đč What's on in Madrid: June 27
Imagine Dragons, an outdoors EDM festival, evil iconographyâŠand more!
Madrid | Issue #104
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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
Happy Friday!
Weâve officially entered melt-your-face-off season, and Madrid isnât holding back.
With temperatures higher than your rent and no mercy from the sun gods, youâd think weâd all stay home curled under the A/C. But alas, this week is packed with things to do, see, dance to, sip on, and sweat through.
There are massive concerts (Imagine Dragons, anyone?), techno marathons, royal tapestry expos, and post-party vermouth strolls. Madrid is serving options hotter than the sidewalk at noon.
So grab your fan and remember to hydrate! The first heat wave of the year arrives tomorrow, and it will be merciless.
Enjoy!
đłïžâđ But first⊠Download our exclusive Guide to Madrid Pride 2025
Looking for the ultimate guide to surviving Madrid Pride 2025? Weâve got you covered!
From the wildest parties to must-see parades, our guide is your one-stop shop for navigating the most fabulous week of the year. It doesnât matter if youâre a seasoned Pride veteran or just here for the vibes, donât make a move without reading it first.
1.đ Imagine Dragons Lands in Madrid This Weekend
Get ready, fans of good, noble music. Imagine Dragons is crashing into Madrid this weekend for a massive show as part of their LOOM World Tour, their first-ever stadium tour.
Yes, that band you used to cry to during âDemonsâ 12 years ago (donât even try to deny it) is still very much alive, and apparently thriving. The Las Vegas alt-rockers, fronted by
hot afgreat singer Dan Reynolds, are promoting LOOM, their sixth studio album, which somehow manages to blend their signature cinematic drama with a lighter, breezier sound.Style change. And while in the past we had grown used to their post-apocalyptic breakdowns, this album is more about sunlit emotional growth.
OK, Gen Xer. In case you donât know who they are, Imagine Dragons blew up in 2012 with Night Visions, a fantastic album that gave us classics such as Radioactive and Demons.
Theyâve racked up a Grammy, a handful of AMAs, and even a song on the Arcane: League of Legends soundtrack (donât ask how we know this, we just do).
Madrid is one of just 16 cities on this European leg, and between the heatwave, the early Pride parties, and now this concert, the city couldnât be more alive.
đ„ïž What: Imagine Dragons
đ Where: Avenida de Luis AragonĂ©s s/n, Estadio Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid
đ When: June 28, 9:30 p.m.
đ Tickets: Starting at âŹ65
2.đ Bernarda y Poncia: A sequel to Spainâs most dramatic matriarch hits the stage
The House of Bernarda Alba is an iconic Spanish tragedy by playwright Federico GarcĂa Lorca that premiered in 1945 and is often seen as a feminist classic. Anyway â spoiler alert â the play ends with Adela's suicide. (Sorry if weâre ruining it for you, but youâve had 80 years to see it.)
Anyway, Lorca was assassinated in 1936, right after completing the play so he never got to write a sequel. However, contemporary Spanish playwright Pilar Ăvila decided to write a sequel that is set eight years later and explores what happened to the surviving characters. (These types of unofficial sequels are often referred to as âapocryphal fictionâ as they are not part of the original canon.)
As the story continues, the ghosts of that suffocating, fan-waving household are not ready to stay buried. This compelling sequel picks up right where Lorca left off, dragging secrets, resentments, and repressed emotions back into the blazing Andalusian sun.
The two-act play stretches across 12 intense hours of a summer day. Itâs all there: the claustrophobia, the tension, and yes â the questions weâve had for decades, such as: does Bernarda Alba actually have feelings?
The play blends classic dramatic structure with poetic flashes and balances its homage to Lorca with a fresh lens that dares to peek behind those tightly drawn curtains. A must see.
đ„ïž What: Bernarda y Poncia
đ Where: Teatro Lara, Calle Corredera Baja de San Pablo 15, Madrid.
đ When: Through Sept. 27. Saturdays at 6:15 p.m..
đ Tickets: âŹ23
3.đ Evil iconography: A sinful summer at Madridâs Royal Collections Gallery
You wonât have to imagine dragons hereâyouâll see them.
If youâve ever wanted to see wrath, lust, and envy woven in silk and gold thread, this summerâs your chance, as Madridâs Gallery of Royal Collections is hosting a truly rare exhibit: the first-ever public display of two 16th-century Flemish tapestry series on the Seven Deadly Sins: wrath, gluttony, pride, lust, sloth, envy, and greed.
These masterpieces once belonged to Queen Mary of Hungary and Philip II, two royals youâve never heard of. Until now, the series have lived largely in private royal archives. Woven in the Netherlands and loaded with symbolic drama, theyâre basically what David Fincher would have created had he been alive during the Renaissance.
The exhibition marks the second anniversary of the gallery, which has rapidly become one of Spainâs most prestigious cultural institutions. Alongside the tapestries, the museum is rolling out a rich program of talks, guided tours, contemporary art, film, music, and dance through July 6 to celebrate its growing legacy and reimagine how we engage with Spainâs vast royal heritage.
Itâs great for art history nerds, sin enthusiasts â or David Fincher fans.
đ„ïž What: Iconography of Evil
đ Where: GalerĂa de las Colecciones Reales, Calle del BailĂ©n 8, Madrid.
đ When: Through Sept. 28. Check website for opening hours.
đ Tickets: âŹ14
4. đ Kings & Queens: The Art of Being (Your Own) Other Half
Where photography meets drag, split-screen style.
If youâre looking for something thatâll mess with your brain and delight your soul, Kings & Queens might just be it. And just in time for the Pride pregame.
This internationally acclaimed photo series features drag kings and queens posing next to their better half: themselves. Thanks to the magic of photo montage, each image captures one person as two versions: their everyday self and their fabulously queer alter ego.
The result is a beautiful and occasionally hilarious meditation on identity, performance, and the refusal to be put in a binary box.
The project is the brainchild of Dutch photographer LĂ©on Hendrickx and drag artist Snorella, who set out to explore what happens when we stop pretending weâre just âone thing.â
Forget man vs. woman, masc vs. femme â this series celebrates the full, chaotic spectrum of self. Itâs not a protest and itâs not overtly political, but it hits like a glitter bomb of truth: we all contain multitudes, and we all deserve to be seen.
Drag fans, gender theorists, and lovers of high-concept visual storytelling: this oneâs for you.
đ„ïž What: Kings and Queens
đ Where: V22, Calle de Vallehermoso 22, Madrid.
đ When: June 28 to July 1. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
đ Tickets: Check website.
5.đȘ© Cocoon: 12 hours of techno, legends, and open-air madness
Brace yourselves, club kids. Coccoon, one of the most iconic brands in global electronic music culture, lands at the Madrid Autocine for the first time ever this Saturday, and itâs not coming quietly.
Itâs gonna be a 12-hour marathon of electronic music in which this legendary techno collective brings with it the heavy artillery: Sven VĂ€th, the godfather of German techno himself, will close the event with a three-hour set that promises to be nothing short of ritualistic.
Joining him on deck duty are Carl Craig (straight from Detroitâs holy temples of sound), Marcel Dettmann (Berlinâs Berghain poster boy), Raresh (a Romanian minimal hero), and Raxon, whose hypnotic vibe is pure future. Rising stars Diem and Manili round out a lineup that reads more like a pilgrimage than a party.
If youâre just here for the vibes and a beat that never drops the ball, this is one of those rare nights where Madrid feels like Berlin, Detroit, and Ibiza rolled into one. And itâs all taking place in the open air, along with a pounding bass, and a sunset that slowly gives way to strobes.
đ„ïž What: Coccoon
đ Where: Autocine Madrid, Calle de la Isla de Java 2, Madrid.
đ When: June 28, 12 p.m. to midnight
đ Tickets start at âŹ40
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đž One bar to try this weekend: Bad Company 1920
đ The Concept: A speakeasy that doesnât just look like a 1920s mob joint â it is one. From the secret password to the stylish prohibition-era dĂ©cor and staff dressed like Peaky Blinders, every detail is a full-on immersive gamble.
The Experience:
Password required. Check their Instagram for the monthly code. Ring the buzzer, deliver it, and you're in.
Guided descent. A host may âescortâ you downstairsâgun or vault door included.
Moodâsetting dĂ©cor & soundtrack. Velvet armchairs, jazz, swing and classic soul set the scene.
đThe location: Calle Miguel Moya 8, Madrid. Two doors down from the bustle of Gran VĂa. Itâs like stepping into a locked vault from 1923.
đ§The Drinks: With around 20 signature cocktails served in deceptive containers, each drink is not just a beverage, but a theatrical reveal. House-made spirits, and preâ1933 techniques reinforce the retro authenticity.
Top pick: The Peaky Blinders: smoky whisky served under a âblinding capâ.
For something different, go for the Milshake: rum, coconut kefir, strawberryâvanilla cordial, topped with whiteâchocolate foam
đ„ One recommendation: Book ahead via Instagram and mention youâre in the mood for a show-stopping cocktail. Try the âMĂĄquina de escribirâ, served on a mini typewriter.
đŁ Umiko: Madridâs Wildest Omakase Experience
đ± The concept: High-end Japanese meets Madrid flair. Tucked into a quiet street near El Retiro, Umiko is not your typical sushi spot. This restaurant is elegant cuisine dressed in tattoos and techno; an omakase adventure with edge. At Umiko, sushi becomes storytelling, where the chefs are your narrators.
đThe location: C. de los Madrazo, 6, Madrid.
Tip: Book ahead during peak hours or visit early to snag a good table, especially if you want that patio seat.
đ€ The food: Umikoâs tasting menu is a thrill ride. Expect pristine Japanese technique colliding with global twists: Jerez sauces, curry foams, Iberian pork nigiri.
Every dish is unique, delivered with theatrical flair. Itâs sushi, but not as you know it.
Thereâs a reverence for the product â bluefin, uni, carabinero, paired with a sense of fun. The wine and sake pairings alongside the slick interiors offer a truly special weekend dinner experience.
đ„ One recommendation. If theyâre serving the âGunkan de tuĂ©tano con anguilaâ, do not hesitate.
đ Additional reporting by Isabel Valenzuela.
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