Summers in the Town
06/23/2020
One of the great surprises Madrid has in store is just how green it is. Parks adorn the city with vast swathes of green meadows and lush woodlands, meandering rivers lined with willows, and deep, cool urban pools, which provide a refreshing respite from the summer heat. Together, they create a green playground for the annual cultural programme of Veranos de la Villa (Summer in the City), which runs throughout July and August.
During this time, around 90 artists take part in 41 events spread across the city’s 21 different neighbourhoods, inviting locals and visitors alike to join in the city’s irrepressibly vibrant spirit. Open to everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, it offers a diverse mix of music and dance, audiovisual presentations, art, fashion, theatre and sport – and, best of all, it’s free.
As you might expect, it’s extremely popular, so here are the rules: arrive early, as most event tickets are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and the biggest events sell out quickly. Pack a picnic: we highly recommend strolling around on the grass, sipping wine and letting time slip by, but remember to get up and join in the singing and dancing. That’s what the fun-loving locals do.
Key points:
28 June
This year’s opening party at Latina’s Parque de la Cuña Verde is being organised by a group of creative young people from Bwelke, who work closely with art and architecture to create extraordinary spaces. Their concept will remain a secret until the big night, but it promises to offer a comprehensive preview of the events taking place over the next two months.
10 July
As part of the ‘Multi-Species Madrid’ project, which offers guided tours of the city’s green spaces and thriving ecosystems, visitors can enjoy a two-hour guided walk through the Manzanares River Linear Park, followed by a flamenco performance in the park by one of Spain’s finest living artists, Árcangel. In the weeks leading up to his show, fans can use social media to request what they’d like the artist to perform, so don’t forget to follow him.
20 July
Leading scientists from NASA, the Russian Aerospace Corporation and the Madrid Planetarium will join Galician singer-songwriter Xoel López to perform ‘Walk on the Moon’, marking the 50th anniversary of the day Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong took their first steps on the lunar surface. Original footage of that historic landing will also be shown on the big screen.
3 August
Madrid’s iconic public swimming pool party kicks off at the Cerro Almodóvar Municipal Sports Centre from 11 am, with two areas: one for disco, funk, soul and jazz, and the other for relaxing.
10 August
A one-hour tour of Juan Carlos I Park is followed by this year’s headline act, Joan as Police Woman, the moving and avant-garde American singer-songwriter, described as the Joni Mitchell of her generation.
1 September
Sunset in the Park is the festival’s much-loved closing event, which bids farewell to summer and marks the start of the cooler days of autumn. This year, we will see a collaboration between choreographer Cuqui Jerez and pyrotechnics maestro José Luis Jiménez, who will light up the skies from the meadows of Enrique Tierno Galván Park.
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