🏳️🌈 What's on in Madrid: July 4
Madrid Pride 2025, Festival Río Babel, and tons of summer activities!
Madrid | Issue #105
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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
Happy Friday!
This heatwave might be trying to kill us all, but we won’t let it stop us. Madrid Pride 2025 is here, and everyone is ready to celebrate tomorrow with tons of love, music, glitter, and partying all across the city.
There’s the march/parade, live concerts and tons of energy on the streets and we’ve got everything you need to know in order to make the most of it.
But don’t worry, if the Madrid Orgullo is not your thing (let’s face it, it can get very hot and crowded) we have other things for you to do.
Let’s get to it and, for the love of all things sacred, drink plenty of water this weekend.
Enjoy!
🏳️🌈 First things first: Download our exclusive Guide to Madrid Pride 2025
Besides this newsletter, we’ve created the ultimate guide to surviving Madrid Pride 2025 with all of the performances, bars and parties you can choose from. Share it with everyone you know!
1.🌈 MADO: Madrid Pride 2025
If you’ve been here before, you know the drill: millions of people descend on Madrid during the first week of July to take part in the biggest Pride event in Europe.
Madrid Orgullo 2025 (MADO) is in full swing, celebrating 20 years of marriage equality in Spain with a packed lineup of concerts, performances, political activism, and pure fiesta. Thousands are already pouring into the city since Wednesday to join what’s widely considered one of the most amazing and inclusive Pride celebrations on the planet.
Stages are set up across the city — in Plaza de Pedro Zerolo, Plaza del Rey, Puerta del Sol, and Plaza de España — with free performances by Ana Torroja, Marta Sánchez, Chanel, Samantha Hudson, Kiddy Smile, and even this year’s Eurovision winner Johannes Pietsch.
There are drag shows, DJs, Spanish pop royalty and something for every vibe. And on Saturday (July 5), the massive Pride March takes over the Paseo del Prado from Atocha to Colón — equal parts protest and party, with floats, music, and calls for equality.
If you’re not already overwhelmed with choices, don’t miss the iconic Mr. Gay España contest tonight, where activism meets glam in a celebration of diversity and visibility (and abs).
Get ready to cheer from the sidewalks and dance in the streets while dodging the heat because Madrid Pride is the place to be this weekend.
🖥️ What: Madrid Orgullo 2025 (you can download our exclusive Guide to Madrid Pride 2025)
📍 Where: Multiple locations around Madrid
📅 When: Through July 6
🎟 Tickets: Free admission to all official MADO performances and shows
2.🎸 La Movida: Juventud y Libertad: Revisit the explosion of youth, art, and freedom that changed Madrid forever
If you’ve ever danced to Alaska, cried watching Almodóvar, or simply wondered how Madrid became one of the most vibrant, queer-friendly, and artistically rebellious cities in Europe, it all traces back to one thing: La Movida Madrileña.
Born in the late 1970s, right after the death of dictator Francisco Franco, La Movida was a cultural earthquake that appeared as Spain was transitioning to democracy.
A whole generation of artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, and misfits unleashed decades of repressed energy onto the streets, clubs, and studios of Madrid. There was punk hair, underground cinema, political irreverence and
an unapologetic embrace of sexuality and individualism. This all turned into a cocktail of freedom that redefined Spanish identity forever.
And now you can experience that spirit firsthand at La Movida, Juventud y Libertad (1977–1986), a fantastic exhibit featuring iconic pieces from the era: guitars, film posters, Super 8 cameras, outrageous fashion, and intimate memorabilia from Spanish legends like Pedro Almodóvar, Alaska y los Pegamoides, Nacha Pop, Gabinete Caligari, Hombres G, and many more.
If you’re a fan of Madrid's history, this is your chance to immerse yourself in one of Spain’s most defining cultural movements.
🖥️ What: La Movida: Juventud y Libertad (1977-1986)
📍 Where: Calle de Fernando VI 4, Madrid.
📅 When: Through July 20. Check website for opening hours.
🎟 Tickets: Free admission
3.🎤 Festival Río Babel is back, and it’s bringing the party with it
Not into Pride? We won’t judge (at least not to your face).
If you are still looking for live music and tons of fun, we have an interesting alternative that brings a weekend of hip hop, flamenco, ska, reggaeton, comedy and killer vibes: The Festival Río Babel.
One of Madrid’s most eclectic summer music festivals, Río Babel includes a lineup that’s a glorious mix of icons and innovators from across Spain, Latin America, and beyond.
Spanish hip hop legend Kase.O headlines tonight’s edition, while on Saturday, crowd-favorite Estopa is back to deliver their greatest hits. On top of that, legendary U.S. rap crew Cypress Hill is set to blow the roof off with their explosive live energy.
But wait, there’s more! Also hitting the stage are British ska pioneers Madness, flamenco fusion maestro Yerai Cortés, the genre-bending Queralt Lahoz, Bebe, Latin funk heroes Los Amigos Invisibles, the infectious Bacilos, and many more — from Caravan Palace to Rawayana to Reyna Tropical.
Add to that food trucks, art installations, and the kind of chill, inclusive atmosphere that you love about Madrid and voilà. Perfect weekend.
🖥️ What: Festival Río Babel
📍 Where: Auditorio Miguel Ríos, Paseo Alicia Alonso s/n, Rivas Vaciamadrid.
📅 When: July 4-5. Check website for opening hours.
🎟 Tickets start at €44 (per day)
4. 🌴 Rita’s Summer Edition 2025: Your ultimate weekend escape in Madrid
Heat’s got you down? Worry not, because Rita’s Summer Edition is here to lift you right back up with music, water fights, cocktails, and pure summer vibes every weekend starting tomorrow at Autocine Madrid. And it all takes place during the day.
Forget the rooftop scene. Why would you want to get closer to the sun? Rita’s transforms the Autocine into a full-blown summer playground, with a different theme each weekend. Think 2000s throwbacks, Hawaiian parties, white outfits under golden sunsets, American road trip aesthetics, and camp vibes with a side of chaos.
You should expect: foam cannons, flamingo showers, water slides, musical bingo, live DJs, solariums, cocktails, summer games, and Insta-ready corners designed to light up your socials. (Because Instagram or it didn’t happen.)
Music takes center stage, with live acts and DJ sets spanning all styles. Add in some sun, water and a cocktail in hand, and you’ve got Madrid’s most refreshing plan.
This year’s edition steps things up with more shaded chill zones, better hydration stations, upgraded food offerings, and new collaborators to keep regulars surprised. What do you say? Rita’s by day, Madrid Pride by night?
🖥️ What: Rita’s Summer Edition 2025
📍 Where: Autocine Madrid, Calle de la Isla de Java 2, Madrid
📅 When: Saturdays and Sundays through Aug. 23
🎟 Tickets: Check website.
5.🌍 Terrafilia is a Radical Love Letter to the Earth at the Thyssen Museum
If you’re looking to cool off and get inspired this weekend, the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum is offering something more than just air-conditioning: a profound rethinking of our place on the planet.
Starting this week, the museum presents Terrafilia, an exhibition that invites visitors to explore what it means to love and care for the Earth through the lens of art.
The exhibit features more than 100 works spanning different eras, styles, and worldviews, all pushing us to reimagine our relationship with the natural world.
Structured across seven interconnected themes — from cosmograms and oceanic cosmogonies to dream art and temporal mythologies — Terrafilia challenges the human-centered lens that has long dominated our view of nature. Instead, it proposes new ways of coexisting with other species, blending science, spirituality, and indigenous wisdom into a rich and sometimes unsettling reflection.
This exhibit is a deep emotional and ethical connection to the planet and all its life forms, and it takes a clear stand on the climate crisis, colonial legacies, and ecological destruction. Don’t miss it.
🖥️ What: Terrafilia
📍 Where: Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, Paseo del Prado 8, Madrid
📅 When: Through Sept. 24
🎟 Tickets: €14
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🍸 A Chueca Classic with a Twist: Specia Atelier Bar Still Knows How to Impress
🍂 The concept: Specia Atelier Bar is a cozy, art-inspired cocktail atelier in Chueca. Think plant-forward craft drinks in a gallery-like space — where each sip feels like a vibrant botanical mystery. “You are spicy, honey” is more than a catchphrase, it’s an invitation.
📍 The location: Calle de las Infantas, 17 (just off Gran Vía, in Chueca),
🧃 The drinks: Their inventive menu features house-infused gins (like lavender, cucumber, passionfruit), rums, whiskies, vodkas — and standout Atelier creations like De Madrid al Cielo, Holy Ginger, and a lab-crafted Old Fashioned with smoky aromas and zest.
💥 One recommendation: Try the You Are Spicy Honey. It’s gin with smoked chili, ginger ale, vanilla syrup, citrus, and egg white. It’s the emblematic drink of the bar and a perfect intro to Specia’s bold, plant-based alchemy.
🇩🇪 The Berlin Kebab Has Landed: Why CULTO Is Madrid’s Coolest Döner Spot
🍢 The concept: CULTO KEBAB brings the authentic Berliner döner to Madrid —gourmet kebab with fresh ingredients, artisan bread and top-quality meats, all served with cultural flair.
📍 The location: P.º de Sta. María de la Cabeza, 4, Arganzuela, Madrid. (Find them online at rindeculto.com)
🍖 The food: Choose between döner wraps or bowls (beef, chicken or mixed), paired with crispy fries and gourmet sauces (Kräuter, Tahini, Harissa or Babaganoush). Add-ons include extra meat, cheese, sauces, and falafel bites.
💥 One recommendation: Go for the mixed döner bowl with extra Babaganoush and a side of falafel hummus — Madrid’s Berlin-style kebab at its best.
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We’ll be back next week with more.