🌟 The Tapa Weekend: November 29
Christmas lights are finally here, plus a gospel festival and a play about grammar.
By @IanMount and @AdrianBono | November 29, 2024 | Madrid | Issue #77
🎉 Welcome to a new issue of The Tapa: Weekend Edition! An English-language newsletter about what to do this weekend in Madrid (plus memes!)
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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
It’s Friday again!
It’s also the season of “for the love of God, avoid downtown Madrid at all cost”. Especially in the evenings, when there’s 20 trillion people fluttering around because they want to see the Christmas lights and there’s too much to see, too little time.
But as the cold breath of death (aka winter) looms on the horizon, here are the five best things for you to do this weekend.
Enjoy! (And wear a coat).
1.✨ The Madrid Christmas Lights Are Here!
If you tried walking around downtown Madrid yesterday, chances are you were annoyed by the sea of people invading the streets. Just like every year, many (many!) people descended on the capital last night to attend the traditional lighting of Madrid’s world.-famous Christmas lights.
Yes, we’re sorry to say you missed it (trust us, it’s better that way) but that doesn’t mean you can’t see the lights. For over a month, Madrid will be adorned with colorful (and energy-efficient) Christmas lights (around 12 million LED bulbs) that light up over 230 locations across all 21 districts of Madrid.
Last night’s ceremony at Puerta del Sol, right in front of a 37-meter-tall Christmas tree, was led by Spain’s national football coach, Luis de la Fuente and Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida. This year some of the decorations were designed by primary school children as part of a drawing contest. Some well-known Spanish designers participated too (in the design process, not in the contest).
So take a walk around Gran Vía, Alcalá and visit de Puerta del Sol for a Christmas spectacle. Just be ready for a big crowd.
Madrid Christmas Lights. Multiple locations around downtown Madrid. Through Jan. 6. Daily from 6 p.m. until midnight.
2.🎭 A Play: La Gramática
If crowds are not your thing (at least not those giant crowds) then why not turn to a cool play instead? Opening today, La Gramática (The Grammar) is a production that blends humor, social critique and reflections on language and is directed by renowned playwright Ernesto Caballero.
This satire about language that challenges grammatical rules “presents a situation as hilarious as it is unsettling: what would happen if a person without academic training suddenly became an expert in grammar and syntax?”
The plot revolves around a cleaning woman at the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) who, after an unexpected accident, develops a profound knowledge of language. Far from being a blessing, this newfound ability disrupts her life, “placing her in a society unprepared to coexist with her relentless linguistic precision”.
The production is not only a biting critique of the impoverishment of language in the era of reality TV and social media but also a reflection on how linguistic correctness can become a tool for social exclusion.
You know when your friend texts “wyd” instead of “What are you doing?”? That’s what this play is about. Do not miss it.
La Gramática. Nave 10 Matadero, Paseo de la Chopera 14, Madrid. Nov. 29 to Dec. 27. Check website for schedule. Tickets: €21
3.🎼 The 30th “Grandes del Gospel” Festival
The festival that celebrates American gospel legends is back in Madrid for the 30th edition and the lineup this year looks spectacular. This is another great way to celebrate Christmas!
Expect performances by the Soweto Gospel Choir, who are three-time Grammy Award winners and are presenting their Hope show in Europe. The Mississippi Mass Choir, a standard-bearer of traditional gospel and a regular feature on Billboard charts, will also be present.
Expect many other fine international gospel groups too. The South Carolina Gospel Choir will debut Tina Turner’s Happy Days, a gospel celebration paying tribute to the legendary singer’s religious roots with the soulful style of a contemporary choir. The New Orleans Gospel Choir will perform their program The Streets of New Orleans
Get your tickets while they last! Last year they were almost sold out so better get your tickets quickly.
Grandes del Gospel Festival. Teatro Fernán Gómez.Plaza de Colón 4, Madrid. Check website for shows. Through Dec. 14. Tickets start at €14.
4.🕯️ Aladina Xmas Weekend
Don’t be discouraged by the image of a child in the video above. This event is not for children only (though you may encounter them while attending, so tread carefully).
The NH Collection Eurobuilding Hotel in Madrid will host the Aladina Xmas Weekend, one of the city’s biggest charity events of the year.
Organized by the Aladina Foundation, this event features a Bazaar with stands so you can go on a shopping spree, as well as cooking workshops, wine tastings, a children’s area (told you), a gourmet zone, and live music. Oh, and there’s also a bar, which is important.
The live musical performances at the Gastro Bar will feature artists and bands like Walkmen Band, Pol Calvo, DJ Gilca, DJ Goncho, and Los García. Last (but definitely not least) is the Aladina Grand Raffle, with over 100 donated prizes up for grabs.
This event brings together over 60 vendors offering fashion, home décor, and accessories, who throughout the years have already helped over 2,000 families with children undergoing cancer treatment.
Aladina Xmas Weekend. NH Collection Madrid Euroobuilding, Calle Padre Damián 23, Madrid. Nov. 30 to Dec. 1. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets:
5. 🐸 The Mastercard Festival Selection: Madrid
Disclaimer: This post is definitely not sponsored by Mastercard, but if they want to sponsor it, we’ll take the money.
Step onto the red carpet and experience a great selection of films from Europe’s most prestigious movie festivals. The inaugural Madrid Mastercard Festival Selection invites you to the exclusive screening of unreleased films from all over the region.
The lineup features films that have received praise (and awards) at some of Europe’s leading 2024 film festivals, such as the Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Berlinale, and others.
Oh and if you arrive 30 minutes before each screening you get the red-carpet welcome and a complimentary drink. After the screening, there will be Q&A sessions featuring the directors, actors, or producers of the films.
Yes, yes, we know. All films include English and Spanish subtitles. There, no need to worry.
The Mastercard Film Selection Madrid. Palacio de la Prensa, Plaza del Callao 4, Madrid. Through Dec. 1. Check website for schedule. Tickets start at €8.
👨🏻💻 Viral Stories of the Week
🐷 English husband see jamón at home of Spanish pareja, asks why they have a mummified pig. Tries ham. Weeps.
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👏 Valencia kids return to school for first time since the DANA and get one helluva welcome
🔔 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
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