilla del Leal 32, Madrid

📅 When: Feb. 21, noon to 11 p.m.

5.📷 New York on the walls of Madrid: Helen Levitt’s street photography lands at Fundación MAPFRE

Fundación MAPFRE’s Sala Recoletos hosts one of the season’s standout photography exhibitions: a sweeping retrospective of Helen Levitt, bringing together nearly 200 works that trace more than seven decades of her singular gaze.

• If you’ve ever wondered how something as simple as children playing on a New York sidewalk can feel epic, poetic, and politically charged all at once, this show has your answer.

• Levitt (1913–2009) made the streets of 20th-century New York her studio. She was drawn not to grand events but to the small, fleeting moments of urban life: chalk drawings on brick walls, mischievous glances, improvised games, tired faces, tender gestures.

• What might seem insignificant in real time becomes, through her lens, a subtle but powerful portrait of social reality. The exhibition is organized into nine sections, offering a full journey from her early black-and-white street photography to the more mature, layered work that cemented her legacy.

A pioneer among women photographers, Levitt balanced documentary commitment with a quiet lyricism that feels surprisingly contemporary.

🖥️ What: Helen Levitt: A Life in the Streets

📍 Where: Fundación MAPFRE, Sala Recoletos, Paseo de Recoletos 23, Madrid)

📅 When: Through May 17

🎟 Tickets start at €5

📺 What to watch if you’re staying in this weekend…

🖥️ What: Yakarta (Jakarta) | Miniseries | 2025

📍Where to watch: Movistar+

❓What’s it about: Olympic badminton player Joserra now teaches PE at a state high school. His routine life changes after spotting Mar, a young prodigy, during a school tournament.

🤩 Why you should watch: Screenwriter Diego San José builds a complex, wounded protagonist brought to life by a quietly magnetic Javier Cámara, whose performance is full of restraint and emotion. Opposite him, Carla Quílez holds her own with striking maturity and intensity. What seems provocative on the surface becomes a thoughtful reflection on trust, second chances and the fine line between suspicion and genuine devotion.

💬 English Subtitles: No

💃🏻 Something to try this weekend…

🍣 Down the rabbit hole: unlimited sushi in the heart of Malasaña

What’s it about: The Kaiten Lab Wonderland is a playful, Alice-in-Wonderland-inspired sushi spot tucked away in Malasaña. From the moment you step through its discreet, almost secret-looking entrance, you fall down the rabbit hole into a bold red dining room filled with checkerboards, mirrors, card motifs, and nods to Lewis Carroll’s surreal universe.

Why you should go: At its heart is a kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi system, plates of sushi, nigiri, baos, dumplings, and even the occasional patatas bravas glide past your table in a continuous loop of temptation. It’s a great stop if you want a traditional Madrid meal with character: tapas, seasonal dishes, and attentive service.

Bottom line: It’s not trying to be the most refined sushi in Madrid; it’s trying to be the most entertaining. And it succeeds.

Address: Calle de Manuela Malasaña, 5, Madrid

☕️ Pink Bourbon: Where Salamanca’s specialty coffee gets serious

What’s it about: Pink Bourbon Espresso Bar is a sleek, modern specialty coffee spot where the bean truly takes center stage. It’s inspired by the Pink Bourbon variety (known for its floral and fruity notes), and it’s all about celebrating high-quality coffee through careful sourcing.

Why you should go: If you care about coffee beyond “just caffeine,” this is your place. The baristas are passionate and knowledgeable, happy to walk you through origins, roast profiles, and brewing methods like V60 or Chemex

Bottom line: Pink Bourbon is for people who treat coffee like wine: nuanced, layered, worth discussing. Come for the aesthetic, stay for the craftsmanship.

Address: Calle de Diego de León, 41, Madrid

👨🏻‍💻 Viral Memes of the Week

🌞 My god, is that…the sun?

@luisfabrafuis

Luis Fabra Fuis | QUÉ DEMONIOS...?!?!!!

#sol #madrid #borrasca…

📸 Fine, we're a sucker for a good drone shot

@nodrone_explorer

Jhon Rey Globio | NoDroneExplorer | Madrid, the vibrant capital…

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Fashion police

🧕 La cruzada europea contra el burka (y el niqab) llega a España

La pelea por el burka y el niqab acaba de aterrizar en España. El debate sobre las prendas que llevan algunas mujeres musulmanas y que cubren (respectivamente) todo el rostro o todo salvo los ojos lleva años agitándose por Europa, pero el clima político actual en España hacía inevitable que, bueno, este fuera el momento de irrumpir en escena, húmedo, confuso y gritando como un recién nacido.

• El detonante, claro, fue Vox. El partido llevó esta semana al Congreso una proposición de ley presentada como una medida para “la protección de la dignidad de las mujeres” y la “seguridad ciudadana”, con un preámbulo que advierte sombríamente sobre la “llegada masiva” procedente de países con “fuerte influencia islamista” y la supuesta “normalización” de la circulación de personas “con el rostro cubierto”.

¿Y qué plantea exactamente? Bastante cosa. El texto propone (1) multas por llevar niqab o burka en espacios públicos — a partir de unos €600 y escalando, en caso de reincidencia, hasta los €30.000 —; (2) penas de prisión para quien “imponga” la prenda mediante coacción (hasta tres años, más si la víctima es menor o vulnerable); y (3) cambios legales para facilitar la expulsión de extranjeros en caso de determinadas infracciones “muy graves”.

• ¿Y por qué el PP lo apoyó? Y no tímidamente, sino con entusiasmo. Porque el PP necesita a Vox como socio en Extremadura y Aragón — y, más en general, necesita mantener viable la aritmética de coalición de cara a las elecciones de Castilla y León del 15 de marzo. El burka es uno de esos temas en los que la derecha puede coincidir sin tener que hablar de clima, Europa o lo que sea que Vox esté incendiando esta semana.

• El razonamiento clásico a favor de una prohibición tiene dos patas. Una es la seguridad y la identificación: el Estado no puede identificarte si no puede verte la cara. La otra es la igualdad de género: el velo integral se presenta como símbolo de coacción y borrado de la identidad femenina, sobre todo cuando se lleva bajo presión familiar o comunitaria. Vox apoya ambas líneas, aderezadas con un lenguaje “civilizatorio” que deja claro que no es, digamos, especialmente pro-musulmán.

Ese tono cultural es, precisamente, una de las razones por las que el resto votó en contra. Resultado: Vox y el PP (más un pequeño aliado) quedaron en minoría. La propuesta fue rechazada por 177 votos frente a 170, con una abstención.

La posición del PSOE fue básicamente: “Buen intento, pero no.” Los socialistas argumentaron que el texto choca con protecciones constitucionales — especialmente la libertad religiosa y la no discriminación — y que, además, está diseñado para alimentar una narrativa xenófoba más que para resolver un problema real (el número de mujeres que llevan niqab o burka en España es reducido).

• Junts, por su parte, rechazó la iniciativa con su habitual combinación de izquierda y derecha: no al burka… pero aún más no a Vox. Insistieron en que “nunca” apoyarán al partido por ser “anticatalán” y políticamente tóxico.

Pero, pero, pero… no es tan blanco o negro. Porque todos los partidos tienen incentivos para al menos coquetear con algún tipo de restricción, ya sea por presión social o por competencia electoral.

• De hecho, Junts presentó su propio proyecto de prohibición. Su texto veta prendas que “cubran total o sustancialmente” el rostro en espacios públicos, con algunas excepciones. ¿La diferencia? Delegar las competencias sobre “seguridad e identificación” en la Generalitat, reforzando así su control sobre la política migratoria (separatistas 🤷). Además, Junts compite por su flanco derecho con Aliança Catalana, que juega abiertamente la carta identitaria.

• Incluso dentro del universo PSOE se oyeron engranajes girando. El alcalde de Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, dijo que el burka debería “regularse” y lo calificó de negación de la identidad femenina — aunque advirtió que una prohibición total podría ser contraproducente si acaba expulsando a mujeres del espacio público.

• De hecho, justo después de tumbar la propuesta de Vox por “racista” y por criminalizar a quienes son diferentes, el portavoz socialista Patxi López elogió la iniciativa de Junts porque “no ha comprado el marco de la extrema derecha” y dijo que el PSOE la “estudiaría” y para “abrir ese debate”.

Y ahí llegamos al final incómodo. Algún tipo de restricción parece inevitable. No necesariamente la versión de guerra cultural de Vox — pero algo. La ansiedad migratoria (justificada o no) se ha intensificado en España en los últimos meses, y se disparó aún más tras el lanzamiento del proceso extraordinario de regularización para quienes acrediten residencia antes del 31 de diciembre de 2025 (solicitudes entre abril y junio de 2026). La derecha ha difundido una narrativa casi cinematográfica sobre multitudes esperando ante consulados marroquíes y pakistaníes, supuestamente falsificando documentos.

• Y, crucialmente, España no está inventando el debate. En gran parte de Europa ya existen prohibiciones totales o parciales del velo integral — Francia fue pionera en 2010, seguida, en distintas modalidades, por Bélgica, Austria, Dinamarca, Países Bajos, Alemania, Bulgaria, Portugal y otros.

Que España se sume a la lista parece, más que nada, cuestión de tiempo.

Sigue leyendo que abajo hay más noticias. 👇👇

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💬 Cinco temas para debatir con amigos

1. 🔴 La izquierda intenta unirse mientras Vox sigue subiendo

Cambio de look (muy) moderado. La izquierda no-PSOE vuelve a intentar lo de siempre: unirse para no volverse irrelevante mientras la derecha — y especialmente la extrema derecha — sigue escalando en las encuestas. El reciente batacazo en Aragón — donde el PSOE se desplomó, el PP se estancó y Vox saltó del 11% al 18%, duplicando escaños — fue un aviso en toda regla.

• La lectura para la izquierda es dura. La derecha tradicional aguanta, la radical tiene impulso, el PSOE cayó por un precipicio y la izquierda a su izquierda aparece fragmentada y agotada.

Advertencia. La semana pasada, Gabriel Rufián, diputado de ERC, lanzó una de sus advertencias más directas: “O hablamos entre nosotros o nos vamos al carajo” (ver vídeo arriba).

• Rufián — elocuente, hiperconectado y siempre dispuesto a trolear a quien sea — sostuvo que las fuerzas a la izquierda del PSOE no pueden permitirse guerras internas. Lo que viene, dijo, no es política convencional, sino una versión europea del deslizamiento autoritario que ya se ha visto en Estados Unidos.

Un nuevo lema que memorizar. Varios partidos están impulsando ahora una alianza bajo el eslogan Un paso al frente. La respaldan Izquierda Unida, Más Madrid, Comunes y Movimiento Sumar.

• El objetivo es reconstruir un frente progresista amplio antes de las próximas generales y frenar a Vox.

• Pero también huele a nerviosismo. Son conscientes de que están perdiendo terreno no solo electoralmente, sino emocionalmente. Cada vez menos votantes se entusiasman con ellos, mientras la derecha monopoliza la energía.

• Ahí está Yolanda Díaz, vicepresidenta segunda y fundadora de Sumar (una plataforma vagamente izquierdista con forma un poco de nube de azúcar). Sigue siendo la figura más conocida a la izquierda del PSOE. Pero es socia minoritaria en un gobierno socialista desgastado y su liderazgo empieza a cuestionarse tras malos resultados y caída en popularidad.

Organizar la unidad no está siendo sencillo. Este sábado se celebra en Madrid un gran acto pensado para escenificar cohesión. Pero Díaz no asistirá, lo que ha disparado las especulaciones sobre si quiere repetir como candidata.

• Podemos tampoco irá. Los partidos nacionalistas y separatistas tampoco se suman a la foto. Y dentro de Sumar reina la incertidumbre: ¿nuevo nombre? ¿nueva marca? El proyecto carece de programa claro y no tiene un relevo evidente a Díaz.

• Mientras tanto, la charla pública de Rufián con Emilio Delgado, de Más Madrid, generó ruido mediático. Pero sin respaldo formal de sus partidos, parece más un síntoma del vacío que una estrategia concreta.

Todo esto ocurre bajo la sombra implacable de las encuestas. La izquierda sabe que no atraviesa su mejor momento: votantes desmotivados, líderes que han quemado capital político a gran velocidad y un Vox que crece alimentándose del malestar rural, económico y cultural.

• Pedro, no. Y un detalle importante: muchos en la izquierda no quieren que esta reorganización quede ligada a Pedro Sánchez. Una encuesta reciente de El Español sugiere que su impopularidad podría arrastrar al bloque progresista hacia su peor resultado en décadas.

El CIS, el instituto demoscópico público, ofrece una imagen más optimista para el PSOE. Aunque también lo dirige un exmiembro de la ejecutiva socialista cuyas previsiones favorables han fallado tantas veces que ya parecen más un ejercicio de deseo que de análisis.

2. 💣 El número dos de la Policía dimite tras una grave acusación de violación

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Fashion police

🧕 Europe's burqa (and niqab) ban wave comes to Spain

The fight over the burqa and niqab just landed in Spain with a big ‘thud’. Arguments over the garments worn by some Muslim women that (respectively) cover the entire face or all but the eyes have been raging across Europe for years, but Spain’s current political weather meant that, well, right now was the time for it to burst on the scene, wet, confused, and screaming like a newborn child.

• The trigger? Yup, it was the far-righties of Vox, who brought a law to Parliament this week framed as “protecting women’s dignity” and “citizen security,” with a preface that warns darkly about “mass immigration” from countries with “strong Islamist influence” and the supposed “normalization” of people “circulating with their face covered.”

What’s actually in it? Well, a lot. Vox’s text pushes (1) fines for wearing the niqab/burqa in public spaces—starting around €600 and escalating (with repeat offenses) up to €30,000 — (2) prison sentences for anyone who “imposes” the garment through coercion (Vox proposes up to three years, higher if the victim is a minor or otherwise vulnerable), and (3) changes that would make it easier to expel foreign nationals for certain “very serious” infractions.

• Why did the PP back it? And not just kinda, but enthusiastically. Because the PP is in the awkward position of needing Vox as a coalition partner in two regions (Extremadura and Aragón) — and, more broadly, needs to keep the coalition math viable ahead of Castilla y León’s March 15 regional election. The burqa vote is something the right can agree on without having to talk about things like climate policy, Europe, or whatever else Vox is currently trying to set on fire.

• The standard reasoning behind a ban comes in two flavors. One is security and identification: a state can’t identify you if it can’t see your face. The other is women’s equality. As in, the full-face veil is cast as a symbol of coercion and erasure, especially when worn under pressure from family or community. Vox leans hard on both, but peppers it with civilizational language that makes it clear that they’re not, like, super “Pro-Muslim.”

That cultural squirreliness is a basic reason why everyone else voted it down. The outcome: Vox and the PP (and one small ally) were outnumbered; the proposal was rejected 177–170, with one abstention.

The PSOE position was basically, “Nice try, but no.” Socialists argued the Vox text collides with constitutional protections — particularly religious freedom and non-discrimination — and, in any case, is transparently designed to “feed” a xenophobic narrative rather than solve a real problem (the number of women wearing niqab/burqa in Spain is pretty small).

• The right-wing Catalan separatists of Junts, meanwhile, rejected Vox with its usual left-right punch. That is, no to the burqa bill… but even more no to Vox. They insisted they will “never” support Vox because it’s “anti-Catalan” and, well, politically radioactive.

But, but, but… It’s not that black-and-white. Because, you see, every party has reasons to entertain a ban, from public pressure to political competitors.

• Junts actually introduced its own ban bill. Their text prohibits the use of garments that “totally or substantially” cover in public spaces, with some exceptions. So what’s the difference? For one thing, their bill delegates the powers over the “security and identification of persons” to the regional government so it can police its own immigration (separatists 🤷). Plus, Junts is fighting its own Islamophobic-adjacent competition on the right — Aliança Catalana.

• Even inside the PSOE world, you could hear the faint sound of gears turning. Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni said the burqa should be “regulated” and called it a denial of women’s identity — while warning that a flat ban could backfire if it effectively pushes women out of public space.

• In fact, just after voting down Vox’s proposal and saying it “stems from racism and the criminalization of those who are different,” PSOE congressional spokesman Patxi López praised Junts’ proposal because “it hasn’t adopted the far-right’s framework,” and said the socialists would “study” the initiative and “open that debate.”

That brings us to the awkward ending. Some kind of restriction feels inevitable. Not necessarily Vox’s culture-war version — but something. Immigration anxiety (justified or not) has been turbocharged in Spain lately, and it spiked further after the government launched its extraordinary regularization process for people who can prove residence before Dec. 31, 2025 (applications April–June 2026). The right has promoted a cinematic narrative about floods of immigrants waiting outside the Moroccan and Pakistani consulates, sometimes faking documents.

• Crucially, Spain isn’t inventing this debate. Across Europe, bans or partial bans on full-face coverings already exist — France led in 2010, followed (in various forms) by Belgium, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Bulgaria, Portugal, and others.

Spain joining the list seems largely a matter of time.

More news below. 👇👇

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💬 Five things to discuss at dinner parties

1. 🔴 Spain’s left scrambles to unite as Vox keeps rising

Extreme Mild Makeover. Spain’s non-PSOE left is making its latest attempt to join forces and avoid irrelevance as the right — especially the far-right — climbs in the polls. The recent drubbing in Aragón — where the PSOE plunged, the PP stagnated, and Vox surged from 11% to 18%, doubling its seats — was a wake-up call.

• The read for leftists is brutal. The mainstream right is treading water, the radical right has momentum, the PSOE fell off a cliff, and the further left looks fragmented and tired.

Wake-up call. Last week, Gabriel Rufián, MP from the leftist Catalan separatist ERC, gave one of his bluntest warnings yet: “Either we talk to each other, or we’re f*cked” (see video above).

• Rufián — articulate, permanently online, and fond of trolling everyone — argued that forces to the left of the PSOE can’t afford turf wars. What’s coming, he warned, isn’t politics as usual but a European version of the authoritarian drift seen in the U.S.

A new name to learn. A group of leftist parties is now launching an alliance under the slogan Un paso al frente (“A step forward”). Izquierda Unida, Más Madrid, Comunes and Movimiento Sumar are backing it.

• Their goal is to rebuild a broad progressive front before the next general election and stop Vox.

• But this also reflects panic. They know they are losing ground not just electorally, but emotionally. Fewer people feel excited by them, and the right currently monopolizes the energy.

• Consider Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz. Founder of the Sumar coalition (vaguely left in a marshmallow blobish way), she remains the best-known figure to the left of the PSOE. But she’s the junior partner in an unpopular socialist government, and increasingly questioned after poor results and falling popularity.

Organizing is proving messy, however. A big launch event in Madrid this Saturday is meant to show unity. But Díaz herself won’t attend, fueling speculation about whether she even wants to lead again.

• Far-left Podemos is staying away too, nationalist/separatist parties aren’t joining the photo, and even inside Sumar there’s confusion about what comes next: A new name? A new brand? The party has an unclear program, and no obvious successor to Díaz.

• Meanwhile, Rufián’s separate public talk yesterday with Más Madrid’s Emilio Delgado generated media buzz — but without any formal party backing it, it looks more like a symptom of the vacuum than a concrete strategy.

Looming over all of this is the brutal reality of the polls. The left knows it’s not doing well: voters are unmotivated, leaders have burned through political capital quickly, and Vox is thriving on rural and economic discontent and cultural resentment.

• Stay away, Pedro. Many (if not most) on the left also don’t want this reorganization tied to PM Pedro Sánchez. A recent El Español poll suggests that his unpopularity could drag the broader left-wing bloc toward its worst result in decades.

The state-run CIS offers the PSOE a more optimistic picture. But then again, the CIS is run by a former member of the PSOE executive committee whose rosy poll numbers for his party have been wrong so often that they mostly qualify as wish fulfillment.

2. 💣 Police no. 2 resigns after bombshell rape accusation

Hard to keep up. Oh, look. Another explosive scandal hits Spain, this time landing right at the top of the National Police. José Ángel González Jiménez, the Director Adjunto Operativo or DAO, of the Policía Nacional, resigned on Tuesday after a Madrid judge admitted a criminal complaint accusing him of rape. González has been summoned to testify on March 17 and is formally under investigation as a suspect.

• González was no mid-level official. He was the highest-ranking operational commander in the National Police, appointed in 2018 by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and widely seen as one of his most trusted men. His sudden fall has triggered shock inside the force — and yet another headache for the government.

What happened. The complaint was filed by a female police officer who dated González for a while and who says she was assaulted by him in April 2025, while she was on duty.

• When the boss is an ex-boyfriend. According to her lawyer, she received repeated calls ordering her to leave her post, pick González up in an unmarked official vehicle, and drive him to his official residence.

• Asymmetrical relationship. She says she was pressured to enter the house, where he assaulted her sexually, including penetration with his fingers (despite her verbal refusals). The complaint says González used the authority of his position to intimidate her and overpower her.

• She also claims that afterwards she faced months of pressure to keep silent, and even an attempt to “buy” her silence through professional favors in exchange for not reporting what happened. She is currently on psychological leave.

González has denied wrongdoing and insists he stepped down voluntarily as soon as he learned of the complaint. The government, meanwhile, maintains that the Interior Ministry forced his departure once the court formally admitted the case.

• The PP used the scandal as a political weapon. Party boss Alberto Núñez Feijóo yesterday accused the government of protecting González until the story became public; demanded Interior Minister Marlaska’s resignation; and questioned how Marlaska could plausibly claim ignorance about such a serious accusation involving his own police chief.

• Marlaska, however, said he was “deceived” and “deeply disappointed,” insisting he knew nothing about the complaint until this week. He even said he would resign if the victim herself felt “he failed her”.

Even PM Sánchez got involved (while he was in India), calling the accusations “very serious” and insisting his government acted immediately with “forcefulness, coherence and empathy” once they learned of the case.

• More bad news for PSOE. This is yet another brutal scandal in an area where public tolerance is thin. The PSOE and its orbit have faced multiple sexual misconduct controversies recently, and each new case reinforces a story of institutional decay and impunity.

3. 📈 Spain closes in on 50 million residents

Spain is approaching a big, round number: 50 million residents. According to the latest data from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), the country hit 49.57 million people on Jan. 1, a new record.

• There was even a kind of Baby Boom. No, it’s not a 1960s comeback tour. But in 2025 Spain’s birth rate increased — according to INE — for the first time in over a decade. In 2025, 321,164 babies were born — 3,159 more than in 2024.

Just the facts. Overall, Spain added around 450,000 people in the last year, and almost all of that growth came from migration. In fact, for the Spanish-born population, natural change (births minus deaths) remains negative. So the Baby Boom was undone by a bigger Death Boom. Without immigration, Spain would be shrinking.

Here’s another big number. 50 million may seem like a major achievement, but the real milestone isn’t just the total. The most eye-catching fact is that for the first time, more than 10 million residents were born abroad (10,004,581, to be exact). That’s just over 1 in 5 people in Spain.

The young and the restless. Here’s where it gets even more interesting. In cities like Madrid and Barcelona, nearly half of residents aged 25–39 were born abroad, according to recent INE breakdowns. In some inland provinces, that figure is closer to 10%.

• Let’s translate that. Spain’s big urban labor markets are being powered by people who weren’t born here. And they’re overwhelmingly of working age. Nationally, about 42% of foreign-born residents are between 30 and 49, and another big chunk are in their 20s.

Back-of-the-envelope math. Migration is helping Spain grow faster than much of the eurozone because it’s expanding the workforce. JPMorgan and the Bank of Spain have both noted that immigration has contributed meaningfully to recent GDP growth.

• But, but, but… If Spain’s GDP grows around 2.5–3% and the population grows roughly 1%, then the GDP per capita rise is closer to 1.5–2%. That’s still solid. But it’s not “economic miracle” solid.

• Which goes a long way toward explaining people’s frustrations. More workers means more people competing for the same resources, especially housing. You may have heard people complain about housing prices?

Enter politics. The right-wingers of Vox has denounced the social and economic impact of this recent achievement, stating that this “increases insecurity in neighborhoods, and terminally overloads essential public services”.

• Here’s the paradox: Without immigration, Spain’s economy would likely be weaker and its population declining. With immigration, growth looks better, but competition for apartments in Lavapiés looks worse.

The verdict? You’re allowed to brag about the growth numbers. Just maybe don’t do it in front of someone paying €1,400 for a 45m2 flat.

4. 🖼️ The Canaries are going for baroque

This is an only-in-Spain story about art, taxes, and how politics can sometimes allow you — or force you — to pay your inheritance bill with a mythological kidnapping.

• It begins with the Condado de la Vega Grande de Guadalupe, the bluest of Canary bloodlines, a title granted in 1777 — the year after the country that would later give us Pop Tarts, Fruit Loops, and Donald Trump declared independence.

• For centuries, the family controlled vast swathes of Gran Canaria, pioneered tomatoes and tourism (hello, Maspalomas!), and generally behaved as if they owned the island. Which, at times, they basically did.

Fast forward to 2020. The ninth count dies. The inheritance clock starts ticking. And thanks to the left-leaning “Pacto de las Flores” government then in power, the Canary Islands had just scrapped the near-total 99.9% inheritance tax break for close relatives. Big fortunes would now pay actual money. Revolutionary stuff.

• The family’s bill? It reportedly came in around €4m. 🫢

Liquidity, however, is not always the strong suit of old aristocracies. (Land? Yes. Titles? Totes. Weird intra-cousin marriages? Absolutely. Cash? Not so much.) So in 2021, the tenth count and his siblings reached a very Spanish solution with Hacienda: payment in paint.

• Enter baroque drama. A dozen paintings — including two monumental canvases by Luca Giordano, plus works attributed to Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Juan Carreño de Miranda — were handed over to the Canary government. Neptune flexing. Persephone being abducted. Seventeenth-century mythological chaos, now serving the Tax Agency.

Market estimates suggest the bundle could be worth somewhere between €3.5m and €5m. We imagine the appraisal meeting between the family and the tax man was lively.

The paintings are now public property. The two Giordanos — Neptuno and El rapto de Proserpina, each over three meters wide — are being restored in Madrid at state expense (humidity, fungi, wood-munching insects… even gods suffer).

• They’re expected to hang in the future Museo de Bellas Artes de Gran Canaria in Vegueta when it opens (we hope) later this year. Which is poetic, given they once adorned the family dining room a few streets away.

It's all in the timing. In 2023, a new right-leaning Canary government restored the 99.9% inheritance tax break for close relatives. Under today’s rules, that €4m bill would likely have been reduced to something… decorative.

• Yeah, irony. Had the count died a few years later, Neptune might still be looming over the soup course in Vegueta.

5.🪩 Benidorm Fest 2026 crowns Tony Grox & LUCYCALYS in the most controversial edition yet

Gays Music fans, rejoice! Benidorm Fest has crowned its new champions, and this year, the victory comes with a big asterisk.

Tony Grox & LUCYCALYS, a duo from Cádiz, won this year’s edition of the popular music festival with their song “T AMARÉ,” (see video above), finishing with 166 points thanks to overwhelming audience support.

• Catchy tune. Their track is built around an irresistible contrast: flamenco emotion on one side and sleek electronic minimalism on the other, creating a fusion that feels both classic and modern.

• Their presence on stage helped, too. A DJ table placed inside the fountain of an Andalusian patio (‼️), became instantly iconic.

• Thank you for the music. Musically, the night was a clash between the jury’s taste and public passion (when is it not?). While the professional jury’s top choice was Asha, with her song “Turista”, the public vote belonged to Tony Grox & LUCYCALYS, who dominated the televote and ultimately took the title.

For the love of money music. The win comes with the festival’s signature trophy (the Sirenita de Oro, or Golden Mermaid) and a cash prize: €100,000 for the performers plus €50,000 for the songwriters, as well as a boost from Univisión, which will take the winners to the U.S. to record with a top Latin producer.

A big f*cking deal. The Benidorm Fest is Spain’s pop obsession. It’s also the national contest that chooses the country’s representative for Eurovision, aka the Gay World Cup.

• Even if you don’t care about Eurovision, the Benidorm Fest has turned into something enormous that acts as a showcase of Spain’s music industry, its queer cultural energy, and its internet fandoms.

• The final was the most-watched program of the day, reaching more than 4.1 million unique viewers, with especially huge figures among younger audiences.

The big asterisk. The 2026 edition hit different, though, because it was the first Benidorm Fest to be officially disconnected from Eurovision.

• Remember? Spain, alongside several other countries, announced last year that it would not participate in Eurovision if Israel remained in the contest.

So while it was fun to watch, the controversy cast a shadow over the entire week as the usual “road to Eurovision” narrative was… absent.

🙏 Once again, please remember to share this newsletter with your friends on social media. The more we grow, the more information we’ll be able to offer each week.

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