💃🏻 What's on in Madrid: May 8
Get ready to dress up like chulapos this weekend because San Isidro is here.
Madrid | Issue #144
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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
It’s Friday again!
Guess what? Madrid is in full celebration mode (again!) and honestly, there’s no better time to lean into it.
From the Feria de San Isidro to festivals, exhibitions, and enough plans to completely wreck your sleep schedule, this city is doing what it does best: giving you zero excuses to stay home.
This week, we’re taking you from chulapos and rosquillas to Star Wars fan madness, underground dance, poetry, and restaurants with long waiting lists but definitely worth the wait. Basically: if you’re bored, it’s on you.
Happy weekend!
1. 🌺 Put on your chulapo outfit and pretend you understand rosquillas: San Isidro is back
Wait, is Madrid throwing yet another celebration? Yes, we just had one with the whole Madrid Day thing last week, but what can we say? We love a good excuse to party.
Going until next weekend, Madrid hits a very specific vibe that involves religious devotion, picnic chaos, and a city-wide excuse to drink wine disguised as lemonade. That’s San Isidro in a nutshell. It's also known as the Feast of Saint Isidore the Laborer (aka the moment when locals collectively decide that the best way to honor the city’s patron saint is by dressing up, heading to a field, and day drinking).
The heart of it all is the Pradera de San Isidro, a public park in southwestern Madrid you’ve never been to, even though things there get wonderfully unhinged. The madness began yesterday (whoops!) but things keep going until May 17, so check out the official program for the countless things to do in the city.
You’ve got chulapos and chulapas (aka this) lining up to drink the “holy water” from the saint’s fountain (yes, that’s a thing), while others are parked on the grass with rosquillas and limonada — which, just to be clear, is not lemonade. It’s wine, lemon, sugar, and fruit. So basically it’s sangría, but who cares.
And then there are the rosquillas. You’ll be forced to pick a side. The tontas (plain, egg-based), the listas (with sugar glaze), the Santa Clara (covered in meringue), the francesas (almond-coated)… and now even chocolate-covered ones for the modern crowd. Wrong year to start dieting.
Beyond the picnic-core aesthetic and the live music, the city leans fully into tradition. There are religious ceremonies tied to San Isidro’s supposed miracles (he was known for finding water, which explains the whole fountain obsession), and, of course, the Feria de San Isidro — one of the biggest bullfighting events in the world — taking over Las Ventas, which we disapprove of because we’re woke (at least according to some of you on Instagram).
🖥️ What: Fiestas de San Isidro 2026
📍 Where: Multiple locations around Madrid
📅 When: Through May 17 (main event is May 15)
🎟 Tickets: Mostly free (some events like bullfighting require tickets)
2. 👽 Madrid just got its biggest Star Wars fan exhibition
Attention trekkies (kidding)! If you’ve ever argued about whether The Empire Strikes Back is objectively the best one (it is), this is your moment. Madrid has just been taken over by one of the biggest fan-made Star Wars exhibitions in the world.
El Imperio Fan Contraataca lands in the city after touring places like New York, London, and Paris, bringing with it over 600 collectible items and 50+ sculptures dedicated to the saga.
There are life-size figures, original-style costumes, posters, photos… basically the kind of stuff that makes you giggle like a little kid even though your doctor is already recommending regular prostate checkups.
But the real hook here isn’t just the scale — it’s the fact that this is built by fans, for fans. Every corner feels like someone went way too deep into Star Wars lore and never returned.
Even if you’re not a die-hard, there’s something oddly satisfying about seeing that level of detail and devotion up close. And if you are a fan? Clear your schedule.
🖥️ What: El Imperio Fan Contraataca (Star Wars Fan Exhibition)
📍 Where: Espacio Delicias, Paseo de las Delicias 61, Madrid
📅 When: Through July 5
🎟 Tickets start at €13,60
3. 🇮🇹 Put your Duolingo learning to good use: Madrid’s getting very poetic (and Italian) this weekend
Not your usual Friday plan, but hear us out. For five days, a palace in Madrid is turning into a full-on poetry vortex for the first Festival of Italian Poetry. Intrigued? Read on!
The event brings together poets, thinkers, and performers to explore how Italian and Spanish literary traditions have been quietly influencing each other for centuries. If you’re trying to look
pretentioussmart in front of your date, this is for you.The program mixes readings, debates, and performances that lean into big, slightly intimidating questions — like what nature actually means when poets get involved — alongside more grounded conversations around women, poetry, and freedom.
And then it gets a bit more experimental, blending poetry with live music, rhythm, and performance pieces that feel closer to a live set than a lecture.
There’s also a strong historical angle, with events marking 800 years since San Francisco of Assisi and nods to Lorca (because no Spanish cultural moment is complete without him).
🖥️ What: Festival de la Poesía Italiana en Madrid
📍 Where: Instituto Italiano de Cultura, Palacio de Abrantes, Calle Mayor 86, Madrid
📅 When: May 8–12
🎟 Tickets: Free entry (subject to capacity and you need to book it via their website)
4. 🩰 Forget the plot, just feel: this dance show is like a dream you don’t fully understand (and that’s OK)
Is an Italian poetry festival too mainstream for you? Here’s a really cool (and abstract) option.
If you need a story with a beginning, middle, and end… this is not your show. But if you’re up for something different, then Goyo Montero’s latest piece might be exactly what you needed.
The choreographer presents a modern dance performance inspired by Bach’s Goldberg Variations, but don’t expect anything classical in the traditional sense. This is a fully emotional, almost hypnotic experience, where 28 dancers move through a series of solos, duos, and trios that explore connection, vulnerability, tension — all the good human stuff.
There are no characters, no heroes, no clear storyline. Just bodies in motion, shifting between tenderness and aggression, calm and chaos. A place where dreams and nightmares blend together, and movement becomes the only language that matters.
The music plays a big role too, mixing Bach’s mathematical precision with contemporary soundscapes by Owen Belton. The result is something cyclical, almost meditative — like everything is constantly dissolving and coming back again.
It’s not the easiest plan for the weekend. But it might be the most interesting one.
🖥️ What: Goyo Montero’s Goldberg
📍 Where: Centro Danza Matadero, Paseo de la Chopera 14, Madrid
📅 When: Through May 9
🎟 Tickets start at €27
5. 💿 The city’s biggest vinyl treasure hunt is back
If your idea of a perfect weekend includes flipping through crates for hours, chasing that one record you didn’t know you needed — this is your moment.
The International Record Fair returns to Madrid for its 28th edition, taking over Casa de Campo during the San Isidro festivities. The fair is a full-blown music playground with around 130 stands from across the world bringing everything from rare vinyl and cassettes to CDs and deep cuts across every genre imaginable.
But it goes beyond collecting. Expect live performances, DJ sets, book presentations, and panels with people who actually shape the music scene. It’s about nostalgia and cultural dive, and an excuse to spend way too long debating whether you really need another record (you probably do, but maybe buy a turntable first?).
Whether you’re a serious collector or just someone who misses the ritual of physical music (damn you, Spotify!), this is one of those events where you walk in “just to browse” and walk out with a bag full of bad decisions.
🖥️ What: Madrid International Record Fair (28th Edition)
📍 Where: Pabellón de Convenciones, Casa de Campo, Av. de Portugal s/n, Madrid
📅 When: May 9–10,
🎟 Tickets start at €5,10
📺 What to watch if you’re staying in this weekend…
🖥️ What: My Dearest Señorita (Mi querida señorita) | Movie | 2026
📍Where to watch: Netflix
❓What’s it about: A young woman's medical discovery challenges everything she knows about herself, leading her on an unexpected path toward self-acceptance and a love that defies convention.
🤩 Why you should watch: Because it’s a sensitive, modern reimagining of a classic from 1972 that explores identity, empathy, and self-discovery without judgment, updating its themes for today’s audience. While it doesn’t try to outdo the original, it deepens it, offering a more intimate, emotionally nuanced look at a story that still feels surprisingly relevant today. Oh, and it’s produced by Los Javis.
💬 English Subtitles: Yes.
💃🏻 Places to try this weekend…
🍝 Circolo Popolare: The most Instagrammable Italian that actually delivers on the plate
What’s it about: Circolo Popolare is a two-floor Italian restaurant inside Torre Picasso that leans hard into maximalism. (Red walls, leopard-print carpets, vintage bottles everywhere, and plates that look like they belong in a design museum). It’s theatrical, and very intentionally over the top — basically built for both dinner and your camera roll.
Why you should go: Because beneath all that visual noise, the food actually delivers. The arancini are the standout and worth the visit alone: crispy, rich, and dangerously easy to demolish. And there’s something fun about a restaurant that fully commits to the experience without completely phoning in the kitchen.
Bottom line: Yes, it’s loud and engineered to go viral — but it works. Circolo Popolare is one of those rare “Instagrammable” spots that doesn’t collapse under its own hype.
Address: Paseo de la Castellana 89, Torre Picasso, Madrid
🐙 Casa Nokiate: A Chueca taberna where Spain meets Latin America and Asia
What’s it about: Casa Nokiate is what happens when a Madrid taberna decides to travel — and comes back with Guatemala, Japan, and a bit of Peru in its suitcase. Located in Chueca, it blends classic Spanish tapas culture with Latin American energy and Asian technique.
Why you should go: Because it’s not fusion for the sake of it — it actually makes sense. The menu is built for sharing, with playful, well-executed dishes like torrezno with salsa acevichada, nikkei-style tiradito, and standout appetizers like their reinvented gildas.
Bottom line: Casa Nokiate doesn’t try to be overly fancy — it just wants to feed you well and surprise you a bit along the way. It’s a solid pick for a relaxed but memorable meal in Chueca, especially if you’re into sharing plates with a twist.
Address: Calle de San Bartolomé 14, Madrid
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Thank you very much for suggesting Mi querida señorita. We watched it last night and found it profoundly moving. I can 100% guarantee it would never have come across our radar if it hadn't been for The Bubble. Cheers for the recommendation!