The Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, accompanied by the Delegate for Culture, Tourism, and Sports, Marta Rivera de la Cruz, presented today, at the Claustro del Pozo of the San Isidro Secondary Education Institute, the 41st edition of Veranos de la Villa, one of the most anticipated summer events. From July 7th to August 24th, the festival organized by the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Sports will offer a wide range of 54 shows featuring national and international artists and creators. The event featured a performance by actor Edu Soto and the Carlos Rodríguez Ballet Flamenco Company.
For the Mayor, Veranos de la Villa is much more than a festival: it is an opportunity for culture, "that essential element in the life of the city," to remain present even during the months when we can "rest, take leisure time, and reflect." He also emphasized the richness and variety of this 41st edition, which will visit "iconic venues that we all hold dear like Conde Duque or the Espacio Cultural Serrería Belga, as well as less common but equally significant spots." Almeida also celebrated the range of artists invited, with proposals ranging "from traditional to avant-garde," because "culture enhances us, helps us as individuals, and contributes to creating a better society."
In this year’s edition, featuring artists from the United States, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain, Joaquín De Luz debuts as the artistic director of the festival with the goal of "bringing culture fully into citizens’ daily lives, so that they can take home something unforgettable from their Veranos," and to "boost and encourage talent," as he stated during the presentation.
Over 49 days and in 20 locations across the city, attendees can enjoy 106 events, several of them free, covering music, dance, theater, circus, film, and artificial intelligence, among other offerings. The festival will extend its presence to eleven districts of the city: Moncloa-Aravaca, Usera, Hortaleza, Centro, Arganzuela, Latina, Chamartín, San Blas-Canillejas, Retiro, Puente de Vallecas, and Fuencarral-El Pardo.
La Fura dels Baus, the starting point
Veranos de la Villa kicks off on July 7th at Puente del Rey with the commemoration of the 150 years of a universal work: Carmen, by Georges Bizet. La Fura dels Baus will be in charge of articulating this new proposal with its unique language, encompassing lyric, dance, and scenic elements created for the occasion, set to the musical foundation of the Municipal Symphonic Band of Madrid.
Under the musical direction of maestro Jan Cober, head of this ensemble, and the stage direction of La Fura dels Baus and Carlus Padrissa, the show will feature the voice of Maite Alberola as Carmen, who will perform the famous habanera. International dancer Sergio Bernal will portray the bullfighter Escamillo, and a dance pair from the Antonio Gades Company, Esmeralda Manzanas and Álvaro Madrid, as Carmen and Don José. All these artistic elements will blend in a spectacular staging that La Fura has prepared as the world premiere of this show in Madrid.
Conde Duque, the festival’s epicenter
The Conde Duque Contemporary Culture Center is once again the epicenter of the festival’s program. The Central Courtyard will host performances by Marcus Miller, the Astor Piazzolla Quintet, Tomatito, Julieta Venegas, Camila Guevara, the Junior Ballet of the Paris Opera, the RTVE Symphony Orchestra and Choir, Martirio, Valderrama, Mayte Martín, Patricia Donn, Ópera Garage, Pasión Vega, and Subterfuge Records. It will also be the stage for the traditional surprise concert, taking place on August 14th. In the theater of the same venue, Edu Soto will perform his monologue Wanted (Se busca), the dance company Les Trois Plumes by Marco Chenevier & Alessia Pinto, Yerai Cortés, and Riva & Repele Dance Company.
The Claustro del Pozo of the San Isidro Secondary Education Institute will also be one of the main spaces of the edition. Artists like Wolf 1069, the Teatro Defondo Company, Pedro Mafama, Olga María Ramos, Sara Calero, Álvaro Sola, Marcos Madrigal, Pepe Rivero, Fran Doblas, Moisés P. Sánchez, Pablo Martín Caminero, La Tania, Carlos Rodríguez Ballet Flamenco Company, and Bikôkô will pass through it. In addition, La Chivata Teatro will propose Lavanderas, an artistic and cultural mediation project in memory and homage to the washerwomen of Madrid.
The Centro Danza Matadero, a space of the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Sports, will host Notte Morricone, a tribute by the Centro Coreografico Nazionale/Aterballetto to the music of Ennio Morricone, directed by Marcos Morau, on July 17th and 18th. The Irish company ROGU: Art of fire will also land in Matadero Madrid with Mobius, a journey through the art of fire.
Olfactory route through Madrid at the Espacio Cultural Serrería Belga
En el compás del verano. Percepciones olfativas de la Villa de Madrid proposes a journey through Madrid through the most invisible yet evocative sense: smell. Based on a selection of works from the olorVISUAL collection created by Ernesto Ventós, the exhibition at the Espacio Cultural Serrería Belga establishes a dialogue between contemporary art and olfactory readings about the city proposed by the Perfume Academy.
Notes like lemon, violet, floral chords of carnation and rose, chocolate, or leather become the starting point to rethink the multiple identities of Madrid from a sensory perspective.
Movie nights
For the fourth consecutive year, the ‘Cine caliente’ cycle, curated by La Juan Gallery, returns to the Bombilla Park. The space where summer nights and outdoor cinema are reinvented will feature duos like Nerea Pérez de las Heras and El cuerpo del Disco; Casquería Fina and Oro Jondo; Kika Lorace and La Prohibida, along with Rev Silver; Alba Carillo and Germán González, and Jorge Calvo and Feldene Medicada.
Workshops and outdoor activities
Veranos de la Villa will also have its space on the streets. In this year’s festival, the world-renowned pasodoble Amparito Roca, by Jaume Teixidor, will be performed, celebrating the centenary of its premiere. This event will pay homage to the Valencian Community, as the Societat Unió Musical de Carlet, the Agrupació Musical L’Artística de Carlet, and the Societat Musical L’Artística Manisense will tour Plaza de Oriente, Puerta del Sol, and Plaza Mayor.
Trocos Lucos Compañía de Circo will settle in Vaguada Park (Fuencarral-El Pardo) and Padre Llanos Square (Puente de Vallecas) with Tartana, a show that invites you to experience the high technical risk of street circus. La Pez Konpainia will take over the exterior of the Paco de Lucía Cultural Center (Latina) and the esplanade of the Usera Municipal Board with Plaza, a proposal that merges languages and improvisation. Sienta la Cabeza will do the same in Galicia Square in Retiro Park and the auditoriums of Berlin Park (Chamartín) and El Paraíso Park (San Blas-Canillejas) with a show centered around a dresser, two very daring hairdressers, and a DJ.
The bandstand in Retiro Park will host the result of a musical workshop by the Municipal Symphonic Band of Madrid, which will take place in the days prior at the Casa de Campo Auditorium Theater (Moncloa-Aravaca).
A grand finale
The 41st edition of Veranos de la Villa will culminate with the show Celia vive. Tributo a Celia Cruz en sus 100 años, by Lucrecia, an emotional musical proposal that gathers the great hits of Celia Cruz like Quimbara, Yerbero moderno, or Bemba colorá. The Cuban artist, accompanied by a group of great masters using the original musical arrangements, will offer the audience a night full of joy, flavor, and nostalgia at the Pilar García Peña Auditorium in Pinar del Rey Park (Hortaleza).
A poster that transports you to the nights of Madrid
Illustrator Ana Jarén (Seville, 1985) is the author of the image for this edition of Veranos de la Villa. The poster is inspired by the concept of ‘embracing the night,’ a summer night that offers a respite from the daytime heat, relaxing and awakening the senses. "With Madrid as the backdrop – featuring the Casa de la Villa and the Plaza Mayor – and a giant moon that invites you to dream," explains Jarén. "For me, Veranos de la Villa offers those moments of relaxation that the body and mind need," she asserts.
Accessibility
Veranos de la Villa will be a stage for festivity, culture, and reunion that all the people living in Madrid can participate in. Therefore, the City Council renews its commitment to accessibility and social inclusion through a comprehensive program designed with measures to ensure the quality and safety of the experience and enable the enjoyment of all those who attend the various offerings the city provides during this period.
The festival’s website includes detailed information on accessibility measures, specific discounts for people with disabilities, and booking options.
Tickets and accreditations
Tickets are available on the website veranosdelavilla.com, at the Plaza Mayor Tourist Center, and through the email accesibilidad@madrid-destino.com, specifically for requesting reserved tickets for people with disabilities. Additionally, tickets for the scheduled activities at the respective venues can be purchased at their box offices. Access to free activities is on a first-come, first-served basis until full capacity is reached.
For more information, visit the official website.
