The City Council of Madrid has unveiled the poster for the city’s patron saint festivities in honor of San Isidro, which is just days away from the start of its celebration and will feature a comprehensive cultural program with multiple festivities and activities organized by the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Sports.
This year’s image is the work of Madrid artist Javier Navarrete, known as El Chico Llama, and depicts in a colorful and traditional style a lively evening of festivities at Las Vistillas, under a sky painted with the colors of the sunset and with the Almudena Cathedral in the background. In it, people of all generations from Madrid, dressed in traditional chulapa and chulapo outfits and adorned with classic carnations, dance and stroll among stalls selling typical products like «rosquillas» (doughnuts). There is also a girl with her grandmother carrying a bag of «barquillos,» another iconic sweet from the city. Cats are present, as well as a playful nod to pets. The scene combines tradition and modernity, reflecting a vibrant and sustainable city, where a young person has arrived on a bicycle to join the celebration. The poster can be seen on the city streets on various media starting today.
This year, the design includes four adaptations in a journey through the spaces where the celebration traditionally takes place: the San Isidro meadow, Plaza Mayor, Matadero Madrid, and the gardens of Las Vistillas. According to the author, «it is a journey that values our most traditional customs while embracing new codes and realities through a succession of small moments with family, friends, and pets. An invitation for both cat lovers and non-cat lovers to pick a carnation and enjoy Madrid together.»
Javier Navarrete, El Chico Llama, author of the San Isidro poster
The creator of the 2025 San Isidro Festivities poster is Madrid artist Javier Navarrete, El Chico Llama. With a solid background in Fine Arts and a master’s degree in Graphic Design, this illustrator shifted his career in 2019, after over seven years of experience as a designer in various sectors, to focus solely on illustration. Since then, he has worked with brands such as Penguin Random House, Netflix, Disney, Uniqlo, Inditex, Asus, BBVA, and the City Council of Madrid, undertaking editorial projects, communication campaigns, fashion, packaging, and digital content.
In 2022, he started animating his illustrations, incorporating movement as part of his artistic language, which earned him a Silver Laus Award in 2023 for the short film «Itxaso,» a piece that pays tribute to the city of San Sebastián and its traditions. /
