Madrid | Issue #158
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đïž While the rest of The Bubble Newsletterâs team is out of office this month, this weekend guide will continue to reach your inbox every Friday.
Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
Itâs me again!
Thatâs right, youâre not getting rid of my emails. I donât care how much fun youâre having on whatever ugly beach youâre on. If Iâm stuck in Madrid this week, then you get to vicariously experience my suffocating misery (at least until next week, when Iâm also gone to the luscious, dewey-sweet vineyards of Southern France).
For those of you who, like me, are currently wandering in desperation on the vacant roads of the Spanish capital because your favorite coffee shop is closed until god knows when and who suffer the inescapable maladies of climate terror, I say repent. Help is not coming.
However, and while I understand how tempting it is to lock yourself at home with a bucket of gelato and endless doomscrolling on Instagram (those early memes about Mariah Carey starting to defrost may trick your brain into thinking the cold weather is closer than it really is), I am here to make a series of unhinged proposals that may help you pass the time, even if youâve given up hope.
So get off the couch, throw on whatever clothes you can find (you will not run into anyone you know, guaranteed), and step into the tumbleweed-infested streets of Madrid. Youâll thank me later.
Happy weekend!
1. đđ» Get into some trouble with the barber of LavapiĂ©s (now with AC!)
Alright, the video above is not from the production happening at Teatro La Latina this weekend, but I posted it for informational purposes so you know what youâre getting into. Also, the theater has great AC, so itâs a (literally) cool option for you if you want to escape the endless heatwave weâre living in. Last but not least, zarzuelas are fun, so itâs not a bad option for you.
El barberillo de LavapiĂ©s (The Little Barber of LavapiĂ©s) is one of the great classics of the genre, first performed in Madrid in 1874, with music by Francisco Asenjo Barbieri and a libretto by Luis Mariano de Larra, son of the legendary journalist Mariano JosĂ© de Larra. You donât know any of those people, and thatâs OK; I just still need to mention them because itâs damn time you start learning.
For the uninitiated, zarzuela is essentially Spainâs answer to operetta: a distinctly Spanish form of musical theater that mixes spoken dialogue with singing, orchestral music, comedy and drama. Itâs like opera meets 70s sitcom (1870s, that is).
This one is set in Lavapiés and follows Lamparilla, a quick-witted neighborhood barber with a talent for getting himself into trouble, and Paloma, a young seamstress who joins him in helping the Dukes of Medina de Rioseco after they become caught up in a political conspiracy.
What follows is a very Madrileño collision of high politics and street life: gossip, misunderstandings, romance, scheming and music.
Youâll be watching a 19th-century musical comedy about LavapiĂ©s in La Latina, barely a walk away from the neighborhood where the story takes place (before it was gentrified, of course).
đ What: El barberillo de LavapiĂ©s
đ Where: Teatro La Latina, Plaza de la Cebada 2, Madrid
đ When: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 7 p.m.
đ Tickets start at âŹ24.50
2. đš Mercadillo de Pintores: Buy some art in central Madrid
I know what youâre thinking. âAn outdoor activity? In this weather?!â And yes, youâre right. But maybe itâs time to get off the couch and start posting Instagram stories so your beach-ridden friends can also think that youâre having fun. Think about it: you can grab a couple of tourists and take a selfie with them, making everyone else think these are your new cool friends and that, unlike the rest of the sheeple, you can leave Madrid any time of the year you want. You just choose to be here now. See? Itâs all about believing your own delusions, like I do.
But I digress. Turns out that Madrid has plenty of markets where you can spend a Sunday browsing for vintage clothes, 4K Blu-rays (physical media is making a comeback!) and Belgian chocolate. But how about an original painting?
Every Sunday, the lovely Plaza del Conde de Barajas becomes the Plaza de los Pintores, an open-air art market where around 40 Madrid artists exhibit and sell their original work.
The good news is that this isnât some TikTok-era pop-up. The tradition dates all the way back to 1984, when the Centro district gave the Taller Abierto association a space near the Arco de Cuchilleros to exhibit and sell paintings.
More than four decades later, it has low-key become one of those beloved city traditions that you can easily walk past without realizing how much history is behind it.
Youâre browsing paintings outdoors in one of the city's oldest parts, just steps from Plaza Mayor, with the artists themselves on hand displaying their work. Plus, thereâs a Five Guys nearby, in case you need to counterbalance your cultured outing with a greasy burger.
So if youâre looking for a Sunday plan that involves art but doesnât involve opening FilmĂn to watch The Saragossa Manuscript, go for a wander. Worst-case scenario, you pass out from the heat. Best-case scenario, you go home with an original piece of art painted by (maybe) the next Picasso.
đš What: Mercadillo de Pintores
đ Where: Plaza del Conde de Barajas, Downtown Madrid
đ When: Sundays
đ Tickets: Free
3.đ Madridâs Railway Museum: at least youâre not watching paint dry
Oh, Iâm just being dramatic. Youâve probably been to the Mercado de Motores at the beautiful old Delicias railway station. Well⊠great news, weirdos train fans! Throughout August, the museum is running its summer program for those of us left behind, with special activities celebrating 175 years since Madridâs first railway opened in 1851, an event that feels prehistoric by now.
But since Iâm sending you there this weekend, thereâs an added reason to go: Saturdays and Sundays are devoted to the stationâs surprisingly impressive relationship with cinema.
The themed âDelicias, una estaciĂłn de cineâ tour explores how this 19th-century station became a filming location for Spanish and international productions. And weâre not talking about obscure movies nobody has heard of like The Saragossa Manuscript. Nah⊠David Leanâs Doctor Zhivago (google it, kids!) filmed here, as did Nicholas and Alexandra, Travels with My Aunt, Tormento, Amantes and, much more recently, David Truebaâs Saben aquell.
Families can also tackle a self-guided treasure hunt devoted to Madridâs 175 years of railway history and see Territorio Ferroviario, the largest model railway in Spain, in action.
There are also two temporary exhibitions worth catching: La mirada de Wyrsch, featuring Swiss photographer Karl Wyrschâs images of railways during the 1950s and â60s, and Viajar en el tiempo, which uses 85 years of Renfe advertising to show how both train travel and Spain itself have changed.
Honestly, stop being a snob. Youâre complaining about spending a Sunday looking at vintage train ads, but if you were in, I dunno, Cinque Terre, youâd be buying a damn copy for âŹ35. Just go and enjoy.
đ What: Verano en el Museo del Ferrocarril
đ Where: Museo del Ferrocarril de Madrid, Paseo de las Delicias 61, Madrid
đ When: This Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.â3 p.m.
đïž Tickets: Free admission
4. đ Run from a 300-kilo ball in the mountains. Because apparently thatâs a thing.
Growing up in the â80s, television taught children like me that there were three very real and pervasive threats to our daily survival: lava, quicksand, and a giant round ball chasing us out of a lost temple in the Peruvian jungle.
Fast forward to 2026 and, as it turns out, adulting unfortunately doesnât involve any of those things (unless you live in, like, Indonesia or something). Except⊠maybe it does? Turns out that the town of Mataelpino, in northern Madrid, each year offers intrepid adventurers the opportunity to be crushed to death chased by a giant ball, just like Indiana Jones would have wanted.
Iâm not kidding. If Pamplonaâs running of the bulls has always sounded exciting but the actual bull part
scares the shit out of yougives you pause, a little town in the Sierra de Guadarrama has come up with a very Spanish solution: replace the animal with a gigantic ball hurtling down the street.Welcome to the Boloencierro de Mataelpino, the centerpiece of the townâs San BartolomĂ© festivities. The tradition started more than 15 years ago when Mataelpino couldnât afford to organize a conventional bull run. Instead of canceling it, someone had the inspired idea of rolling a giant ball through town while people ran ahead of it.
DO NOT underestimate the ball. The adult version (yes, thereâs also a child version đ) now weighs around 300 kilos, measures more than 2.7 meters across and can reportedly reach speeds approaching 50 km/h.
Participants run along a roughly 700-meter course beginning on Calle de la Iglesia and ending near the bullring. In other words, being flattened by a giant red ball is unlikely to improve your weekend, so participation is restricted to adults and the safety rules should be taken seriously.
This weekend you actually get two chances to see it. Both Saturday and Sunday begin with the childrenâs run at 11 a.m., using smaller balls and supervision, before the considerably more unhinged adult version starts at noon.
And since these are proper village fiestas, the giant ball is only part of it. There will also be DJs, food, bingo, theater, and plenty of late-night partying throughout the weekend.
đŽ What: Boloencierro at the Fiestas de San BartolomĂ©
đ Where: Mataelpino. The Boloencierro starts on Calle de la Iglesia.
đ When: Saturday, Aug. 22 & Sunday, Aug. 23 at noon
đïž Tickets: Free to watch. Adults must be 18+ to participate.
5.đïž EPIC Racing Weekend Jarama: Pretend youâre at the Spanish Grand Prix for âŹ21
Disclaimer: Look, I have no freaking idea what a Formula 4 is, nor do I care to learn about it at 46 years old. But a few basic, straight friends people have been recommending this, so after reading about it, hereâs why itâs so cool, even though I still donât personally care.
The Circuito de Madrid Jarama-RACE is hosting the EPIC Racing Weekend this Saturday and Sunday, turning one of Spainâs most historic racetracks into two days of racing, overtaking (whatever that means), and pit-lane action.
More than 40 young drivers will be competing in Formula 4 single-seaters, one of the key entry points into professional formula racing and the category where some future F1 hopefuls begin making a name for themselves.
And if youâve only ever watched motorsport on television, seeing it live is a very different exper-zzzzzzzzzzzzâ Sorry, I just fell asleep writing that.
Thereâs also a covered grandstand, food around the circuit (the best part of this whole thing, at least for me) and a more luxurious option if spending an August afternoon outside sounds slightly insane: tickets for Sala y Terraza Edificio 3 give you access to an air-conditioned room and private terrace overlooking the track.
Basically, itâs your chance to spend the weekend pretending youâre at a Grand Prix without paying Grand Prix prices â or having to wait until Madridâs actual F1 race comes around next month.
đïž What: EPIC Racing Weekend
đ Where: Circuito de Madrid Jarama-RACE, VĂa de Servicio A-1, exit 26, San SebastiĂĄn de los Reyes
đ When: Saturday, Aug. 22, 10 a.m.â6 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 23, 10 a.m.â3 p.m.
đïž Tickets start at âŹ21
đș What to watch if you still donât want to leave the couch this weekendâŠ
đș Movie: To the Max (La Fiera) | 2026
đWhere to watch: Netflix
âWhatâs it about: Three skydivers died in similar accidents within five years. Director Salvador Calvo wanted to tell their stories with the sole survivor, Carlos SuĂĄrez.
đ€© Why you should watch: Mainly, for its spectacularly shot BASE-jumping sequences and its surprisingly dark look at the obsession that drives people to keep risking their lives even after watching friends die. Itâs an adventure movie that understands the thrill of extreme sports while also asking an uncomfortable question: when does chasing adrenaline stop being passion and start looking like addiction?
đŹ English Subtitles: Yes.
đș Movie: Calle MĂĄlaga | 2025
đWhere to watch: Movistar+
âWhatâs it about: An aging Spanish woman in Tangier resists her daughter's decision to sell her home. Determined to stay, she does everything she can to keep her place and reclaim the belongings of a lifetime. Along the way, she rediscovers love and desire.
đ€© Why you should watch: Because it features a superb Carmen Maura as an older woman fighting for her right to love, companionship and sex on her own terms. Itâs a warm, intimate celebration of the little things that make a life worth living.
đŹ English Subtitles: No.
đđ» Places to try this weekendâŠ
đ„© La HĂpica: Come for the horses, stay for the steak
Whatâs it about: Escape Madrid without actually going very far. La HĂpica pairs countryside views and horses with a wood-and-charcoal grill specializing in premium cuts of mature beef, from chuletĂłn and tomahawk to vaca vieja and rubia gallega.
Why you should go: Because itâs a proper change of scenery just 15 minutes from the city, with great meat, classic sides like homemade potatoes and PadrĂłn peppers, and a creamy cheesecake to finish.
Bottom line: La HĂpica is an easy countryside escape built around three very compelling things: fire, steak, and views.
Address: M-612, KM 3.5, Fuencarral-El Pardo.
đż Brownie Club: Salamancaâs best new cafĂ© is hiding in plain sight
Whatâs it about: Hidden at the back of Brownieâs Salamanca store, Brownie Club is a surprisingly lovely cafĂ© built around a leafy secret patio, serving specialty coffee, matcha and very Instagram-friendly creations like Sparkle Lattes and Coconut Clouds.
Why you should go: Because finding a peaceful, plant-filled courtyard in the middle of Salamanca feels like discovering a cheat code. Thereâs also proper food, from avocado toast with spicy maple to croissant sandwiches, chicken wraps and Japanese-style egg sandwiches.
Bottom line: Brownie Club turns an afternoon of shopping into an excuse for coffee, cake and an unexpectedly charming escape from the streets outside.
Address: Calle Hermosilla, 26, Madrid.
đšđ»âđ» Viral Memes of the Week
đȘ The Pied-Piper or Spain
đ„ïž Brays Efeâs (aka Paquita SĂĄlas) rant against people who post stories on a boat (thatâs not theirs) will never get old
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