🍹What's on in Madrid: April 24

Tardeos are the perfect excuse for day drinking so make sure you don't miss out.

Apr 24, 2026

Madrid | Issue #142

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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend

It’s Friday again!

And it’s time to put your phone away. We’re having a very cultural weekend that involves silent films, book clubs, and street art. So gather your monocles and mount your penny-farthings, and make haste to the picture house for an evening of most agreeable diversion!

Happy weekend 🧐

1. 🎬 The Passion of Joan of Arc: Silent film, a live orchestra, and emotional damage

If your idea of cinema is The Fast and the Furious saga, caramel popcorn, and looking at your phone every five minutes, this might not be your scene. But if you’re ready for something a bit more ~~intellectual~~ intense, then you don’t want to miss this.

The Passion of Joan of Arc — yes, that French silent film from 1928 you never heard of before — lands in Madrid tomorrow for a one-time-only screening that goes all in.
Pay attention. We’re talking live orchestra, live choir, and a full immersive setup inside Cine Capitol that turns the film into something closer to a mesmerizing ritual.
And the film itself? Not exactly light viewing. Widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made, this masterpiece by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer strips everything down to raw emotion.
It follows Joan of Arc’s trial and execution through a series of brutal close-ups. No distractions, no spectacle, just the face of Maria Falconetti carrying the entire weight of the story. It’s uncomfortable and weirdly modern for something that’s almost 100 years old.

We’re not done. Now add a live score.

The Caspervek Ensemble performs an original composition (Missa Ioanna Arcensis), backed by orchestra and choir, which basically means the emotional impact goes from “intense” to “why am I crying on a Saturday afternoon.”

This is so much more than watching a film. Definitely memorable.

🖥️ What: La pasión de Juana de Arco (with live orchestra & choir)

📍 Where: Cine Capitol, Gran Vía 41, Madrid

📅 When: April 25, 12:30 p.m.

🎟 Tickets start at €24

2. 🎨 Malasaña becomes a live canvas again, and yes, you get to judge it

A long, long time ago (like, in 2010), Malasaña was all graffiti, which meant it was gross. Sixteen years later, the neighborhood has changed: it’s now all graffiti, which means it’s great! It’s gone from “place for gang members to hang out” to “open air art project”. And this Sunday, we’re all celebrating the rebranding.

Pinta Malasaña is back, and the neighborhood is once again turning into Madrid’s street gallery, with artists literally taking over shop shutters, walls, and whatever space locals are brave enough to offer.
Dozens of urban artists will be painting live across the streets for one day only, all at the same time. Forget those snobbish art galleries and Instagram filters. This is all about spray cans, ladders, and a crowd watching the whole thing unfold in real time.
The concept is simple but great: local businesses, neighbors, and associations lend their spaces, and artists compete to transform them. You walk around, watch the process, and by the end of the day… you actually get a say. Because yes, there’s a public vote for the best piece, so your uneducated opinion about art finally matters! No more staring at a banana duct-taped to a white canvas. This is real art!

Beyond the painting, the vibe is very Malasaña: workshops, side activities, people wandering around with beers pretending they understand street art. It’s one of those plans where you show up, walk around, and end up spending all day there.

🖥️ What: Pinta Malasaña

📍 Where: All over Malasaña, Madrid

📅 When: April 26

🎟 Tickets: No tickets necessary

3. 📚 Books are taking over Madrid, and it’s getting out of hand (in a good way)

If you thought “La Noche de los Libros” was already a lot, welcome to the upgraded version. This year, Madrid has decided one night isn’t enough and turned it into a full-blown four-day literary takeover called LIBROMAD.

The entire region basically becomes one giant book club this week — except instead of pretending you read Truman Capote, you get 400+ activities, 300 authors, and events happening across 100 municipalities.
The theme this year is “Los confines de los libros,” which sounds boring but really means that books aren’t just books anymore. They’re conversations, performances, concerts, workshops, and whatever else happens, especially now that no one reads anymore.
Libraries and bookstores become the main stage. This is reading as a social experience — something that crosses generations, mixes formats, and turns into a collective event.

Sunday’s closing event at Plaza de España is doing the most, if you need a starting point. There’s a collective reading (with hot chocolate, because Madrid knows what matters), live music, performances, and even a mini book fair.

🖥️ What: LIBROMAD - Madrid Book Week

📍 Where: All over Madrid (main event at Plaza de España)

📅 When: Through April 26

🎟 Tickets: Free entry to most activities

4. 🌏 Feeling lost? Imperio is a theatre piece that turns identity into a journey

Feeling a bit lost in life, but you’re poor, so you can’t go to Bali to find yourself and eat, pray, and love? Great. We’re offering a play that is basically a similar existential crisis… but with better lighting and choreography (sorry, but it’s true).

Carles Fernández Giua’s latest piece lands in Madrid with a mix of theatre and dance that tries to answer one of those annoying questions we all avoid: what actually gives your life meaning, and why is it so hard to ~~adult~~ figure out?
The show follows two journeys at the same time. One is physical: an artistic company traveling through China and Tibet. The other is way more personal: Yan Huang, a performer who left China and now, from Europe, is trying to reconnect with a culture she somehow understands better from afar than when she was actually living there. Pretty on brand for us, isn’t it?
The whole piece plays with that idea — distance giving clarity, identity being something you rebuild rather than inherit, and the strange feeling of not fully belonging anywhere.
It mixes documentary footage, movement, and poetic storytelling to create something that’s less about plot and more about… vibes (intellectual vibes, don’t worry).

If you’re in the mood to feel something slightly deeper than usual (or just want to say you went to something cultured this weekend), this might be your move.

🖥️ What: Imperio

📍 Where: Centro Cultural Conde Duque, Calle del Conde Duque 11, Madrid

📅 When: April 24–25

🎟 Tickets start at €20

5. 🖼️ Colores y Formas: Abstract art that you can actually take home

Alright, let’s be serious for a sec. If you’ve ever walked into a contemporary art show and thought, “This is too sophisticated for me,” this one might be your entry point.

Eduardo Chillida Belzunce — son of famous Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida — is bringing together a group of artists to explore the basics of art: form, color, and space.
The whole thing is a deep dive into abstraction (textures, structures, and pieces that are less about “what is it?” and more about “what does it do to you?”). There will be works that play with materials, shapes, and visual tension in a way that feels very intentional and very contemporary.
You’ll find works by Pedro Txillida, María Chillida, Ignacio López, Christian Iglesias, and several guest artists — so it’s more like a collective conversation than a single vision. Different styles, same obsession: how far can you push the language of art before it stops being obvious?

The exhibition also launches Chillida Belzunce Art & Design, a project that takes those abstract ideas and drops them into everyday objects — clothing, lamps, furniture, even skateboards. (Yes, skateboards!)

🖥️ What: Colores y Formas

📍 Where: Calle de Belén, 2, Madrid

📅 When: Through May 18

🎟 Tickets: Free entry

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

🖥️ What: I Always Sometimes (Yo Siempre a Veces) | TV Miniseries | 2026

📍Where to watch: Movistar+

❓What’s it about: A pregnant woman navigates life as a single mom in Barcelona, facing ups and downs and trying to survive adulthood in a system that is clearly not designed to help her.

🤩 Why you should watch: Because it just… feels real and painfully relatable. Produced by Los Javis, it leans into that raw and chaotic style, but this time with a quieter, more grounded approach. It’s not about big plot twists, but about dialogue and awkward silences. If you’ve ever felt like adulthood showed up too fast and underdelivered, this one will hit close to home.

💬 English Subtitles: No.

💃🏻 Places to try this weekend…

🍸 Los Gabrieles: Madrid’s most iconic taberna is finally back, and it’s still the ‘Sistine Chapel of tiles‘

What’s it about: A historic taberna that’s been closed for over 20 years has finally reopened — fully restored and still covered in its iconic hand-painted tiles. Once a hotspot for everyone (from Ava Gardner and, allegedly, King Alfonso XIII to Lorca and Hemingway), Los Gabrieles is basically a mix of cultural landmark, flamenco haunt, and old-school eating house, now updated for 2026.

Why you should go: Because you’ll be stepping into a piece of Madrid history that almost disappeared. The space alone is worth it (it’s literally called “the Sistine Chapel of tiles”), but there’s also a proper bar scene.

Bottom line: Madrid loves a comeback story, and this might be one of its best. Come for the tiles, stay for the food.

Address: Calle de Echegaray, 17, Madrid

🍹 Drinks, tapas, and sunsets: Florida Park is doing the most (and we’re here for it)

What’s it about: Florida Park is basically what happens when El Retiro decides to get a warm-weather glow-up. It’s an urban escape surrounded by trees and sky where Madrid goes to snack, drink, and stay longer than planned.

Why you should go: Because it nails that very specific fantasy for people who live here: an aperitivo that turns into dinner that turns into “one last drink.” Upstairs, the rooftop leans Mediterranean and a bit more refined. Downstairs, La Galería is all about sharing plates and good energy, mixing classic Spanish tapas (croquetas, tortilla) with sushi, poke, and gyozas.

Bottom line: Solid music, well-made cocktails, and a crowd that’s clearly enjoying themselves in El Retiro. What else can you ask for?

Address: P.º de Panamá, 1, El Retiro Park, Madrid

👨🏻‍💻 Viral Memes of the Week

🧑‍🦲 Easier to apply sunscreen

🤑 Spanish millionaires pay (to leave)

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