🎵 What's on in Madrid: September 19
Tons of music festivals, the new Opera season, political debate and more!
Madrid | Issue #114
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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
It’s Friday again!
And we’re back, baby! Now that the holidays are finally over for everyone, Madrid is buzzing with events that mark the end of summer and the start of a vibrant new cultural season.
We’ve got massive music festivals, along with the return of the Festival of Ideas, where some of the world’s brightest thinkers are gathering to debate today’s most pressing issues (something most of us do online — and it shows).
Also, don’t miss the opening of the Teatro Real’s new season and a new retrospective at Fundación Mapfre, a must for art lovers. Here’s your guide to making the most of the days ahead in Madrid.
Happy weekend. 😎
1.🎵 Music festivals galore to bid adieu to the summer
Say goodbye to a fantastic summer with a weekend packed full of music and fun around Madrid. The next couple of days, the city offers something for everyone: pop stars at Brava Madrid, Latin vibes at Saca el Diablo, world-class DJs at Brunch Electronik, and Spanish favorites like Melendi at Jardín de las Delicias.
Brava Madrid returns Sept. 19–20 at the Torrejón de Ardoz fairgrounds with two days of music, fashion, and pure freedom. Known for its themed dress codes, the festival features stages for hits, pop, and electronic music, plus food trucks!
This year’s lineup is huge: Anastacia, Olly Alexander, the legendary A*Teens, Chanel, Ojete Calor, Miss Caffeina, Ms Nina, and Daniela Blasco. Bonus: the first 5,000 through the gates get into the Bingo Party by Drag Brunch with fabulous prizes up for grabs.
Saca el Diablo. This Saturday, Autocine Madrid will host the first Madrid edition of Saca el Diablo (SED), a festival born in Quito in 2014 to celebrate contemporary Ibero-American culture through music, art, food, and dance.
After years of success in Ecuador, SED goes international, featuring performances by Aterciopelados, Brazilian Girls, Verde 70, Dengue Dengue Dengue, and Papaya Dada, among others. The festival will also showcase traditional gastronomy, craft products, and cultural collectives, creating a vibrant space to close out the summer.
Brunch Electronik. Finally, Brunch returns to Parque Enrique Tierno Galván this fall with four days of open-air electronic music on Sept. 20, 21, 27, and 28. The lineup brings some of the hottest names on the international circuit: Amelie Lens, Fisher, Loco Dice, Mëstiza, Korolova, and many more.
Alongside epic sets across two weekends, the festival also features Petit Brunch, a family-friendly space with workshops and activities for kids, making it a perfect blend of music, creativity, and community vibes.
Jardín de las Delicias. The Jardín de las Delicias festival returns to Cantarranas Campus at the Complutense University on Sept. 19 and 20, bringing two days of live music, performances, and food to kick off the new season.
This year’s lineup features Melendi, Mikel Izal, Pignoise, Iñigo Quintero, Pole, Nena Daconte, Hey Kid, Siloé, Paula Mattheus, Tu Otra Bonita, and more. Known for its immersive atmosphere with visual shows, performances, and unique gastronomy, the festival sold out last year with over 55,000 attendees.
🖥️ What: Tons of music festivals
📍 Where: Multiple locations around Madrid.
📅 When: Uh… read above?
🎟 Tickets: Click on the links, duh.
2.💬 Madrid’s Festival of Ideas returns: 4 days of debates, labyrinths, and voices that inspire
Is political debate dead? Is the healthy exchange of ideas a thing of the past, thanks to the ruthless algorithms ruling our every thought? Maybe, but not this weekend.
From Sept. 18 to 21, Madrid will transform into a hub of ideas and debate as it welcomes a new edition of its Festival of Ideas, one of the city’s most exciting cultural events for anyone passionate about philosophy, literature, politics, and art.
This year, the festival takes over two main venues — Plaza de España, with a large outdoor stage open to the public, and the Círculo de Bellas Artes, home to more intimate discussions and panels — while also spreading across the city to places like the Museo Reina Sofía, the Museo del Prado, and the Fundación Ortega-Marañón.
The 2025 edition revolves around the theme of “Laberintos” (Labyrinths), a powerful metaphor to explore the complexities, contradictions, and confusions of our contemporary world (lots to unpack there). The festival delves into ideas of confinement, the longing for freedom, and the false promises of those who claim to lead us out of the maze (very topical, we know).
An impressive lineup of international and national thinkers and hosts will take part, including Adriana Cavarero, known for her groundbreaking work in ancient philosophy, political theory, feminism, and literature; Amin Maalouf, the celebrated writer and thinker who has long defended the idea of a multipolar world and was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize; Camila Sosa Villada, the Argentine author behind the acclaimed novel Las malas; and controversial French novelist Michel Houellebecq, one of the most influential voices in contemporary literature.
And if listening isn’t enough, you can also take the stage yourself at the festival’s Speakers’ Corners. These pop-up installations in the heart of Madrid invite everyone to share their ideas freely. Grab the mic, speak up, inspire others, and join the debate — because this space belongs to you. Hosted by improv stars Raquel Bustos Riera and Mario de la Calle.
The Festival of Ideas promises to be an unforgettable opportunity to engage with today’s most urgent questions and maybe engage in some healthy debate. Definitely better than arguing with someone on Instagram over when democracy is going to implode.
🖥️ What: Festival de las Ideas
📍 Where: Multiple locations around Madrid
📅 When: Sept. 18-21. Check website for official program.
🎟 Tickets: Check website
3.🎨 Raimundo de Madrazo’s world: first major retrospective opens at Fundación Mapfre
The Fundación Mapfre – Sala Recoletos unveils the first major retrospective dedicated to Raimundo de Madrazo, one of the most cosmopolitan and technically refined Spanish painters of the 19th century.
Organized in collaboration with the Meadows Museum in Dallas, the exhibition will run through Jan. 18, 2026, offering visitors a comprehensive look at the life and work of this extraordinary artist.
The grandson of José de Madrazo and son of Federico de Madrazo — two towering figures of Spanish painting — Raimundo was the third generation in one of the most celebrated artistic dynasties of the 19th century.
At just 20 years old, he moved to Paris, where he became a central figure in the city’s vibrant art scene, before later traveling to the United States for portrait tours starting in 1897, just as his influence in France began to wane.
Raimundo’s work is defined by two main pillars: genre painting and portraiture. As a portraitist, he rose to prominence among the elite of Parisian and American society, capturing the grace and sophistication of his sitters with elegance and precision.
This landmark exhibition brings together some of his most iconic pieces, giving you a unique opportunity to experience the evolution of an artist whose career bridged continents and reflected the cosmopolitan spirit of his age.
🖥️ What: Raimundo de Madrazo at Fundación Mapfre
📍 Where: Fundación Mapfre. Paseo de Recoletos 23, Madrid.
📅 When: Through Jan. 18, 2026. Check website for opening hours.
🎟 Tickets: €5
4. 🎭 The Teatro Real opens its season with Verdi’s powerful Otello
Here’s your classy option of the week.
The Teatro Real kicks off its 2025/26 season with a grand return of Verdi’s Otello, one of the greatest masterpieces of the opera repertoire. This powerful production, directed by David Alden, features a stellar cast that includes Brian Jadge, Asmik Grigorian, Jorge de León, and Maria Agresta.
With a libretto by Arrigo Boito and music by Giuseppe Verdi, this intense drama brings to life Shakespeare’s tragic tale of jealousy, manipulation, and betrayal.
The story follows Otello, a Moorish general in the service of the Republic of Venice, whose triumphant return after defeating the Ottoman Empire is overshadowed by the schemes of the sinister Iago. Through deceit and false evidence, Iago fuels Otello’s jealousy, leading him to doubt his beloved wife Desdemona and ultimately setting in motion a devastating chain of events.
Supported by the Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real and the Pequeños Cantores of the Joven Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid, the production captures the psychological depth and emotional turbulence of Verdi’s penultimate opera.
🖥️ What: Otello at the Teatro Real
📍 Where: Teatro Real. Plaza de Isabel II, s/n, Madrid.
📅 When: Check website for dates
🎟 Tickets start at €69
5. 🐸 The Mercado de las Ranas street market
The Mercado de las Ranas is back this Saturday!
This street market is similar to the Portobello Road or Camden Town markets in London. This Saturday, stores participating in this mercado in Plaza Santa Ana, in the Las Letras district, bring their goods outside into the street so visitors can buy their favorite book, t-shirt, or grab a slice of pizza on the go.
If there’s one thing we love about Madrid (and there are actually many), it’s the street market scene, and this one doesn’t disappoint. After a bit of retail therapy, grab a table at the plaza and sip a cool caña or a latte in one of the nearby specialty coffee shops.
You’re welcome.
🖥️ What: Mercado de las Ranas
📍 Where: Around Plaza Santa Ana (Las Letras), Madrid.
📅 When: Sept. 20, 11:00 a.m.
🎟 Free admission
📺 What to watch if you’re staying in this weekend…
🖥️ What: Sirat | Movie | 2025
📍Where to watch: Movistar+ (available tonight after 10 pm)
❓What’s it about: Sirat, Spain’s official entry for the Oscars 2026, follows Luis and his young son Esteban as they search for Mar, Luis’s daughter and Esteban’s sister, who has gone missing after attending a rave in southern Morocco. Their journey takes them through desert landscapes and raves with a group of itinerant ravers, as they navigate music, longing, and disorientation amid escalating tension.
🤩 Why you should watch: Sirat has been hailed as one of the most powerful Spanish films of the year, blending breathtaking cinematography with an intimate, deeply human story. With its raw performances and timely themes, it’s a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll — and it just might bring home an Oscar.
Guest Essay by Sebastián Fest
Pedro Sánchez and Donald Trump join forces to put their finger in the wound of sports
They don’t talk and they don’t even look at each other, but Pedro Sánchez and Donald Trump apparently agree on one thing: the time has come to stick their finger in the wound of sports. Shocked? Read on.
Sánchez likes sports—he’s been playing basketball since his youth—but it’s likely he’s now also a fan of cycling. Why? Because he’s just opened a Pandora’s box that benefits him while forcing sports to face an uncomfortable question: to what extent can we keep insisting that politics and sports go—or should go—separate ways?
Addicted to walking the tightrope, Sánchez has regained some sparkle and joy in his expression these last few days after facing what may have been the toughest weeks he’s had to face as Prime Minister of Spain. He is certain that what’s happening in Gaza is genocide. He says it loud and clear, moving confidently on the issue, fully aware that he has the overwhelming support of the Spanish public behind him.
So much so, in fact, that the Partido Popular (PP) is also walking a tightrope, desperately seeking to square the circle: criticizing the PM without alienating a huge portion of its own voters—many of whom think exactly the same as those who support the PSOE, and even those on the far left…
Read the entire essay here
🤤 Something to try this weekend…
☕️ En Bruto: Madrid’s Coffee, Bakery, and Creative Food Hub All in One
What’s it about: En Bruto is a unique hybrid space between Chueca and Salesas, combining coffee shop, bakery, workshop space, and even a kombucha lab. Spanning 400 m², it offers specialty coffee, organic breads and pastries, savory bites like focaccias, and culinary workshops — all in a bright, open setting with natural light and a relaxed vibe.
Why you should go:
It’s perfect for remote work or casual hangouts, offering great WiFi, excellent coffee, and a menu that mixes comfort food with creative fermentation projects.
The airy design and thoughtful details make it equally suited for brunch, a quiet work session, or learning something new in their classes.
Bottom line: More than a café, En Bruto is a culinary hub, and you can pay a visit whenever you need to work, socialize, or explore artisanal food and drinks. This place has it all.
📍 Calle de San Lucas 13, Madrid
🌸 Bloom: A Secret Garden for Food Lovers in the Heart of Madrid
What’s it about: Bloom, located inside the Salvador Bachiller store in Argüelles, is a lush, flower-filled restaurant that feels like stepping into a secret garden. Its menu blends international flavors — from tacos and udon to brunch favorites like pancakes and shakshuka — all served in a dreamy, Instagram-worthy setting.
Why you should check it out:
Perfect for a romantic date or special brunch, Bloom combines stunning décor with a menu full of vibrant, flavorful dishes. It’s as much about the experience as the food.
Bottom line: A feast for the senses, Bloom is one of Madrid’s most beautiful and unique dining spots — ideal when you want a meal that feels like a getaway.
📍 Calle de Alberto Aguilera 54, Madrid
👨🏻💻 Viral Meme of the Week
🚲 When life gives you lemons…
When the final stage of Spain’s La Vuelta race was called off because of protests (which you know about because you read about it here, right?), winner Jonas Vingegaard and his fellow champions improvised a podium in a hotel parking lot. And it was good.
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We’ll be back next week with more.