🌞 The Tapa Weekend: June 23

An EDM festival, a pop-up mini-plants market and a musical about Ancient Rome.

By @IanMount and @AdrianBono | June 23, 2023 | Madrid | Issue #13

🎉 Welcome to a new issue of The Tapa: Weekend Edition! An English-language newsletter about what to do this weekend in Madrid (plus memes because why the hell not).

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Here are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend

It’s officially summer and Madrid is exploding with events. Music festivals, photo exhibits, street markets and legendary bands (Def Leppard & Mötley Crüe are in town!) turn this city into one the best places to be these days. And yes, the next days are expected to be very (very) hot, so make sure you stay hydrated.

Also (and before you ask) today is the beginning of Madrid Pride Week so we’re doing a bonus round at the bottom. But since the main event, the Pride Parade, takes place on July 1, we’ll be covering that next week.

Here are five cool things to do this weekend.

1. A Summer Story Music Festival 2023

This massive electronic music festival is considered to be the one that kicks off the summer season and this weekend it’s back for its seventh edition. For two days, and featuring multiple stages, you’ll be dancing to a wide range of styles such as techno, deep house, EDM, urban and hip hop and more.

Top local and international DJs featured include WADE, Armin Van Buuren, Klangkuenstler and Don Diablo, A Summer Story has proven to be one of the biggest electronic music festivals in the region so if this is your scene we recommend you get tickets as soon as possible. Oh, and it’s in Arganda del Rey (same place where the Primavera Sound took place), so better make advance plans about how to get back to Madrid.

A Summer Story. Ciudad del Rock, Arganda del Rey, Exit 33A (if you come from Madrid). June 23-24. Tickets start at €55.

2. Depedro and Nikki Lane at the Royal Botanical Gardens

Summer means heading to the Royal Botanical Gardens in the evening to enjoy great live music. This Sunday it’s all about crossroads, merging pop, rock, and border sounds that have flourished near the Mexico-U.S. border. Two wandering spirits and talented musicians take center stage: Depedro from Madrid and Nikki Lane from Nashville (not the woman in the video above). Depedro brings his unique fusion of world music, while Nikki Lane presents her blend of country and rock, essentially two sides of the same coin. Do not miss!

Depedro and Nikki Lane. Real Jardín Botánico Alfonso XIII, Av. Complutense, s/n, Madrid. June 25, 8:45 p.m. Tickets start at €30.

3. A Musical About Ancient Rome (or “A Times New Roman Musical”)

Who said learning about history has to be boring? Okay, this humorous play is technically not based on fact (that we know of) but it’s still worth checking out. The story revolves around Cayo, a dancer in Ancient Rome who mistakenly goes to the wrong house while heading to dance school and ends up in Senator Pisón's gladiator school.

Cayo becomes involved in a conspiracy against Emperor Nero, leading to the decline of gladiator games and a revolution in theater, music, and dance. The cast features Leo Rivera, Jaime Figueroa, and Agustín Jiménez. Consider it a sequel to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator that’s, like, nothing like Ridley Scott’s Gladiator.

El Aroma de Roma. Teatro Reina Victoria. Carrera de San Jerónimo, 24, Madrid. Wednesdays to Sundays at 8 p.m. until July 30. Tickets start at €11.25.

4. A Pop-Up Mini Plants Market on the Rooftop of a Hilton Hotel

If you’re one of those people who would rather talk to plants than human beings, this may be the right event for you. This weekend, the Mini Planta online store has organized a pop-up mini plants market on the rooftop bar of the Canopy Hilton Madrid Castellana hotel. Which means you can go buy some cactuses (cacti? cactums?) and get an Aperol Spritz or brunch while you’re at it.

The bar has some pretty impressive views of the city skyline and offers the perfect plan for gardening enthusiasts as it also offers a series of workshops, including “How to Prepare Your Plants for the Summer" and "Microorganisms and Benefits for Plants". Stop pretending that you haven’t decided—you’re gathering your friends and going already. Oh, and the first 200 attendees will get a mini plant as a gift.

Pop-Up Plants Market. Planta Z, rooftop of the Canopy Madrid Castellana Hotel. Pl. de Carlos Trías Bertrán, 4, Madrid. June 23 to June 25. Check website for hours. Tickets: €25.

5. Summer Battle Pro Series #2

Breakdancing is one of the most spectacular disciplines of hip-hop culture and the Battle Pro Series has slowly become one of the biggest events in the world, bringing champions together from all over the world to compete to become number one.

This weekend, national and international dancers will compete on stage in Madrid to secure a spot in the international final of the Battle Pro (see video above) in Paris this October. Participants will be coming from various countries and gather at Teatros del Canal to showcase what they can do in front of a world-renowned jury that will decide who’s headed to France in a few months. It’s a Gen Z thing but that doesn’t mean you can’t attend.

Summer Battle Pro Series 2. Teatros del Canal, Sala Roja. Calle de Cea Bermúdez, 1. Madrid. June 25, 6 p.m.. Tickets start at €9.

👨🏻‍💻 Other Headlines of the Week

These are some of the most ridiculous or viral stories in Spain this week that didn’t make our Thursday edition but we felt deserved a (dis)honorable mention today.

🐍 You’re not from around here, are you (Part 2)?

Another week, another reptile. Last week, we reported on a farmer in Yuncillos (Toledo) who found a caimán in one of his farm’s irrigation water ponds. This week, it’s a boa constrictor curled up in a tree in Barcelona. What’s going on in Spain? Seriously, this climate change stuff is getting weird.

🍹 That’s one way to grow your political party…

Free beer! The PP turned to the oldest trick in the bar-sign book this week when the head of its youth brigade in Madrid, Ignacio Dancausa, announced that the group, known as Nuevas Generaciones, was negotiating deals with the "best nightclubs in the city", that would give card-carrying members access to "exclusive lists, discounts" and free "drinks and chupitos [shots]".

Criticism poured in from people on the left like Mónica García of Más Madrid about how it blithely and arrogantly put cutting the line at bars ahead of the important things in politics (like, say, fighting inequality), and that’s true of course. But maybe “free drinks” is why the PP is on course to win the 23J election. 🤔

A Message From Our Sponsor

Celebrate Pride Week in Madrid! Join us for an unforgettable night of music and advocacy on June 28th for a benefit concert for Foundation Eddy-G, featuring American music artist, Michi & The Cats and opening act, Felix Roman.

As the first LGBTQ+ youth shelter in Spain, Foundation Eddy-G provides a safe and supportive space for young LGBTQ+ people in need. You'll be grooving to the electrifying sounds and of Michi & The Cats, a fun and dynamic group that has opened for major music artists including: Miley Cyrus, DJ Marshmello, Rita Ora, Carly Rae Jepsen, and more. And don't miss out on the soulful performance by Felix Roman, a rising star with a unique sound that will leave you wanting more.

Every ticket sold helps support this important cause, so come out and show your support while enjoying a night of incredible music. Get your tickets now and be a part of this impactful event!

Buy your tickets here.

🙏 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