⚽️ What's on in Madrid: July 17
The most epic sports clash in the history of the universe is happening this Sunday. Ready?
Madrid | Issue #153
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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
It’s Friday again!
Well, the unthinkable has happened. The World Cup final this Sunday is Spain vs. Argentina, and Jesus Christ, we really hope Spain wins, or we can guarantee that we will never hear the end of it. Of course, may the best one win, etc, but this weekend our heart is with La Roja.
Yes, yes. Technically, The Bubble started as a publication in Argentina (we operated there for eight years), and there will always be a special place for the albiceleste in our memories. But when forced to make a choice, we want Spain to win (besides, Argentina already has three. They should leave something for the rest.) We’re keeping our fingers crossed. Hope to see you at Cibeles this Sunday!
Last but not least, Episode 3 of The Bubble Podcast is out! We talk about how the far-right may be part of the next national government and how to make friends in Spain. Enjoy!
Happy weekend!
1. ⚽️ Watch Spain vs. Argentina on Sunday night (and pray. Like, a lot)
This is it, people. The Grand Finale. The fate of the universe hangs in the balance with Spain and Argentina clashing on Sunday night in a historic World Cup final match. Will we get a second star? Will Argentina get its fourth and then brag about it annoyingly for decades? Unclear. One thing is certain, though: such a once-in-a-lifetime event cannot be enjoyed in the comfort of your living room.
We live together; we die together. Air conditioners be damned, you need to leave your house on Sunday night and hold hands with a stranger as you suffer through those 90 minutes + plus two idiotic
commercial breaks“hydration pauses” and one very infuriating “30-minute halftime show” featuring Shakira, Madonna, and God knows who else.
If you’re gonna suffer, better do it in public. So our recommendations are:
Madrid Río. The city is again stepping up with giant screens at Puente del Rey, turning the riverbank into an open-air fan zone with two massive screens, placed right in the center of the bridge, so you can actually see what’s going on (a nice perk) while being surrounded by up to 15,000 people.
Bring a flag (ideally a Spanish flag, not an Argentine flag unless you want to
dieget booed) and prepare to chant every time Spain gets near the goal. To trade insults with your Argentine/Spanish frenemies, here's a primer.Not near Madrid Río? You’ve still got the usual options: Plaza Colón (our fave with room for 20,000 people!), Rita’s, Oasiz, Retiro’s Florida Park, Movistar Arena and Autocines Madrid are all setting up big screens. If you’re looking for “I’m freaking out, please hug me” energy, we suggest Plaza Colón or Puente del Rey.
And if when we win? Well, two things: 1) Tell your boss you’re not going to the office on Monday, 2) head over to Cibeles with the rest of the country and celebrate until you pass out. See you on the other side!
🖥️ What: Spain vs Argentina (World Cup Final Match) on giant screens
📍 Where: Puente del Rey and Plaza Colón, Madrid
📅 When: July 10. Kick-off at 9:00 p.m. (arrive early)
🎟 Tickets: Free admission
2. 🎵 Free concerts, foam parties, and lots of fiestas hit Chamberí this weekend
Do you have time to think about anything other than football, aka soccer? Good! Chamberí is throwing its own little summer party this weekend with the Fiestas del Carmen, and it’s organizing free concerts with food and at least one very Spanish lineup. Never heard of them? Doesn’t matter! It’s all about the partying.
Today is the official big start. Samantha Vallejo-Nágera kicks things off with the pregón at 8 p.m. in Plaza de Chamberí, which is basically the “okay, now the party has started” moment. Then comes The Music Show orchestra at 9 p.m., Siempre Así at 11 p.m., and DJ Mike Fajardo keeping things going from 12:45 a.m. So yes, expect Chamberí to be louder than usual.
Saturday gets more local (and then nostalgic). The Decrolers play at 1 p.m., followed later by Grupo Grupo at 8:30 p.m. and Yacaré at 9:15 p.m. But the main event is Tam Tam Go at 10:45 p.m., for anyone (definitely not you) who enjoys a proper throwback and pretending they “just happened to know all the lyrics”. The night ends with Barce DJing from 12:30 a.m.
Sunday is the wind-down, but not exactly quiet. Revlover, the official Revólver tribute band, plays at 8:30 p.m., and Los Inspectores close the fiestas at 10:30 p.m. with crowd-friendly covers. It sucks for all of these people because the game will be on, but… how could they know? Let’s try to support them, shall we?
Someone please, think of the children: Sunday goes full summer mode on Calle de Fuencarral with magic and science at 11 a.m., foam parties at 12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., plus a mini-disco musical at 12:30 p.m. So yeah, fun times for them too.
Pro tips. Go early if you’re bringing kids, check whether activities need prior registration, and remember: free neighborhood fiestas are best enjoyed with patience, comfortable shoes, and low expectations for personal space.
🖥️ What: Fiestas del Carmen de Chamberí 2026
📍 Where: Plaza de Chamberí, Centro Cultural Galileo and Calle de Fuencarral, Madrid
📅 When: July 17, 18 & 19
🎟 Tickets: Free (some activities require prior registration or ticket collection)
🍷 Create. Sip. Connect. An exclusive evening for Friends of The Bubble:
Want to get your hands dirty and explore your creativity? We’re hosting an exclusive Wine & Ceramics Night for all our subscribers, led by Senda Cerámica founder Felipe Ponce. (Our paid subscribers get priority access!)
Forget copying a bowl from a pottery class. This evening is all about experimenting with clay, exploring your creativity, and meeting other members of The Bubble community over wine and cheese.
📍 Where: Senda Cerámica Studio, Calle Torrecilla del Leal 7, Lavapiés
📅 When: July 22, 7 p.m.
🎟️ Open to all subscribers · Paid subscribers get priority access · Limited spots · First come, first served.
To reserve your place, email social@thebubble.com.
3. 📸 Ouka Leele, the Movida and Madrid’s modern myths take over Alcalá 31
What better way to calm your nerves than an exhibit about the 80s? Sala Alcalá 31 has just opened Mitologías modernas: Ouka Leele & Co, a very Madrid exhibition about mythology and the kind of 80s creativity (including La Movida Madrileña) that made the city feel like it had no rules.
The whole thing starts with Spanish photographer Ouka Leele. More specifically, with Rapelle toi, Barbara!, her iconic 1987 shoot at the Cibeles fountain, which somehow turned one of Madrid’s most photographed spots into a mythological stage set. From there, the show looks at how artists of the Nueva Figuración and the Movida used classical myths to make sense of a city changing very, very fast.
And yes, the lineup is strong. There are more than 100 works by Ouka Leele, El Hortelano, Ceesepe, Carlos Franco, Sigfrido Martín Begué, Guillermo Pérez Villalta, Dis Berlin, Pablo Sycet, Carlos Alcolea, Costus, Patricia Gadea and many other names you never heard of (so you should get to know them).
The exhibit includes paintings, photos, drawings, performance-related pieces, and a lot of that sweet spot between ancient gods, underground comics, fanzines, pop culture and post-Transition Madrid.
The point is seeing how those artists borrowed from mythology, art history, romanticism, and street culture to build a new visual language for Madrid. Which sounds fancy, but also: it’s free, central, and indoors. A holy trinity in July.
And if you’re near Cibeles afterward, you’ll probably look at the fountain a little differently.
🖥️ What: Mitologías modernas: Ouka Leele & Co
📍 Where: Sala Alcalá 31, Calle de Alcalá, 31, Madrid
📅 When: Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
🎟 Tickets: Free
4.💦 ‘Get wet and disarm fascism!’: Vallecas’ legendary water war ‘Batalla Naval’ is back
Madrid may not have a beach, but Vallecas has never really accepted that. This Sunday afternoon, the Batalla Naval de Vallekas is back, turning the Bulevar de Vallecas into a full-on water war with buckets, water guns, soaked T-shirts, and the eternal neighborhood demand: a seaport for Vallecas (spoiler alert: that may never happen).
Yes, this is exactly what it sounds like. A massive street water battle that started in 1981, when a few young people at the Fiestas del Carmen decided the only reasonable response to July in Madrid was to open the hydrants and drench everyone nearby (and this was even before climate
apocalypsechange!).It’s still one of the city’s weirdest, funniest, and most genuinely local summer traditions. And it’s not just chaos with water pistols. The Batalla Naval has always mixed party energy with protest spirit, so this year they are protesting against “fascist nations” around the world.
Organized by the Cofradía Marinera de Vallekas, the event keeps that old utopian joke alive — Vallecas as a port city — while also using the day to make a neighborhood statement.
Sunday is the big day. The battle closes the Fiestas del Carmen in Puente de Vallecas, alongside the final party atmosphere, concerts, and fireworks with big crowds, noise and water everywhere. Trust us, you will get wet.
Wear clothes you don’t care about, protect your phone and valuables like it’s a state secret, bring water to drink as well as to throw, and don’t show up expecting a cute little splash. This is Vallecas. They commit.
🖥️ What: Batalla Naval de Vallekas 2026
📍 Where: Bulevar de Vallecas / Calle Peña Gorbea, Puente de Vallecas, Madrid
📅 When: July 19, 4:30 p.m.
🎟 Tickets: Free
5. 🖼️ The Thyssen opens late and free for your Saturday culture fix
Not sure what to do this Saturday night? The Thyssen Museum has the answer: Noches Thyssen is a Saturday night free-entry slot for temporary exhibitions, which basically turns “I’m nervous about tomorrow’s game” into a very easy win.
The idea is simple. Every Saturday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., the museum opens its temporary exhibition rooms for free, giving you two hours of art after dinner and before pretending you had bigger night-out plans. It’s central and air-conditioned so you can’t complain.
This Saturday’s main excuse is Carmen Laffón. The Thyssen is currently showing Carmen Laffón. Variaciones, a retrospective of the Sevillian artist’s quiet, luminous world: landscapes, domestic objects, Doñana, Sanlúcar, salt flats, soft light, and the kind of everyday scenes that somehow make you feel like you should be whispering.
Noches Thyssen feels like a grown-up Madrid plan without requiring grown-up levels of organization. You go late, you get in free, you see something good, and you still have time for a drink after.
Book or check availability in advance, arrive before 9 p.m. if you don’t enjoy queues, and don’t treat the two-hour window like Spanish punctuality is going to help you. It closes at 11 p.m. sharp.
🖥️ What: Noches Thyssen
📍 Where: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Paseo del Prado, 8, Madrid
📅 When: July 18, 9–11 p.m.
🎟 Tickets: Free
📺 What to watch if you are too nervous to watch the game this weekend…
🖥️ What: Miguel Ángel Blanco: The 48 Hours That Changed Spain | Documentary | 2026
📍Where to watch: Netflix
❓What’s it about: In July, 1997, the terrorist group ETA kidnapped and murdered a young Basque politician after giving the authorities 48 hours to save him. The documentary follows the frantic two days that paralyzed the country, as thousands marched demanding his release and the government refused to negotiate with the kidnappers.
🤩 Why you should watch: Because it’s a case that left a mark in Spain (ask a Spaniard what they were doing when the news broke; they all remember it) and it’s a part of Spanish history you should know. Journalist Jon Sistiaga narrates the documentary and includes statements from Blanco’s family, former PM José María Aznar and even King Felipe VI.
💬 English Subtitles: Yes.
🖥️ What: An Island Away From You | Movie | 2026
📍Where to watch: HBO Max
❓What’s it about: A heartbroken chef spends a vacation with his best friend in Gran Canaria. There he falls in love with the island, its people, its beaches, and its food - but what he didn't expect was to fall for his best friend's father.
🤩 Why you should watch: Because it's a feel-good rom-com that treats its same-sex couple's love as just... love, no conflict required, which is still rare for the genre. It also doubles as a love letter to the Canary Islands, weaving real local culture and legend into the story instead of just using it as a backdrop. If you want something warm, breezy, and a little different from the usual rom-com formula, this delivers.
💬 English Subtitles: Yes.
💃🏻 Places to try this weekend…
🇲🇽 El Bajío brings Michelin-level Mexican cooking to Madrid
What’s it about: A Salamanca outpost of El Bajío, the storied Mexican restaurant founded in Mexico City in 1972 by chef Carmen "Titita" Ramírez Degollado. This is its first European spot. It's traditional Mexican cooking done with real rigor: panuchos yucatecos, huarache con solomillo, mole Xico and empanadas de plátano macho.
Why you should go: Because it earned a spot in the Michelin Guide España 2025 within months of opening, and because Ferran and Albert Adrià have publicly admired this kitchen for years. The space itself helps, but the real draw is a menu that respects ingredients, cooking times, and generations of tradition rather than chasing trend-driven "Mexican" clichés.
Bottom line: One of the most authentic, well-regarded Mexican restaurants in Madrid, backed by serious pedigree and a genuinely warm setting.
Address: Calle Juan Bravo, 23, Madrid
☕️ Frutas Prohibidas: Where vegan brunch finally gets specialty coffee to match
What’s it about: A 100% plant-based brunch spot in Malasaña that's been running since 2016, pairing an all-day brunch menu with specialty coffee roasted in Madrid. Everything is made in-house, using mostly local, organic, and fair-trade ingredients. The kitchen stays open all day, so there's no rush to catch a "brunch window."
Why you should go: Because it manages the rare trick of being genuinely excellent on two fronts at once — the coffee (rotating beans from Spanish roasters, a confident flat white, an espresso with real body) and the food (creative, fully vegan dishes like the "huevos benedictinos," pulled pork sandos, and açaí bowls).
Bottom line: A standout for anyone who wants specialty coffee and serious plant-based cooking in the same sitting, without either one feeling like an afterthought.
Address: Calle del Conde Duque, 26, Madrid
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