☀️ What's on in Madrid: June 20
Tapa World Day, Madrid Otaku, Madrid Art Déco 2025 and more!
Madrid | Issue #103
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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
Happy Friday!
We’re just a few hours away from summer, and we’re already hating the scorching heat. This week, our social media feeds have been filled with memes about people wanting to move to Cantabria (it’s still cool there) and viral images of a weather map of Spain that’s terrifyingly red.
The sad reality is there’s nothing you can do about it. (Well… there is, but climate denialism is a thing now, so… you know.) So why not enjoy whatever time we have left instead?
This weekend has some very interesting options that can help you escape the heat and that do not involve a community pool (not that there’s anything wrong with that). From the Pet Shop Boys performing live to World Tapa Day in Lavapiés, this weekend has it all!
And if you have a swimming pool and want to invite us over, we may consider attending. 🥺
Enjoy!
1.🎤 Kalorama Madrid 2025: A music festival to remember
Madrid’s summer concert calendar is officially heating up (figuratively and literally), and the Kalorama Festival is leading the charge. After making waves in Lisbon, this international music fest with multiple stages returns for its second edition in our city this weekend (well, actually today and tomorrow).
The lineup? It’s absolutely stacked. There’s the Pet Shop Boys bringing their Dreamworld tour and four decades of synthpop glory (google them kids!), Azealia Banks, the soulful Jorja Smith, Father John Misty and, yes, Scissor Sisters are back after 11 years, ready to glitter-bomb the stage with their unique style of glam-pop.
But that’s not all! There’s also The Flaming Lips (celebrating Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots), Boy Harsher, BADBADNOTGOOD, L’Impératrice, and Model/Actriz. Are you not entertained?
Of course, there are also the Spanish artists who are just as cool and you shouldn’t miss: Alizzz, Maria Arnal, PUTOCHINOMARICÓN, and Irenegarry.
Those of you who consider food as important as the performers can expect a variety of on-site vendors offering burgers, pizza, Mexican and Asian cuisine, plus vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
The festival also features the BALORE area, dedicated to sustainability, inclusivity, and safety, featuring zones focused on environmental initiatives, LGBTIQ+ support, gender-violence prevention, accessibility, and overall festival wellbeing
Tickets are still available so get them once you’re done googling who the Pet Shop Boys are.
🖥️ What: Kalorama Madrid 2025
📍 Where: Caja Mágica, Camino de Perales 23, Madrid.
📅 When: June 20-21
🎟 Tickets: One day €70, two days €115
2.🤤 Celebrate World Tapa Day in Lavapies (and get some croquetas!)
Did you know that every third Thursday in June is World Tapa Day? We didn’t. And we missed it (this breaks our hearts). Or maybe we did and we forgot. Anyway. Fortunately, we live in a country in which the experience of delicious food is front and center so fret not, fellow ravenous reader, we got you covered because Lavapiés is still celebrating it.
Twenty-six bars and restaurants in Lavapiés are serving their own take on Spain’s most iconic bite, the croqueta, for just €1.50 each. We’re talking everything from jamón y huevo to vegan falafel-style mashups, fancy duck-and-foie blends, and even a dessert croqueta stuffed with melted Kinder chocolate. If you thought “ew, gross”, shut up.
This annual tradition has found a particularly quirky home in Lavapiés, a neighborhood where no two croquetas (or bars) are alike. Expect inventive creations like carabineros with leeks and panceta (at La Caníbal), a Gruyère and jalapeño “gringa” (at La Lata de Cascorro), or txangurro-style Basque crab (at El Económico).
Now that you’ve had a few seconds to process the idea of a croqueta Kinder, head over to El Rincón Guay to try it.
You can be a jamón loyalist or a croqueta experimentalist. It doesn’t matter. This is the perfect excuse to wander the streets of Lavapiés with a napkin in one hand and a vermut in the other. Just follow the scent of béchamel, and thank us later.
🖥️ What: Dia Mundial de la Tapa en Lavapiés 2025
📍 Where: Multiple locations around Lavapiés. Check official website for participating bars.
📅 When: Through June 22.
🎟 Croquetas: €1.50 each
3.🏛️ Travel back to the roaring 1920s when Art Déco took over Madrid
The kinder croquetas were a step too far for you? Fine, here’s a palate cleanser, especially if you’re a fan of vintage elegance, bold geometry, and the glitzy optimism of the early 20th century (those were the days, amirite?).
Madrid Art Déco 1925 is a fantastic exhibit that dives deep into the Art Déco movement—not just as an aesthetic, but as a cultural force that reshaped Madrid’s identity during a time of radical transformation. Back then the city had just opened its first Metro line, and Gran Vía was rapidly modernizing itself.
Art Déco was the visual language of this new era. This exhibit brings together more than 50 pieces from the López-Trabado and Carlos Velasco collections, along with rarely seen loans from institutions like the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas, Fundación Telefónica, and the Biblioteca Digital Memoria de Madrid.
There’s a mix of fashion, film posters, architectural models, advertising designs, and even objects of daily life, all capturing the sleek, cosmopolitan style that flourished in the 1920s and 30s.
The exhibit also highlights how Art Déco reflected deeper shifts in Spanish society, especially the growing visibility and independence of women, who began entering the workforce and adopting new, liberated fashion choices.
Probably one of the best options out there this weekend. Do not miss!
🖥️ What: Madrid Art Déco 1925
📍 Where: Centro Cultural Conde Duque, Calle del Conde Duque 11, Madrid
📅 When: Through Nov. 2. Check website for opening hours.
🎟 Tickets: Free (although limited availability)
4.🇪🇺 DEMM25: Celebrate the Summer Solstice with the Best Sounds in Madrid
The European Day of Music (Día Europeo de la Música) is back, and Madrid is throwing one of its best parties of the year at the Matadero Madrid cultural center.
DEMM is a three-day music marathon that brings together top artists, rising talents, family-friendly shows, and even music documentaries. It’s free, it’s diverse, and it’s a great way for you to fight the hot weather.
Held each year around the summer solstice, DEMM is one big celebration of cultural exchange through music. Now in its 16th edition, the festival has become a staple of Madrid’s indie and alternative music scene, consistently spotlighting both international headliners and bold newcomers.
This year’s lineup is pure ✨chef’s kiss✨: Hot Chip (DJ set) will have you dancing till your knees give out, Sofía Kourtesis is bringing the ethereal beats, Moxie and Baiuca will get you sweating in the best way, and Spanish queens Hinds and Emilia Grima are ready to serve.
Beyond the concerts, Cineteca Madrid will screen music documentaries that take you behind the scenes into the creative process of some of today’s most innovative musicians. It’s an opportunity to explore not just the performance, but the stories and struggles behind the sound.
Choose this if you’re in the mood for indie bangers, weird vibes and dancing in the sun. Oh, and get this: it’s free. You’re welcome.
🖥️ What: DEMM 25 (Día Europeo de la Música en Matadero)
📍 Where: Matadero Madrid, Plaza de Legazpi 8, Madrid.
📅 When: June 20, 21, 22. Check website for schedules.
🎟 Tickets: Free admission
5. 🎌 Calling all weebs, cosplayers, and anime stans: Madrid Otaku is back!
Last but not least: Madrid Otaku is back for its ninth edition! And it’s taking over the Pabellón de Cristal in Casa de Campo for a full-on anime core weekend. Madrid Otaku 2025 is about One Piece marathons, J-pop bangers and guys wearing giant Pikachu onesies.
It’s a full-blown Japanese pop culture explosion. There will be karaoke battles, dance-offs, iconic cosplay, merch for days, and special guests from the animeverse and beyond.
You’ll meet creators, artists, and internet legends like Saencsa, ShenronZ, NeoAnimeZ, VivaErManga, and cosplay king Juggernaut (google them, adults!).
And it gets better. Iron Attack!, one of Japan’s wildest rock bands, will be performing live, and Saki from idol duo Shoujo Fractal will be there to give your Kawaii soul the serotonin hit it deserves. (If you have no idea what we’re talking about, this event is not for you.)
🖥️ What: Madrid Otaku
📍 Where: Pabellón de Cristal, Casa de Campo, Avenida Principal 16, Madrid.
📅 When: June 21-22. Check website for schedules.
🎟 Tickets start at €13
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🍸 One bar to try this weekend: Toni2
🎨 The Concept: Think, timeless charm, intimate atmosphere, a participatory live-music experience, and a gigantic piano. Like Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca, but for well-heeled Latino madrileños instead of French resistance fighters.
Play it again, Sam. Over the years, Toni2 Piano Bar has become a sort of haven for Latinos in Madrid to reminisce over iconic tunes - and, despite the rise of new competitors, no other piano in the city is as iconic, as renowned, or as impressively loooooong as the one found here. Singing and dancing is strongly encouraged, if not required, as it is what really builds the atmosphere of the bar.
📍The location: Calle del Almirante 9, Madrid. Check website. (Price per person: €10 - €30) Ideal for early birds who want to secure their spot. Less ideal for those seeking quiet or space. And if you don’t like pianos, not for you.
🧃The Drinks:
Spirits galore: The bar boasts an extensive lineup - whiskies, rums, tequilas (Don Julio, Herradura), vodkas and gins. Along with brandies, cognacs, liqueurs, wine, champagne, beer, and soft drinks
Classic “cubata” style: Most drinks are served as simple mixed combos — e.g., gin & tonic, whisky & soft drink — rather than fancy cocktails
💥 A few recommendations:
Bring cash to cover entry and extras sin drama.
Ask for imported brands, it fits the bar’s vibe.
Don't expect artisanal cocktails — this is all about the communal piano vibe, not mixology precision.
🇲🇽 La Lupita: Mexico in every bite
🌮 The concept: Think of a vibrant Mexican heart, cozy, energetic, and high on the Scoville scale.
La Lupita isn’t just a taco joint. It’s one of Madrid’s most spirited taquerías, where authentic food and a festive atmosphere collide and make happy, well-fed children. Awarded the Sello Copil for genuine Mexican cuisine, it’s a go‑to for anyone in Madrid desperate for a Mexican meal in its truest form. If you close your eyes, you can smell your favorite taquería in CDMX…
📍The location: C. de Villanueva, 15, Madrid. Phone: +34 914 31 71 45. Reservations accepted via OpenTable (Price per person: around €20–30).
Tip: Book ahead during peak hours or visit early to snag a good table, especially if you want that patio seat.
🌯 The food:
Taco Variety. A lineup of the classics (pastor, campechano, cochinita pibil, seafood options) praised for their “intense flavors.”
Starters to Share: Must-try items include homemade guacamole, chicharrón de queso, sopecitos and ceviches.
🧃The Drinks:
Tropical Sip Selection. Margaritas and micheladas get consistent praise as standout companions to the tacos
Mexican Beer & More: A solid range of beer and cocktails rounding out a drink menu that complements the food and the fiesta spirit.
👥 Service and atmosphere:
Warm & Welcoming: Staff praised for friendliness and accommodating spirit - many reviewers note the “Mexican-born” vibe adds to the experience.
💥 A few recommendations:
Reserve or arrive early on weekends (space fills quickly).
Order a margarita or michelada (they’re crowd favorites).
Share a few smaller plates or tacos to sample more variety and value.
📝 Additional reporting by Isabel Valenzuela.
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