đ The Tapa Weekend: September 20
The fall season begins with Japanese culture, a hotel tapa tour and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
By @IanMount and @AdrianBono | September 20, 2024 | Madrid | Issue #67
đ 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
Happy Friday, everyone!
Yes, yes. We know. The summer is not even over yet (at least for one more day) and yet weâve already dusted off our jackets. The brisk weather is here and thereâs nothing we can do to escape it.
Weâve got good news, though. Madridâs cultural life is back and this weekend we have tons of fun things to do!
From a tapa route to live festivals, be prepared for two days of non-stop fun with friends or family.
Here are five recommendations from us, the Oracles of Funâą.
Enjoy.
1.đ The Brava Festival: A healthy dose of petardeo
If you donât know the meaning of petardeo, then you should try this music festival. The Royal Spanish Academy defines it as âsomething eccentric, pretentious, in poor taste and old-fashionedâ. In other words, ironic consumption.
The Brava Music Festival is back in Madrid for its second edition this weekend with an event thatâs designed to âbreak gender norms through fantasy, music and fashionâ. So itâs lots of people wearing pink, chewing bubble gum, pop music from the early 2000s and tarot cards-reading drag queens.
Local and international artists and bands like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Icona Pop, Aqua, Nebulossa, Zara Larsson and Chenoa will be taking the stage to sing some of their international hits. Who Could miss âBarbie Girlâ or âMurder on the Dancfloorâ live? Certainly not us.
There are three main areas and stages at Brava (hits, pop and electronic) and if youâre hungry youâll have plenty of food trucks to choose from. You will find at least one of us tonight having a greasy burger while dancing to Icona Popâs âI Donât Careâ.
This event isnât just about music. Attendees are encouraged to showcase their âbold looksâ in an âatmosphere of freedomâ, so each day proposes a dress code based on a theme that will be revealed in advance (spoiler alert: tonight itâs something pink).
So even though itâs not Wednesday (âon Wednesdays we were pinkâ), channel your inner mean girl and head over to Brava Festival with your friends. Definitely this weekendâs must.
Brava Madrid Festival. IFEMA. Avenida del PartenĂłn 5, Madrid. Sept. 20-21. 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets start at âŹ35/day.
2.đ A Play: Cigarreras
Fine. Letâs say you canât stand the lyrics of Barbie Girl. Donât worry, weâve got something for you too.
This play is based on 1883âs La Tribuna, by Emilia Pardo BazĂĄn, considered to be Spainâs first naturalist novel (if you donât know what naturalism is in literature, donât roll your eyes at us for going to Brava. Thank you).
Cigarreras presents itself as more than just an adaptation and itâs one of the many possible theatrical interpretations of La Tribuna by Pardo BazĂĄn, a novel so richly layered that âit would be impossible to fully encompassâ it in a single play. This interpretation has both an objective aspect, connected to the original work, and a subjective one, shaped by the perspective of the reader.
The focus is on the female factory workers, Las Cigarrerasâtheir circumstances, experiences, hopes, and frustrations, and especially on one of them, Amparo, the protagonist of La Tribuna. The play also highlights the period they lived through, from the Revolution of 1868 to the proclamation of the First Republic, a time open to multiple interpretations, with echoes that still resonate today.
We hope this option is intellectual enough for you. Youâre welcome.
Cigarreras. Centro Cultural de la Villa. Plaza de ColĂłn, 4. Madrid. Through Oct. 26. Check website for schedule. Tickets: âŹ20.
3.đŻđ” Japan Weekend Madrid, Part 2
If you read that and thought âHas it been a year already?â, the answer is no. The first edition of Japan Weekend Madrid 2024 took place in February (see video above), but who can ever say theyâve had enough of Japanese culture? So seven months later, here we are with JWM Part 2.
If Cigarreras is too pretentious for you, why not try cosplaying instead? Or light saber fights? Prepare for a cultural journey to the heart of Japanese culture during this captivating celebration of art, pop culture and tradition.
This spectacular event is a bombardment to your senses and invites people to experience the ârich tapestryâ of Japan through multiple activities. J-pop performances, video games, traditional music, cosplayers and anime. Itâs all there, no matter your age.
And itâs not just cultural showcases! Madridâs Japan Week also fosters cross-cultural exchange and understanding, strengthening the bonds between Japan and Spain. So whether you're a seasoned Japanophile or simply curious about the Land of the Rising Sun, make sure you donât miss this one.
Japan Weekend Madrid. IFEMA, Avenida del PartenĂłn 5, Madrid. Sept. 21-22. Check website for schedule. Tickets start at âŹ20.
4.đą Hotel Tapa Tour Madrid 2024
Hotel Tapa Tour is back for its ninth year with your favorite luxury hotels in the city as prime gastronomic destinations. And for the first time itâs being held simultaneously in several Spanish cities!
Madridâs iconic hotels showcase their best tapas in what the event calls âinformal haute cuisineâ. This event is âan initiative that breaks down the architectural and psychological barriers between the haute cuisine of luxury hotels and the general publicâ. (Which means they are trying to entice us peasants to visit the restaurants of five-star hotels, which we usually are terrified of because thereâs the perception that a side of patatas bravas there will cost you âŹ367.)
The 2024 edition has confirmed the participation of 5-star hotels such as BarcelĂł Imagine, BarcelĂł Torre de Madrid, MandarĂn Oriental Ritz Madrid, Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid, Four Seasons Hotel Madrid, Palacio de los Duques Gran MeliĂĄ, The Madrid EDITION, The Principal Madrid and many more!
If, again, five stars are scary, you also can try four-star hotels such as Hard Rock Hotel Madrid, Pestana CR7 Gran VĂa, RIU Plaza España and more.
Hotel Tapa Tour offers the option to taste up to four types of tapas without the need for reservations, including Croqueta de Autor, Tapa Nacional, Tapa FusiĂłn, and Tapa Dulce, each paired with a drink at the participating hotels. And itâs not even that pricey! Boom. Need to impress someone? This is your plan for the weekend.
Hotel Tapa Tour Madrid 2024. Multiple locations around Madrid. Through Sept. 29. Check website for participating hotels. Cost: Between âŹ35 and âŹ50.
5.đš Seventy Great Masters of the PĂ©rez SimĂłn Collection
Need more? Hereâs more. Thereâs a new art exhibit in town featuring works never before seen in Madrid by great masters such as Goya and Rubens, all part of the magnificent PĂ©rez SimĂłn Collection. The exhibit is a âprelude to the establishment of a permanent location at the Espacio Cultural SerrerĂa Belgaâ.
The exhibition is divided into three periods:
Old Masters and Early Moderns, featuring works by artists like Lucas Cranach the Elder, Goya, Rubens, El Greco, Anton Van Dyck, Tiepolo, and Goya.
19th Century, with pieces by Van Gogh, Paul CĂ©zanne, Pissarro, Gauguin, Sisley, Monet and Renoir.
From the Avant-Garde to Contemporary Art, showcasing works by artists such as Edvard Munch, René Magritte, Alex Katz and Takashi Murakami, among others.
The PĂ©rez SimĂłn Collection, owned by businessman and collector Juan Antonio PĂ©rez SimĂłn, is said to be one of the biggest and best private art collections in the world. So obviously we had to mention it.
Seventy Great Masters. CentroCentro. Plaza de Cibeles 1, Madrid. Sept. 20 to Jan. 12. Check website for opening hours. Tickets start at âŹ7.
đšđ»âđ» Viral Stories of the Week
đ Oh, just wing it
Miss Catalonia takes a question about the problem of Spainâs low birthrate at the Miss Universo España competition, confuses birthrate (natalidad) for notability (notabilidad), and decides to wing an answer anyway. Wheels come off. Hilarity ensues.
đ All of us who doubt our parking skills will feel her pain
đ 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 MoratĂn 7 â a few blocks away from the Prado Museum â 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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