Madrid winters are cold, sunny and full of plans! Christmas brings the lights, the Plaza Mayor market and ice rinks from Matadero to Atlético's stadium. On January 5 the Three Kings parade down the Castellana, and in mid-January neighbors bring their pets to San Antón to be blessed. Here's what we checked, from free street traditions to show jumping, circus and Christmas theme parks.
Spain's biggest horse show is back after a year off. In the main arena, riders compete for three World Cups: show jumping, dressage and carriage driving. The crowd favorites are Pony Turf and the Jump & Drive race.
Next door, the Horse Hall has stands, food and non-stop horse shows. Horse-mad kids could stay all day; others may last a couple of hours.
Millions of LED lights turn streets, plazas and buildings across Madrid into one big Christmas trail. Designer displays, giant fir trees, glowing nativity scenes and bulbs drawn by first and second graders in a school contest give kids plenty to hunt for. Gran Vía, Calle Alcalá and Plaza Mayor are the classics.
A few days a year, Spain's parliament lets the public in for free. Visitors climb the steps between the bronze lions and follow a set route: an original copy of the 1812 Constitution, the domed Hall of Lost Steps, then the Hemicycle, where the 350 deputies debate and vote.
It suits school-age kids who have heard of parliament and want to see where it happens.
A Christmas ice rink set up at Atlético de Madrid's stadium, with more than 4,000 square meters of ice. A skating ticket also opens the food halls and the day's activities: workshops, face painting, Santa visits, a gaming zone and a Playmobil space. Weekend mornings bring kids' shows with characters they know; evenings switch to DJs and concerts aimed at teens and adults.
Madrid's big Christmas fair for kids, run by IFEMA with Productores de Sonrisas. The exhibition halls fill with theater, video games, robotics, traditional games, creative workshops, cooking demos, sports, magic, music and storytelling. Kids try things rather than watch: building with LEGO in one hall, meeting firefighters and police in the other. It suits families looking for a long indoor outing over the holidays.
Madrid's feast of Saint Anthony, patron saint of animals. Neighbors bring their pets to the Iglesia de San Antón to be blessed, then the Vueltas parade loops the nearby streets with police dog units and mounted Guardia Civil.
Kids also come for the panecillos, small saint's buns sold at the church. It suits animal-loving kids of any age, with or without a pet.
Christmas here runs all the way to January 6, because the Three Kings, not Santa, bring most of the presents! From late November the Plaza Mayor fills with stalls of nativity figures and joke-shop wigs, Cortylandia's facade sings on Calle Preciados, and the streets light up. On January 5 the Kings parade down the Castellana. Here's what we checked, from free lights and nativity scenes to the Christmas circus.
Madrid, Navidad de Encuentro turns Matadero, the old slaughterhouse arts center by Madrid Río, into a Christmas village. The hook for kids is the fake snow that falls on Plaza Matadero every evening. Around it sit an ice rink, play installations by street-theater companies, craft workshops, storytelling and classic Christmas films at Cineteca.
Each edition picks a theme. Last year's was books and storytelling.
Circo Alegría's first Madrid production turns a big top into an underwater world. International acrobats perform around synchronized dancing fountains, with 3D effects, mermaids, pirates, sharks and storms. Giant kinetic whales float over the audience. A story about caring for the oceans runs through it, with plenty of humor and music.
Madrid winters are cold, sunny and full of plans! Christmas brings the lights, the Plaza Mayor market and ice rinks from Matadero to Atlético's stadium. On January 5 the Three Kings parade down the Castellana, and in mid-January neighbors bring their pets to San Antón to be blessed. Here's what we checked, from free street traditions to show jumping, circus and Christmas theme parks.
Spain's biggest horse show is back after a year off. In the main arena, riders compete for three World Cups: show jumping, dressage and carriage driving. The crowd favorites are Pony Turf and the Jump & Drive race.
Next door, the Horse Hall has stands, food and non-stop horse shows. Horse-mad kids could stay all day; others may last a couple of hours.
Millions of LED lights turn streets, plazas and buildings across Madrid into one big Christmas trail. Designer displays, giant fir trees, glowing nativity scenes and bulbs drawn by first and second graders in a school contest give kids plenty to hunt for. Gran Vía, Calle Alcalá and Plaza Mayor are the classics.
A few days a year, Spain's parliament lets the public in for free. Visitors climb the steps between the bronze lions and follow a set route: an original copy of the 1812 Constitution, the domed Hall of Lost Steps, then the Hemicycle, where the 350 deputies debate and vote.
It suits school-age kids who have heard of parliament and want to see where it happens.
A Christmas ice rink set up at Atlético de Madrid's stadium, with more than 4,000 square meters of ice. A skating ticket also opens the food halls and the day's activities: workshops, face painting, Santa visits, a gaming zone and a Playmobil space. Weekend mornings bring kids' shows with characters they know; evenings switch to DJs and concerts aimed at teens and adults.
Madrid's big Christmas fair for kids, run by IFEMA with Productores de Sonrisas. The exhibition halls fill with theater, video games, robotics, traditional games, creative workshops, cooking demos, sports, magic, music and storytelling. Kids try things rather than watch: building with LEGO in one hall, meeting firefighters and police in the other. It suits families looking for a long indoor outing over the holidays.
Madrid's feast of Saint Anthony, patron saint of animals. Neighbors bring their pets to the Iglesia de San Antón to be blessed, then the Vueltas parade loops the nearby streets with police dog units and mounted Guardia Civil.
Kids also come for the panecillos, small saint's buns sold at the church. It suits animal-loving kids of any age, with or without a pet.
Christmas here runs all the way to January 6, because the Three Kings, not Santa, bring most of the presents! From late November the Plaza Mayor fills with stalls of nativity figures and joke-shop wigs, Cortylandia's facade sings on Calle Preciados, and the streets light up. On January 5 the Kings parade down the Castellana. Here's what we checked, from free lights and nativity scenes to the Christmas circus.
Madrid, Navidad de Encuentro turns Matadero, the old slaughterhouse arts center by Madrid Río, into a Christmas village. The hook for kids is the fake snow that falls on Plaza Matadero every evening. Around it sit an ice rink, play installations by street-theater companies, craft workshops, storytelling and classic Christmas films at Cineteca.
Each edition picks a theme. Last year's was books and storytelling.
Circo Alegría's first Madrid production turns a big top into an underwater world. International acrobats perform around synchronized dancing fountains, with 3D effects, mermaids, pirates, sharks and storms. Giant kinetic whales float over the audience. A story about caring for the oceans runs through it, with plenty of humor and music.