🧊 The Tapa Weekend: January 10

A Banksy museum, Cirque du Soleil and a shopping outlet.

By @IanMount and @AdrianBono | January 10, 2025 | Madrid | Issue #81

🎉 Welcome to a new issue of The Tapa: Weekend Edition! An English-language newsletter about what to do this weekend in Madrid (plus memes!)

🤑 The Tapa offers paid subscriptions, and we’d be deeply thrilled if you purchased one to help build this enterprise we’ve had so much fun creating. And a big THANK YOU to those who already support us!

🇪🇸 If you haven’t subscribed yet, hit that button below so you have some fresh ideas in your inbox every Friday about where to go and what to do.

Subscribe now

🫶 And if you have, please share this with your friends!

Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend

It’s Friday again!

Now that the holidays are over and we’re back to the mundane existence of our miserable lives, we’re back with a curated list of options to get you out of the post-holiday depression.
There’s nothing we can do about the rain or the cold, though. Hang in there, summer’s only five months and two weeks away.

Enjoy!

1. 🎨 Madrid’s Banksy Museum

Can’t afford to go see a real Banksy? Well, here’s a cool alternative.

The Banksy Museum has just opened permanently in Madrid, which will allow you to immerse yourself in the world of one of the most influential and enigmatic artists of our time.

The Banksy Museum offers you the chance to explore his most iconic and socially conscious pieces through an engaging exhibition that delves into his unique techniques, the controversial themes of his art, and the mystery surrounding his hidden identity. Yes, they are all reproductions of his work (so no originals there) but it’s still worth it.
Is it art or vandalism? A provocation or a revolution? Step into this immersive space and discover the enigmatic British artist like never before, along with the questions and intrigue that surround his work.

Iconic creations such as “Banksy’s Rage: The Flower Thrower” and “The Girl with the Balloon” (pictured above) are displayed alongside lesser-known pieces, offering a deep dive into the mind and artistry of one of the most fascinating figures in contemporary culture.

Tickets are already available.

Banksy Museum Madrid. Paseo de la Esperanza 1, Madrid. Mondays to Sundays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets: €14.

2. 🎭 Cirque Du Soleil’s ALEGRÍA

Cirque du Soleil is back in town!

The Canadian company returns to Madrid with one of its most popular shows, Alegría, as they celebrate the 25th anniversary of its first performance here in Spain.

This classic show has been reimagined for a new generation and will be taking place for only a few weeks so get your tickets before they are sold out.
Alegría originally premiered in 1994, and since has become one of Cirque du Soleil’s most popular productions with over 14 million spectators in over 250 cities around the world. In order to celebrate their anniversary in Spain, the show has been brought back with a few changes to make sure that it stays fresh for newcomers and people who have already seen it.

Alegría is set in a kingdom that has lost its ruler and tells of a conflict between the old order and a youthful movement yearning for hope and renewal. Kind of what’s happening around the world these days. Check it out!

Alegría. Escenario Puerta del Angel, Recinto Ferial de la Casa de Campo, Madrid. Through Feb. 16. Check website for schedule. Tickets: €45

3.🩸 The Substance at Sala Equis

If you didn’t get to enjoy the weird splatterfest that is The Substance on the big screen, here’s your chance! Sala Equis is doing a screening tonight of the movie that everyone is talking about — especially due to Demi Moore’s fantastic work.

The Substance is a psychological thriller that “delves deep into the intersection of human ambition and moral decay”. Featuring a cutting-edge scientific breakthrough that’s way better than Ozempic, the film explores how what’s initially a miraculous discovery spirals into chaos (and tons of gore).
We could say that the movie forces viewers to confront uncomfortable questions about ethics, power, and the consequences of unchecked progress, but the truth is that it also forces you to watch a lot of gross stuff. Which is great.

If you like horror movies or thrillers, then don’t miss this one.

The Substance at Sala Equis. Sala Equis, Duque de Alba 4, Madrid. Jan. 10, 10 p.m. Tickets: €7.50

4.🖼️ A Gabriele Münter Exhibit

Gabriele Münter, born in 1877, was one of the founders of The Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter), a legendary group of Expressionist artists based in Munich.

Münter, who was at the forefront of the Munich avant-garde in the early 20th century, “envelops the viewer in her private world” and “through her acute gaze, lovers, friends, everyday objects, landscapes and Münter herself are refined to their essence”.
This new exhibit, which includes more than 100 paintings, drawings, prints and photographs, “aims to reveal an artist who rebelled against the limits imposed on women of her day and who succeeded in becoming one of the most notable figures of German Expressionism in the early 20^th century”.

The exhibition aims to reveal the rich complexity of an artist who is well-known in Germany but has only started to acquire greater status in the rest of Europe in recent years.

Gabriele Münter. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Paseo del Prado 8, Madrid. Through Feb. 9. Check website for opening hours. Tickets €14.

5.🎤 Some flamenco with Miguel Póveda

Flamenco singer Miguel Poveda is taking the stage at Teatro Circo Price on January this weekend as part of the Inverfest series and in this special show, he plans on delighting his audience with a new musical journey alongside guitarist Jesús Guerrero that brings to life the verses from Federico García Lorca’s Poema del Cante Jondo.

Poveda has established himself as one of the most renowned flamenco singers of his time, earning multiple awards (including several Latin Grammy nominations, and selling millions of copies of his albums. He is known for collaborating with iconic artists such as Tomatito, Ana Belén, Víctor Manuel, Pedro Guerra, Joaquín Sabina, and Joan Manuel Serrat.
In his latest project with Guerrero, Poveda has created one of the most outstanding flamenco albums in years, highlighting the singer’s “profound artistry as he interprets the poetry of his admired Federico García Lorca with unmatched depth and sensitivity”.

This collaboration is a seamless fusion of Lorca’s poetry and flamenco’s essence, enriched by the incredible combination of Poveda’s voice and Guerrero’s guitar. The result is a one-of-a-kind flamenco experience that you should definitely see.

Miguel Póveda. Teatro Circo Price, Ronda de Atocha 35, Madrid. Jan. 11 & 12. Check website for schedule. Tickets €36.

👨🏻‍💻 Viral Stories of the Week

🎶 Could I get a little more bass?

Jimena Amarillo, a musician who played at the opening of PM Pedro Sánchez’s series of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of Generalisimo Francisco Franco being dead, hit a pedal that sent her autotune to 12 degrees below her usual register and… well, James Earl Jones would be jealous.

🎙️ Who among us has not had a rap battle with our abuelos?

…though even if you have, you have not had as many as @mireiibanez. Behold her tiktok specialty.

🔔 A Message From Our Sponsor

Secret Kingdoms is your English bookstore in Madrid. It specializes in Spanish history and literature, contemporary and classic novels, books for children and young adults of all ages, history and historical fiction, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, poetry, biographies and much more.

Located on Calle de Moratín 7 — a few blocks away from the Prado Museum — and with over 20,000 new and used books, Secret Kingdoms has something for everyone.

Find out more at www.thesecretkingdoms.com

🙏 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.

We’ll be back next week with more.

Read the original on Substack