March kicks off this year with the carnival and eme21mag, the illustrated magazine of the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Sports of the City Council, dedicates a large part of its pages to the festivities of Don Carnal. The cover, with the signature of the illustrator Guisa, alludes to the burial of the sardine and the characters of the Commedia dell’Arte. The back cover features the poster for the 2025 Madrid carnival, created by the illustrator Abraham Menéndez.
The opening text, illustrated by Raúl Arias, details the carnival program organized by the City Council of Madrid in collaboration with the Juan Gallery. It is written by the co-artistic director of these celebrations, Rosa Ureta. On the other hand, Ana Juan provides a cut-out with cat masks for dressing up. And the director of the ABC Museum, Inmaculada Corcho, selects a series of prints from their collection that showcase carnival images from different eras with harlequins, masks, and revelers.
Theater in the municipal cultural agenda
The winds of March also raise the curtain on theaters. The illustration by Daniel Montero provides a series of facts about World Theatre Day, celebrated every year on March 27. On this day, many theaters deviate from the script and offer discounts, guided and theatrical tours, or dramatized readings. Continuing with theater, the interview in the 87th issue of eme21mag is with Guillermo Gil, artistic director of the Retiro Puppet Theater, who shares insights into the programming of this unique stage that offers family shows every weekend of the year. The caricature is by Carlos Rodríguez Casado and the text by Ignacio Vleming.
Without lowering the curtain, Cinta Arribas selects for JOBO, the youth cultural voucher of the City Council, some of the novelties that can be seen this month in municipal theaters: Historia de una escalera (at the Teatro Español until March 30), La Señorita de Trevélez (at the Teatro Fernán Gómez. Centro Cultural de la Villa, until April 20), and Txalaparta (at Centro Danza Matadero, from March 13 to 16), among other free activities for young people aged 16 to 26 who are users of this voucher.
In the final pages of eme21mag, Joaquín García, art curator and director of the Helga de Alvear Gallery from 2006 to 2012, writes about this gallery owner, who passed away on February 2, and is considered a key figure in art collecting in Spain and in the history of gallery management in our city. The portrait is by Adrián Fuentes.
Windblown March in the streets of Madrid
While Víctor Coyote draws the windiest corner of Madrid, Jorge Arranz maps out the longest walk. From this walk emerges the Cuesta de Moyano, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and writer Martín Casariego dedicates a double-page spread to it, with an illustration by Fernando Vicente.
Additionally, Luis Pérez Calvo recounts the history of the Mina field, and Mercedes Cebrián recalls what Madrid was like in 1982. And the winds of March bring back the swallows around this time, as highlighted by Nacho Sevilla in his portrayal of natural life.
The March issue is available in digital version on the Madrid Destino website, and the printed edition can be obtained for free at the Casa de la Panadería Tourism Center, libraries, municipal markets, cultural centers, and tourist spots. /
