đ What's on in Madrid: October 31
Halloween in Madrid, a Picasso and Klee collection and the Prado at night!
Madrid | Issue #120
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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
Itâs Friday again!
And forget choosing between Todos los Santos, DĂa de Muertos, or Halloween â in Madrid, you get all three at once.
This weekend, the city transforms into a giant mash-up of saints, spirits, and sugar skulls: cemeteries in bloom, catrinas on Gran VĂa, haunted theme parks, candlelit concerts, ghost tours, and dance floors ruled by witches.
You can honor your loved ones with flowers and huesos de santo, party at the CĂrculo de Bellas Artes until dawn, or stay in and watch some of the best movies Spanish cinema has to offer.
This is the weekend when Madrid celebrates life and flirts shamelessly with death.
Happy Halloween. đ§
But first, a word from this weekâs sponsor
đ Ready to swap your screen for a book and your commute for a literary stroll?
Join the Nomad Book Club Madrid Literary Retreat (Nov 21â24) â a 4-day escape of bookshop safaris, writer meetups, wine-soaked chats, and slow, soulful reading time in the heart of Madrid.
Our friends at Nomad Book Club will guide you through the cityâs literary past on museum visits and walking tours â and into its vibrant present with book launches, poetry workshops, and events featuring up-and-coming writers.
A rare chance to reconnect with your love of books and Madrid.
âĄïž Full details & sign-up here.
1. đ Halloween, DĂa de Muertos y Todos los Santos: Madridâs most hauntingly fun weekend of the year
Madrid is about to turn into one big haunted fiesta â a city where centuries-old Spanish traditions meet the colorful Mexican DĂa de Muertos and the American-style Halloween frenzy. There are cemetery tours, sugar skulls, ghost hunts, and all-night dance rituals, all of them making this weekend the perfect snapshot of Madridâs global soul. Hereâs your spooky weekend guide đ
đŻïž Visit the Cemeteries â Spainâs Oldest Tradition
Madridâs cemeteries bloom with flowers on Nov. 1 as families pay tribute to their loved ones. The Cementerio de la Almudena, Europeâs largest, becomes a serene walk through history and art, while the Sacramental de San Isidro offers special Adeternum guided tours that end with live music. The Semana de Difuntos also includes candlelight concerts and remembrance ceremonies organized by Servicios Funerarios de Madrid.
đŹ Try Huesos de Santo and Buñuelos
You canât celebrate All Saintsâ Day without tasting Madridâs sweet classics. Huesos de Santo (marzipan rolls filled with egg yolk cream) and buñuelos de viento (light fried pastries filled with cream, chocolate, or yema) are everywhere this week. According to tradition, every buñuelo you eat saves a soul from purgatory â so go ahead and be generous with your sampling. Find them in any of Madridâs artisanal pastry shops.
đ DĂa de Muertos, Mexican Style at Casa de MĂ©xico
The Casa de MĂ©xico Foundation celebrates DĂa de Muertos through Nov 9 with its stunning mega altar inspired by early 20th-century Mexican cabarets. This yearâs installation, titled Cabaret El Recuerdo, honors life, memory, and joy â and itâs free to visit. Youâll also find three more altars across the city at CentroCentro, Matadero Madrid, and Plaza DaoĂz y Velarde, blending Mexican tradition with Madridâs artistic flair.
đ» American-Style Thrills: Theme Park Horror
If youâre after jump scares and adrenaline, Madridâs amusement parks have gone full horror mode.
At Parque de Atracciones, experience haunted tunnels like El Castillo Misterioso (for kids), La PirĂĄmide Maldita, and The Walking Dead Experience. Until Nov 2.
Parque Warner goes even darker with The Conjuring: Last Rites, The Nun, and the IT Experience. Donât miss the Halloween Scary Night tonight, when the park stays open for a terrifying all-nighter.
đ» Ghost Tours Through Old Madrid
Discover the cityâs most haunted corners on a Ghosts of Madrid Tour. Starting at Plaza de Cibeles and ending in Plaza de Santo Domingo, youâll hear chilling tales at the Palacio de Linares, Casa de las Siete Chimeneas, and other legendary spots. The company CuĂ©ntame Madrid also offers special Halloween routes that mix history, legend, and the supernatural.
𧩠Enigmatium Room: Dinner and Escape Game in a Bunker
Step into an old Civil War bunker in central Madrid for a 3-hour dinner with a twist: you can only escape by solving riddles and puzzles. Choose between El Refugio, a historical escape, or El Fin del Mundo, a global apocalypse scenario. Perfect for groups, families, or brave couples â and costumes are encouraged!
2.đïž Visit the Prado Museum at Night
Ah, this is one of our long-time favorites.
Thereâs something magical about being in a museum at night. From A Night at the Museum to The Da Vinci Code, weâre all drawn to the possibility of unexpected hi-jinx (and also murder, if you ask Dan Brown?) taking place under the judgmental gazes of Saturn or one of the meninas (you know which one).
But we digress. The Prado Museum is opening its doors this Saturday night and this is an opportunity you canât miss (especially because itâs free). It takes place on the first Saturday of every month, in which visitors can explore select exhibits.
This once-a-month event offers an immersive blend of art, music, and technology, making it a must-see experience for both locals and tourists.
This Saturday, the Prado opens its Villanueva building at night, giving visitors access to the first floor â including the Central Gallery, now repainted in a deep blue that enhances both the buildingâs neoclassical architecture and the vivid colors of masterpieces like Las Meninas, The Three Graces, and Charles V at MĂŒhlberg.
The night visit also features the newly installed Leoni sculptures of Emperor Charles V and Empress Isabel of Portugal, plus a refreshed Ionic gallery displaying 56 pieces from the museumâs sculpture and decorative arts collection.
If you plan on going, make sure you make it as early as possible, as there will surely be a line.
đ„ïž What: The Prado Museum at Night
đ Where: Paseo del Prado s/n, Madrid.
đ When: Nov. 1, 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
đ Tickets: Free admission
3.đš Picasso and Klee in Conversation: The Berggruen Collection Arrives at the Thyssen
Get ready, art nerds! The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum opens one of its most anticipated exhibitions of the season: âPicasso / Klee. Dialogues from the Berggruen Collectionâ.
The show brings together 50 masterpieces by Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee, all drawn from the personal archive of Heinz Berggruen, the renowned German collector and art dealer whose keen eye helped define modern art collecting in the 20th century.
The exhibition explores the deep aesthetic and philosophical conversation between Picasso and Klee â two artists whose approaches to color, form, and symbolism transformed the language of modern art. (Picasso pushed the limits of representation through Cubism while Klee explored the lyrical and spiritual side of abstraction.)
Berggruenâs personal collection (a part of Berlinâs Museum Berggruen, currently undergoing renovations) is traveling abroad for the first time in years. After stops in Japan and China, the Madrid presentation offers a rare opportunity to experience Berggruenâs vision in Europe.
đ„ïž What: Picasso / Klee. Dialogues from the Berggruen Collection
đ Where: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Paseo del Prado 8, Madrid
đ When: Through Feb. 1, 2026
đ Tickets: âŹ14
4.â ïž Madridâs haunted night returns: âNoche de Muertos y Brujasâ takes over the CĂrculo de Bellas Artes
One of Madridâs most glamorous Halloween parties returns â and this year, it promises to be bigger, darker, and more decadent than ever. This Friday, the CĂrculo de Bellas Artes once again opens its doors to the afterlife with âNoche de muertos y brujas 2025,â a night where the boundaries between the living and the dead blur in a party filled with music, art, and pure spectacle.
If youâve ever danced at the CĂrculoâs legendary Carnival, consider this its supernatural sequel. Beneath the glowing dome of the SalĂłn de Baile and among the marble pillars of the Sala de Columnas, catrinas, ghosts, witches, and mysterious spirits will gather for a night of eerie elegance.
Expect performances, immersive rituals, and a hypnotic blend of music and dance as the building transforms into a cathedral of the occult.
The lineup reads like a spellbook of rhythm â an akelarre of DJs (Sonido Tupinamba, Andy Grey, and more!) and live performers mixing cumbia, reggaetĂłn, and mambo, along with unholy beats that will resurrect even the sleepiest souls.
Each room hides a surprise: drag performers invoking the dead, dancers moving through clouds of incense, and a continuous parade of masked creatures celebrating life, death, and everything in between.
But what truly makes Noche de muertos y brujas special is its spirit of joyful chaos â a love letter to Latin American traditions of DĂa de Muertos, fused with Madridâs flair for avant-garde art and nightlife. Donât miss this one!
đ„ïž What: Noche de Muertos y Brujas 2025
đ Where: CĂrculo de Bellas Artes, Calle de AlcalĂĄ 42, Madrid
đ When: Oct. 31. 10:30 pm.
đ Tickets: âŹ45
5.đïž The Salesas Festival & Street Market
Welcome to The Festival by SALESAS, a street market thatâs as stylish as the neighborhood itself. This outdoor event takes place on the first Saturday of every month and transforms Calle Campoamor, Calle de Orellana, and Plaza de Santa BĂĄrbara into a vibrant hub of music, food, and creativity.
Think of it as Madridâs answer to a mini street festival: a place where you can discover up-and-coming designers, snack on artisanal treats, and maybe dance a little, all in the same afternoon.
You can also buy modern art, listen to cool music, try on some hipster handmade clothes, and sample chocolate from Papua New Guinea.
Itâs the perfect place to go with a group of friends, and after browsing for a bit, you can head to one of the many incredible brunch/patisseries/cafĂ©s in the area so you can feel sophisticated and pretend youâre in an episode of Valeria (try the pastries in La Duquesita nearby. They are chefâs kiss).
Artisans, fashion designers, bartenders, and poets are all mixed together here. Donât miss it.
đ„ïž What: The Festival Street Market
đ Where: By the Alonso MartĂnez metro station, Salesas neighborhood, Madrid.
đ When: Nov. 1, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
đ Free admission
đș Two Spanish horror classics to watch if youâre staying in this weekendâŠ
đ„ïž What: The Orphanage | Movie | 2007
đWhere to watch: Netflix, HBO Max
âWhatâs it about: A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.
đ€© Why you should watch: Because few horror films blend fear and emotion as masterfully as this one. Produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by J.A. Bayona, this Spanish gem delivers more than scares; itâs a haunting fairy tale about motherhood, loss, and the ghosts we carry with us.
đŹ English Subtitles: No.
đ„ïž What: [REC] | Movie | 2007
đWhere to watch: Rakuten TV
âWhatâs it about: A television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building in downtown Barcelona and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying, descending into absolute chaos
đ€© Why you should watch: Because this movie is one of the most terrifying and innovative horror films ever made (and considered a cornerstone of modern Spanish cinema). Shot entirely through the cameramanâs lens, its real-time, found-footage style creates claustrophobic panic that feels brutally authentic. Consider it essential viewing for anyone who loves smart, visceral horror.
đŹ English Subtitles: No.
đ€€ Something to try this weekendâŠ
â ïž Raimunda turns haunted: A DĂa de Muertos feast inside Madridâs most mysterious palace
Whatâs it about: At the beautiful and historic Raimundaâset inside the hauntingly elegant Palacio de Linaresâyouâre invited to a special two-night celebration of the Mexican DĂa de Muertos on Nov. 1 and 2, complete with decorative catrinas, live tarot readings, and professional makeup to transform you into the spirit world.
Why you should go: Because it's quite an experience. Chef Aitor Mena has crafted a dedicated menu inspired by Mexican traditions, with dishes like carrillada de res in mole poblano and corvina al pibil, while stylists and a tarot reader heighten the atmosphere amid the palaceâs legendary ghost story.
Bottom line: Raimunda delivers a three-for-one of ambience, cuisine, and spectacle. Reserve quicklyâthis unique two-night event fills up fast.
đ Address: Palacio de Linares, Paseo de Recoletos 2, Madrid
â NĆfin: The Puerta del Ăngel cafĂ© where coffee meets co-working
Whatâs it about: NĆfin is one of Puerta del Ăngelâs newest coffee spots â a stylish, cyclist-friendly cafĂ© where good coffee meets productivity. Located steps away from Puente de Segovia, itâs designed for those who want to sip, snack, and stay connected.
Why you should go: With flexible âwork-and-sipâ options, NĆfin turns cafĂ© culture into a co-working experience â no side-eye for your MacBook, just good vibes, espresso, and sunlight.
Bottom line: If youâre pedaling through the city, hunting for your next work spot, or just want coffee with a sense of purpose, NĆfin delivers the perfect balance of chill and productivity.
đ Address: Calle Puente de Segovia 3, Madrid
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