⛸️ What's on in Madrid: November 28
Ice skating, a Spanish version of A Christmas Carol and Gran Vía turns into the Upside Down.
Madrid | Issue #124
🇪🇸 The Bubble is Spain's #1 English-language, bestselling newsletter. We offer paid subscriptions, and we’d be thrilled to have your support!
Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
It’s Friday again!
Madrid is already deep into its Christmas era. The lights are on, Gran Vía is a permanent traffic jam, and every bar has decided that the appropriate temperature for “vino caliente” is “lava.”
The good news is that the city is packed with genuinely great plans right now, and this weekend’s lineup is especially strong: Stranger Things, ice skating, and an international film festival are some of the options.
If you’d rather swap crowds for culture, we’ve got that too: from Dickens on stage in Malasaña to a costumbrismo exhibit, there’s plenty to keep you entertained (and indoors) as the cold finally arrives.
Here’s everything you can do in Madrid this weekend so you can pretend you’re immune to holiday stress while secretly having the most festive time of your life.
Happy weekend!
1. ❄️ Plaza de España turns into Madrid’s winter playground
Madrid has officially entered its twinkly, slightly unhinged holiday era, and nothing captures that energy better than the return of the 600 m² outdoor ice rink in Plaza de España.
The city flirts with the idea of becoming a Hallmark Christmas movie every year, and La Navideña, a Christmas fair on the Plaza, is where it commits fully. There’s natural ice, fairy lights, festive music, craft stalls, great food, and the constant possibility of watching a banker wearing a fachaleco fall spectacularly on the ice. It’s pure joy.
The rink has become one of Madrid’s most anticipated Christmas traditions. Now in its fifth edition, La Navideña has evolved far beyond the usual holiday fair and become a full-on seasonal village with quality artisan booths (perfect for last-minute gifts), proper street-food stands, and a programme designed to feel festive without sliding into kitsch (well, not too much at least).
The best time to go? At night, when Plaza de España is glowing, and the air is cold enough to justify your biggest coat.
If you’re not a skater, it’s still worth visiting. The atmosphere alone is peak Madrid-in-December. And the rink stays open until Jan. 11, so you’ve got plenty of time to do the extremely Spanish thing and save the outing for after Reyes.
🖥️ What: La Navideña Christmas Fair & Plaza de España Ice Rink
📍 Where: Plaza de España, Madrid
📅 When: Through Jan. 11
🎟 Tickets: €9.50 (if you want to ice skate)
2.🎥 The best of the Márgenes International Film Festival
Márgenes, Madrid’s most respected indie/experimental/auteur film festival, is wrapping up its 15th edition — but the good news is that the best part of the programme is traditionally stacked at the end.
This weekend, you can still catch premieres, competition titles, and the final wave of screenings at Cineteca Madrid, Museo Reina Sofía, and La Casa Encendida.
This year’s edition pays tribute to German filmmaker Angela Schanelec, one of the top voices of the Berlin School, known for her elliptical, poetic and hypnotic cinema. Her full retrospective won’t be running anymore, but several of her films and related screenings remain in rotation at Cineteca during these last days.
The festival’s Márgenes Futura award goes to Jaime Puertas Castillo, whose work blends rural tradition with magical realism. His installation El cuarto de los tres escritorios stays open through the final days, a perfect drop-in plan if you’re near La Casa Encendida and want something genuinely original.
Márgenes is independent cinema, avant-garde screenings, and the kind of Madrid plan that makes you feel culturally superior to everyone you know.
🎬 What: Márgenes International Film Festival (the final 3 days)
📍 Where: Cineteca Madrid, Museo Reina Sofía, La Casa Encendida
📅 When: Nov. 28–30
🎟 Tickets: Most screenings €3–€5; installation at La Casa Encendida is free
3. 🎭 A Christmas Carol: A classic Christmas redemption story in Malasaña
Have you ever seen a Dickensian drama in Spanish? No? Then this is your chance, as Teatro Maravillas brings Charles Dickens’ Cuento de Navidad (A Christmas Carol) back to life, the story that practically invented the idea of Christmas as an emotional event rather than a shopping deadline.
Antonio Albella stars as Ebenezer Scrooge, literature’s most famous hater, a man whose hobbies include avoiding human contact, despising holidays, and saying “bah, humbug” with real commitment (honestly, same).
But as always, Scrooge meets the three ghosts, takes the overnight spiritual speed run, and goes from grinch to generous in record time.
This staging leans fully into the emotional warmth of the story: the nostalgia, the ghosts, the Victorian melancholy and the reminder that even the most bitter among us can be salvaged by a little compassion.
It’s wholesome without being cheesy, theatrical without being overdone, and perfect if you want a Christmas plan that isn’t a mercado, a light show, or tapas with wine.
It’s also a great option for families. The message — it’s never too late to change your heart — hits kids and adults alike, and it’s one of the rare holiday events that doesn’t speak down to children.
Oh, and you can pair it with dinner or a drink in Malasaña afterwards, which Dickens would absolutely approve of.
🎭 What: Cuento de Navidad (A Christmas Carol)
📍 Where: Teatro Maravillas, Calle de Manuela Malasaña 6, Madrid
📅 When: Nov. 27 – Jan. 4 (Wed.–Sun.)
🎟 Tickets: €20
4.🎨 Pepe Baena: Costumbrismo, Cádiz-style, arrives in Madrid
If you need a break from Madrid’s holiday chaos (the crowds, the lights, the constant threat of mulled wine), Cádiz painter Pepe Baena is here to regulate your nervous system.
The costumbrista sensation, whose warm, nostalgic paintings have blown up on social media over the last two years, has returned to Madrid with Levante en calma, a new (and free) exhibition.
Baena’s work is a love letter to the everyday: chocolate con churros in your parents’ kitchen, a plastic chair on the beach, kids playing in their bedroom, a Cruzcampo beer sweating in the sun, or a paper cone of pescaíto frito.
His paintings hit that soft spot between nostalgia and routine, the kind of scenes you don’t realize are meaningful until years later. It’s costumbrismo, yes, but with an emotional punch.
Levante en calma brings together his most recent pieces, created after his last Madrid show almost a year ago. Baena, who only started painting at 31, has gained massive traction thanks to his quietly stunning still lifes and domestic moments, each one earning thousands of interactions online.
This exhibition is small, intimate, and exactly the kind of gentle cultural moment that this season desperately needs. The show is free, but expect it to be busy; Baena’s following has grown fast, and this is his only Madrid appearance in the coming months.
🖥️ What: Levante en calma: A New Exhibition by Pepe Baena
📍 Where: Galería María Porto, Calle Villanueva 40, Madrid
📅 When: Through Dec. 4
🎟 Free admission
5.🙃 Step into the Upside Down: Stranger Things takes over Gran Vía
Are you excited about the fifth and final season of Stranger Things? We are too, and we have the perfect place to celebrate, as Movistar has just dropped a genuinely cool (and free) immersive experience on their Gran Vía building.
The Espacio Movistar has transformed itself into Hawkins, Indiana. With neon lights, Demogorgons, Russian bases, creepy labs, and all, to celebrate the return of everybody’s favorite 80s gang. (The fifth season comes in three parts: Nov 27, Dec 26, and Jan 1.)
To be clear, this exhibit isn’t just a couple of posters and a themed photocall. The installation is a full walkthrough universe, complete with sound design, projections, reactive lighting, and set recreations that get surprisingly close to the Netflix budget.
Your visit starts with a Demogorgon 3D photo op (because obviously), and then you’re swallowed into The Void, a sensory cube that reacts to your footsteps.
From there, you wander through Hawkins and visit places like the WSQK Radio booth broadcasting mysterious analog signals, Will Byers’
castlefort, the underground Russian base from Starcourt Mall where you trigger a laser to “open the portal,” the Rainbow Room, the Creel House, and finally the full transformation of the space into the Upside Down, complete with smoke, fans, lights, videomapping, and enough red haze to make you forget what real daylight looks like.
If you’re a fan, you can’t miss it.
🖥️ What: Stranger Things Experience at Espacio Movistar
📍 Where: Espacio Movistar, Gran Vía 28, Madrid
📅 When: Through Dec. 13
🎟 Tickets: Free entry (must book in advance)
📺 What to watch if you’re staying in this weekend…
🖥️ What: The Anatomy of a Moment (Anatomía de un Instante) | Miniseries | 2025
📍Where to watch: Movistar+
❓What’s it about: Spanish PM Adolfo Suárez remained seated as coup plotters’ bullets flew around him in Parliament on Feb. 23, 1981, while all MPs except Gutierrez Mellado and Carrillo hid under their seats. This is their story.
🤩 Why you should watch: Because it’s a great way to learn about Spanish history and the coup that took place that day. The series turns one of Spain’s most dramatic real political events, commonly known as 23-F, into a tense, elegant, almost forensic thriller. It also shows how a single moment can define a democracy, with performances and direction that make real history feel more gripping than fiction.
💬 English Subtitles: No.
🤤 Something to try this weekend…
🍸 Gilda Haus: Where Aperitivo Turns Into a Dance Floor
What’s it about: Gilda Haus is a Chueca hotspot from the creators of La Gildería, a bright, disco-soaked temple where you can snack, sip, and dance from vermú hour to late night. Wrapped in orange velvet and Studio-54 vibes, it blends aperitivo culture with DJ-driven energy.
Why you should go: Because for many it’s already the place to be: packed every weekend, full of great music (disco, italo, house), and offering everything from encurtidos to cocktails and shareable plates.
Bottom line: It’s not quite a club and not quite a bar — it’s the perfect hybrid for anyone who wants to ease into a dance floor without committing to a full night out.
Address: Calle de San Mateo 6, Madrid
☕️ Plenti: The Coziest Brunch Spot by El Retiro and the Prado
What’s it about: Plenti is a cozy, British-Scandi–inspired café near El Retiro / Museo del Prado that specializes in thoughtful breakfasts, brunches, and specialty coffee. It mixes Spanish flair with northern European calm.
Why you should go: Because it’s one of the best cafés in Madrid for a laid-back brunch or slow morning. Think: great flat whites, shakshuka or veggie-friendly baked eggs, fresh juices, and reliably good toast. It’s perfect if you want to escape the city buzz, only a few blocks away from the Prado Museum.
Bottom line: Plenti is the kind of place you bookmark for “lazy Sunday brunch” or “morning coffee + work on the laptop.” Affordable, comfy, and reliably good.
📍 Address: Calle Moreto 17, Madrid
👨🏻💻 Viral Meme of the Week
🕺 You can be one of us, Richard Gere
🏡 Why young Spaniards are not…happy
🔔 Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
If you’re not following us on Instagram yet, you’re missing out. We’re posting exclusive content with our collaborators across Spain, breaking news updates, and pop culture coverage. Click on the post above and come hang with us!
🙏 Once again, please remember to share this newsletter with your friends on social media. The more we grow, the more information we’ll be able to offer each week.
🚨 Customize your subscription! You can personalize your Bubble experience so you only get the emails you want—and never the ones you don’t. Click here to learn how.
📺 Sponsorship opportunities. Want to get your brand in front of our engaged and influential audience of professionals, creatives, and government workers? We’re now offering a variety of ways to do so. Click here to book a spot.
We’ll be back next week with more.