Madrid | Issue #156
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🏝️ While the rest of The Bubble Newsletter’s 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
It’s Friday again!
Guess what! The city is dead. Everyone’s gone until September (aren’t you glad you live in Europe?) and you are stuck here with us losers. Fret not, our fellow plebs! Madrid still has
tonsa few things to offer that work as a perfect excuse for you to stop watching reruns of The Office on Netflix and leave the house.And FYI, episode 4 of our podcast is out! We discuss what it really means to belong in Spain today and explore one of the country’s biggest identity debates, alongside Sweden’s ambassador to Spain and writer Elizabeth Duval.
Happy weekend!
1.🥳 Experience Madrid's most authentic summer tradition: San Cayetano and San Lorenzo
Ready to party? You better be, because even though there are plenty of festivals in Madrid all year round, none of them feel quite as local as the city’s August verbenas (aka open-air festivals).
Three neighboring barrios take turns celebrating their patron saints every summer with street parties, live music, dancing, food, and community events that transform some of Madrid’s oldest neighborhoods into one giant open-air fiesta.
This weekend is a particularly good time to go because you’ll catch the end of San Cayetano today, right before San Lorenzo takes over Lavapiés on Saturday.
It’s the perfect excuse to wander decorated streets draped with colorful lanterns, watch locals dance the chotis dressed as traditional chulapos, sip a glass of homemade limonada, and
get shit facedsoak up one of Madrid’s most beloved traditions.San Cayetano finale on Friday features the traditional procession, flamenco performances, neighborhood gatherings, and DJs keeping the party going late into the night around Plaza del General Vara de Rey and Embajadores.
The celebrations move to Lavapiés on Saturday for the start of San Lorenzo. Highlights include the legendary neighborhood water fight in Plaza de Arturo Barea, a Sabina tribute concert, live DJs, and plenty of terraces and bars spilling into the streets.
The festival continues throughout the weekend with concerts, workshops, family activities, and one of the liveliest atmospheres you’ll find anywhere this summer.
Our recommendation? Drop everything you’re doing and head over to La Latina. These are the fiestas where you’ll experience the city at its most authentic—and where you’ll quickly understand why locals look forward to August every year.
🖥️ What: San Cayetano & San Lorenzo Verbenas
📍 Where: Embajadores, El Rastro and Lavapiés
📅 When: San Cayetano ends Aug. 7; San Lorenzo runs Aug. 8–11
🎟 Tickets: Free
2.🏛️ Spend a night at the Thyssen museum—for free!
We recommended the Prado at night last week, but as you might have guessed, Madrid has no shortage of great museums, so here’s another cool option: every Saturday night, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum opens its temporary exhibitions for free.
It’s the perfect excuse to swap a crowded bar for world-class art and experience one of Madrid’s finest museums in a much quieter, more intimate atmosphere.
This summer’s lineup is particularly strong. You can explore masterpieces by two of the 20th century’s most influential artists; immerse yourself in stunning multimedia installations; discover the technical secrets behind some of the greatest artists who invented modern painting.
If you’re looking for a different way to spend a Saturday evening, this is one of Madrid’s easiest recommendations. Just be sure to arrive early, as free entry makes Thyssen Nights one of the museum’s most popular weekly events.
🖥️ What: Thyssen Nights (free access to temporary exhibitions)
📍 Where: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Paseo del Prado 8, Madrid
📅 When: Every Saturday, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
🎟 Tickets: Free
3. 🇲🇽 Alejandro Cartagena’s Ground Rules: A powerful look at the Mexico few tourists ever see
Looking for an exhibition that goes beyond beautiful photography? Alejandro Cartagena: Ground Rules is one of the most thought-provoking shows in Madrid this summer.
The Mexican-Dominican photographer has spent more than two decades documenting some of Mexico’s biggest issues—from migration and housing to urban sprawl and the U.S.-Mexico border—through striking photographic series that challenge how we see both people and places.
Rather than focusing on a single iconic image, Cartagena builds stories through entire bodies of work, encouraging visitors to look at social issues from multiple perspectives.
Highlights include his acclaimed Carpoolers series, featuring construction workers photographed from above as they ride to work in the backs of pickup trucks, alongside Suburbia Mexicana and his powerful trilogy on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Presented by Fundación MAPFRE in collaboration with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), the exhibition feels especially relevant at a time when migration and borders dominate the headlines not just in Spain but around the world.
🖥️ What: Alejandro Cartagena: Ground Rules
📍 Where: Fundación MAPFRE, Paseo de Recoletos, 23, Madrid
📅 When: Through Aug. 30.
🎟 Tickets: €5
4.👙 Chill at Madrid's municipal pools
Madrid in August can be brutally hot, which is why locals know there’s only one sensible plan: head for the pool (or burn, but the pool is the better option).
Want to swim? You can. Want to read a book by the water and engage in water games with the gays? You can. Want to cool off after a morning of sightseeing? You also can!
There are 25 outdoor municipal pools from Casa de Campo and José María Cagigal to Hortaleza, Aluche, Moratalaz, and San Fermín, making it easy to find one no matter where you’re staying.
Most have large swimming pools, grassy areas for sunbathing, cafés, and plenty of space to spend an entire afternoon relaxing.
Of course, if you prefer something a little more upscale (i.e., not municipal because you don’t want to hang out with the plebs), many of Madrid’s rooftop hotels also offer pool access, although usually at a much higher price.
There’s honestly no better way to recharge before heading back out to enjoy Madrid’s nightlife.
🖥️ What: Madrid’s municipal outdoor swimming pools
📍 Where: 25 locations across Madrid
📅 When: Daily through Sept. 7 (most operate from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
🎟 Tickets: Paid admission (online or at the door)
5.🗽 Manhattan: Fall in love with New York all over again.
Listen up, people! There are classics, and then there’s Manhattan. Woody Allen’s 1979 masterpiece is remembered for its witty dialogue, complicated love stories, and because it’s one of cinema’s most iconic portraits of New York. Fortunately for you, it’s playing at Cibeles de Cine this Sunday.
Shot in breathtaking black and white, accompanied by George Gershwin’s unforgettable score, the film transformed the city into a character of its own and cemented itself as one of the defining romantic comedies of all time.
The story follows Isaac Davis, a middle-aged television writer stuck in a job he hates, dating a 17-year-old (yeah, that’s… not OK) he doesn’t truly love, while dreading the publication of a tell-all book by his ex-wife. Everything changes when he falls for Mary, the sophisticated, complicated girlfriend of his best friend, forcing him to confront his career, his relationships, and the kind of life he actually wants. Sounds toxic AF, but it was a different time.
Manhattan is funny, neurotic, romantic, bittersweet, and filled with conversations that feel as relevant today as they did nearly five decades ago.
This special screening is part of TCM Nights, Cibeles de Cine’s Sunday series celebrating timeless classics on the big screen.
There’s no better place to watch Manhattan than inside the spectacular Crystal Gallery of Palacio de Cibeles, with a drink in hand and Madrid’s summer evening unfolding outside.
🖥️ What: Manhattan at Cibeles de Cine (TCM Nights)
📍 Where: Galería de Cristal, Palacio de Cibeles, Madrid
📅 When: Aug. 9, 10:00 p.m.
🎟 Tickets: €7
📺 What to watch if you want to escape the heat this weekend…
🖥️ What: Ágata and Lola (Ágata y Lola) | TV Series | 2026
📍Where to watch: Atresplayer
❓What’s it about: Outgoing, impulsive Inspector Lola Castro partners with brilliant documentalist cop Ágata Díaz, who is autistic. Ágata excels at forensic analysis and crime-solving; Lola offers intuition and empathy. They combine logic with sensitivity.
🤩 Why you should watch: Because the show proves there's still life left in the crime procedural, thanks to the brilliant chemistry between the two leads. Smart, character-driven, and refreshingly grounded, it's the kind of series that keeps you coming back as much for the partnership as for the mystery.
💬 English Subtitles: No.
💃🏻 Places to try this weekend…
🍽️ La Embajada de Serrano: A fresh take on classic Spanish comfort food
What’s it about: La Embajada de Serrano takes familiar Spanish dishes and gives them a subtle contemporary twist without losing what made them classics in the first place. Helmed by chef Nico Reyes, the restaurant serves seasonal, crowd-pleasing food in a lively, casual dining room that’s quickly become one of Salamanca’s hottest tables.
Why you should go: Because you should try the famous tortilla, the excellent gilda, or the sobao topped with anchovy and cheese, and standout mains like the slow-cooked beef cheek or the creamy cockle rice.
Bottom line: One of the best new openings in the Salamanca area, offering refined Spanish comfort food.
Address: Calle de Serrano 118, Madrid
☕️ Santa Kafeina: A tiny coffee shop with a big reputation
What’s it about: Tucked away on a quiet corner in Chamberí, Santa Kafeina is one of Madrid’s original specialty coffee pioneers. Run by Venezuelan couple Yessika Pacheco and Javier Castillejo, the café has built a loyal following thanks to its expertly brewed coffee and warm hospitality.
Why you should go: Because you should try their perfectly calibrated espresso from the La Marzocco machine. Or maybe get a hand-brewed filter coffee? You can pair it with one of their homemade cakes or freshly baked cookies. It’s heaven.
Bottom line: One of Madrid’s essential specialty coffee stops—a tiny café with exceptional coffee and friendly service.
Address: Calle de Viriato 37, Madrid
👨🏻💻 Viral Memes of the Week
⚽️ The party continues, Part 2 (Ferrán makes it to the Today Show)
🥳 Promises kept (Gavi promised he’d dye his hair pink if his team won the World Cup)
🤣 This grandma’s infectious laughter
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