☘️ What's on in Madrid: March 13
It's Friday the 13th and the Saint Patrick's Day Parade. Get ready for mayhem.
Madrid | Issue #136
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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
It’s Friday (the 13th) again!
And it feels like the perfect day to kick off a weekend that already looks slightly surreal.
Madrid is turning green because of St. Patrick’s, and it’s also glowing thanks to a citywide light festival. Add a bit of high drama with a play that’s packed with murder and family secrets, and you basically have the ingredients of a very respectable horror movie plot. (Not as good as the Friday the 13th movies, but getting there).
It’s the kind of weekend where you might begin admiring a contemporary art installation and somehow end up drinking Guinness with strangers dressed like leprechauns at 2 a.m.
Happy weekend!
1. 🇮🇪 St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Irish Week: Gran Vía turns green
Kiss me, I’m Irish. Madrid may be far from Dublin and have a relatively small Irish community, but since 2023, every March, the city suddenly discovers its inner Celtic spirit.
St. Patrick’s Week has become a surprisingly big event in the capital in recent years, celebrating Ireland’s culture and its historical ties to Spain’s own Celtic roots. (We say surprisingly, because when the city was approached by a bunch of
craziesvisionaries with the idea, the first response was a resounding “huh?”)The festivities run from March 10 to 17 and include a full lineup of concerts, dance performances, literature events, film screenings, and cultural activities scattered across the city.
There is tons of stuff going on (download the official program here). The Gran Vía metro station is transformed into the “Green Vía,” where musicians and dancers from University College Dublin perform daily busking-style shows throughout the week.
Elsewhere in the city, there are Irish-themed talks, literary events, film screenings and even poetry readings marking the 300th anniversary of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.
Of course, the real highlight is the St. Patrick’s Day parade, which has quickly become one of the city’s most colorful street celebrations. The parade, now in its fourth edition, is spearheaded by Galician musician Bras Rodrigo, along with countless bagpipers, aim to bring a bit of Dublin-style spectacle to Madrid.
The procession kicks off at the Metropolis Building, marching down Gran Vía toward Plaza de España with bagpipers, dancers, performers, sports groups, and plenty of people dressed in green.
🖥️ What: St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Ireland Week
📍 Where: Parade along Gran Vía (Metropolis Building to Plaza de España)
📅 When: Parade on March 14 at 5 p.m. (Ireland Week events run through March 17)
🎟 Tickets: Free admission
2.💡 LuzMadrid is back to turn the city into art
Let there be light. Madrid is damn beautiful at night, so why not turn it up to 11? That’s the idea behind LuzMadrid, the international light festival that returns for its third edition, transforming parts of the city into a glowing open-air strip club gallery.
Created in 2021 to celebrate the UNESCO designation of the Paisaje de la Luz (the cultural landscape that includes the Prado Museum, Retiro, and Paseo del Prado), the festival invites artists from around the world to use light as their medium, turning plazas, monuments, and façades into temporary works of art.
This year’s edition features 15 installations by national and international artists, scattered across different locations, encouraging visitors to wander through the city (check the official program here).
The result is a city-wide night walk where buildings suddenly glow, installations pulse with color, and familiar landmarks look like they’ve been quietly upgraded with a sci-fi filter. And yes, it will look great on your Instagram stories. Your crush might even react to it with a 👏🏻 (the most disappointing of reactions, but you can’t win ’em all).
If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to wander Madrid after dark that doesn’t make it sound like you’re cruising, this is probably it.
🖥️ What: LuzMadrid International Light Festival
📍 Where: Various locations across central Madrid (see official site)
📅 When: Through March 14
🎟 Tickets: Free admission
3.👗 Listen up, cool kids: Madrid’s Fashion Week has already started
And you’re probably not invited. The city’s Spring Fashion Week season kicked off yesterday with one of the key events designed to bring Spanish fashion out of the runway and into the streets.
Now, before you run out the door with your phone in hand, this is not the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid (aka the country’s biggest fashion event). That’s actually next week.
This is OMODA Madrid es Moda (basically the warmup event), and instead of confining fashion to convention halls and icy looks from Anna Wintour-wannabes, the event transforms the city itself into a stage, with shows, presentations, and installations across the capital.
Focused on promoting Spanish designer fashion, the event features 32 designers (like Dominnico, Carlota Barrera, Roberto Verino, and Paloma Suárez) and brands showcasing their work through a packed program of 18 runway shows and performances, eight exhibition-style presentations, and several public events and talks designed to connect designers, industry professionals, and the
plebspublic.
Instead of traditional catwalk venues, designers present their collections in places that highlight Madrid’s architecture and urban spaces, allowing peasants the public to experience fashion more directly.
🖥️ What: OMODA Madrid es Moda
📍 Where: Various venues across Madrid
📅 When: Through March 17
🎟 Tickets start at: Many events are free, some require invitation (check website)
4. 🎭 A classic Spanish drama returns to the stage with Malquerida
Attention fans of the 1995 movie starring Keanu Reeves, “A Walk in the Clouds”, this one is for you! If you’re in the mood for high drama, forbidden passions, and the kind of rural intrigue that defined early 20th-century Spanish theater, then you better head over to the Teatro Español.
La Malquerida, one of the most famous plays by Nobel Prize–winning playwright Jacinto Benavente, is back on stage in a new adaptation directed by Natalia Menéndez and Juan Carlos Rubio.
First premiered in 1913, the story unfolds in a country estate where a wedding celebration turns into tragedy when the groom is mysteriously murdered. Suspicion spreads across the village, old rivalries resurface, and a web of secrets begins to unravel. It’s basically the plot of The Hangover, except the groom dies.
Leading the cast is veteran Spanish actress Aitana Sánchez-Gijón (omg she was Keanu’s love interest in the movie!!!), who plays Raimunda, a widow determined to uncover the truth behind the crime, even if doing so exposes uncomfortable realities about her own family.
The play explores topics that were controversial when it premiered — jealousy, desire, violence, and forbidden love, all things that are totally non-controversial anymore because who gives a fuck.
Anyway, this new production leans into those tensions, offering a modern staging of one of the most iconic works of Spanish theater.
🖥️ What: Malquerida
📍 Where: Teatro Español, Calle del Príncipe 25, Plaza Santa Ana, Madrid
📅 When: Through April 26 (Tuesday to Sunday)
🎟 Tickets start at €6
5. 🍣 Chifa Nikkei Fest: Las Rozas’ Asian-Peruvian Food Festival
Look, we know that for you, going to Las Rozas feels like you need to grab your passport. God forbid you dare step north of Chamberí, right? Well, grab a few friends and call a Cabify, it’s not the (literal) end of the world. And it’s worth it.
This city’s love affair with Peruvian cuisine is getting a new twist this month with Chifa Nikkei Fest, a festival dedicated to one of the most fascinating culinary mashups in the world: the fusion of Peruvian, Chinese, and Japanese flavors.
The Centro Multiusos de Las Rozas will, for two weekends, transform into a mini street-food market where 10 restaurants from across the Madrid region will serve their signature dishes inspired by chifa (Chinese-Peruvian cuisine) and nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian cuisine). There will be bold wok dishes, sushi reinterpretations, classic Peruvian desserts, and plenty of cocktails.
But wait, there’s more! There will also be free tastings, masterclasses, traditional dance performances, and family-friendly activities, including workshops and games for kids.
And if all that eating wasn’t enough, the festival will also screen the Real Madrid–Atlético derby on March 22, for those of you soccer weirdos.
Enjoy!
🖥️ What: Chifa Nikkei Fest, Asian-Peruvian Food Festival
📍 Where: Centro Multiusos de Las Rozas, Las Rozas, Madrid
📅 When: March 12–15 and March 19–22 (check website for opening hours)
🎟 Free admission (food and drinks sold separately)
📺 What to watch if you’re staying in this weekend…
🖥️ What: Parecido a un asesinato (Hidden Murder) | Movie | 2025
📍Where to watch: Prime Video
❓What’s it about: A woman is living happily with her family when her police officer ex-husband bursts into their lives. Hiding in her childhood haven will do her no good; nothing will protect her.
🤩 Why you should watch: If you liked the twists and psychological tension of Contratiempo (The Invisible Guest), Parecido a un asesinato delivers a similar experience, mixing an oppressive mountain setting with clever flashbacks and constant plot turns. As the story unfolds through conflicting perspectives, the film keeps you questioning every character and every version of the truth until the very end.
💬 English Subtitles: Yes
💃🏻 Places to try this weekend…
🍽️ La Parra: Old-school Madrid done right
What’s it about: A long-running Madrid classic serving traditional Spanish home cooking with international touches, blending Andalusian charm with a subtle British influence in both the menu and atmosphere.
Why you should go: Signature dishes like roast beef, steak tartar, and crispy cochinillo have made it a local favorite for decades, all served in an elegant dining room mixing Spanish tiles and English-club vibes. (Splurge!)
Bottom line: A Chamberí institution since 1983, perfect for a relaxed business lunch or a romantic dinner with classic Madrid flair.
Address: C. del Monte Esquinza, 34, Chamberí, Madrid
☕️ Porte is Chamberí’s tiny temple of coffee
What’s it about: A tiny specialty coffee shop in Chamberí where the focus is simple: great beans, thoughtful brewing, and a calm space to actually enjoy your coffee.
Why you should go: The baristas help you find the perfect cup (espresso or filter), and their cookies and creamy artisanal ice cream (especially the affogato) are dangerously good.
Bottom line: A cozy neighborhood café where coffee lovers come for the quality and stay for the atmosphere.
Address: Calle de Sta Engracia, 39, Chamberí, Madrid
👨🏻💻 Viral Memes of the Week
🥱 Valencia 1, Morrissey 0: Mr. Smiths can't handle the Fallas
Morrissey just wasn't tough enough to handle Valencia's 24/7 Fallas madness, and he's been bashing the city ever since he arrived. Take the hotel: “Indescribable hell. It will take me one year to recover. And that is an understatement”. 😂
🍷 Galicia has a point
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