From May 9th to 15th, the capital celebrates its most traditional festival with Dani Carvajal as the pregonero, concerts, gastronomy, verbenas, and workshops
Madrid is getting ready to honor its patron, San Isidro Labrador, with festivals that already smell like rosquillas and carnations, promising to turn Madrid into a great open stage where traditional customs and modernity will dance chotis in unison.
The Mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, has presented on Tuesday at the Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions of the UAM a program that intertwines tradition and modernity, designed by the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Sports, and that will unfold from May 9th to 15th.
«Let’s celebrate San Isidro, let’s celebrate Madrid, let’s celebrate everything we are here, all that we have achieved together, let’s disconnect and do it through our tradition, but also through our culture that makes us a better community and society every day,» expressed Almeida during the presentation.
The kick-off to the celebrations will be given by the footballer Dani Carvajal, who will deliver the proclamation this Friday from the balcony of the Casa de la Villa, marking the beginning of a week full of proposals for all audiences, from the parade of giants and cabezudos, the pilgrimage in the Pradera, the ‘Bailando por Madrid’ parade, to concerts, workshops, and exhibitions throughout the city.
Furthermore, this year music will once again take center stage with a luxury lineup including Los Manolos, Soleá Morente, Los Brincos, Modestia Aparte, OBK, La Húngara, Orquesta Mondragón, and Amistades Peligrosas, celebrating their 30th anniversary. Las Vistillas, Matadero, Plaza Mayor, and Pradera de San Isidro will be the four main points of the festivities.
One of the most emotional moments of the festivals will come with the 41st edition of the Festival of Madrilenian Dances, which for the first time will feature a guest group, the Grup de Danses Algadins de Algemesí (Valencia), a town affected by the dana.
Popular culture will also be present through chotis workshops at the Círculo de Bellas Artes, the Antique Book Fair at Recoletos, the screening of La Revoltosa with live music, and the traditional Cacharrería Fair. Palates will also enjoy San Isidro with rosquillas, the innovative ‘Garrote del santo’, traditional dishes like ‘Fuera de carta’, and the cocktail ‘Madrid 91’.
The younger audience will also have its space with puppets in El Retiro, joining traditional games and shows in the Pradera. Additionally, the ‘Re-inventing chulapos’ contest will present traditional fashion in a contemporary style, while fireworks will once again illuminate the Madrid sky on the nights of May 10th and 15th.
Lastly, for the second consecutive year, the City Council has announced the reintroduction of vibrating backpacks, sign language interpretation, and auditory aids at various concerts, such as Amistades Peligrosas or Ángeles Toledano. Additionally, violet points will reinforce the municipal campaign against sexual violence within the ‘¡Ni una!’ campaign.
This year’s poster, created by Javier Navarrete ‘El Chico Llama’, depicts the four main stages of San Isidro in four different versions, with traditional scenes of San Isidro and highlighting the red of the carnations and a sunset with traditional touches. The full program can be consulted on the official website (
