Events in Madrid
This September, Madrid fills its official calendar with festivals and its stages with big names. The autumn programme runs from the HONDO and Brava Madrid festivals in mid-month to the Estampa art fair and Suma Flamenca Joven from 24 September. Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso and Airbag play the arenas, Fat Freddy's Drop and Kitty, Daisy & Lewis take over the clubs, and Rawayana closes the month at the Movistar Arena on 28 September. Candlelight concerts light up the Basílica de San Miguel and the Círculo de Bellas Artes, while the Thyssen, Fundación MAPFRE and the Reina Sofía open standout exhibitions.
What's on in Madrid according to the official calendar
The festivals below are the ones on Madrid's official events calendar for the month, and each card links straight to the organiser's own listing with the dates and venues. For the sights that are open all year round, start with things to see in Madrid.
HONDO Festival
When: 17 September
Where: Estación de Príncipe Pío
A one-day flamenco festival with a line-up that includes Kiki Morente, Soleá Morente and Remedios Amaya on an open-air stage.
Brava Madrid
When: 18 to 19 September
Where: Caja Mágica
An urban music festival gathering more than thirty national and international pop and electronic acts across two nights.
Estampa Contemporary Art Fair
When: 24 to 27 September
Where: IFEMA Madrid
Spain's autumn meeting point for contemporary art, bringing together leading galleries, collectors and emerging artists under one roof.
Suma Flamenca Joven
When: 24 to 27 September
Where: Teatros del Canal
The young edition of the regional flamenco festival, showcasing the best singers, dancers and guitarists under the age of thirty.
Concerts in Madrid this September
Akriila
Akriila plays La Riviera on 17 September at 21:00.
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso plays Movistar Arena on 17 September at 21:00.
Piano Jazz Café de la Ópera
Piano Jazz Café de la Ópera plays El Café de la Ópera on 17 September at 19:00.
Airbag
Airbag plays Palacio Vistalegre on 19 September at 20:00.
alexsucks
alexsucks plays Sala Villanos on 23 September at 20:30.
Fat Freddy's Drop
Fat Freddy's Drop plays La Riviera on 24 September at 21:00.
Candlelight, Vivaldi's Four Seasons
Candlelight, Vivaldi's Four Seasons comes to the Basílica Pontificia de San Miguel on 25 September at 19:00.
Candlelight, tribute to Ludovico Einaudi
Candlelight, tribute to Ludovico Einaudi comes to the Círculo de Bellas Artes on 27 September at 21:00.
RAWAYANA
RAWAYANA plays Movistar Arena on 28 September at 20:30.
What's on in Madrid this month
Essential Flamenco
Essential Flamenco comes to the Teatro Tablao Flamenco TORERO on 17 September at 18:00.
Cluedo Live
Cluedo Live comes to Teatro Soho Madrid on 18 September at 19:30.
DroneArt Show, Harry Potter
DroneArt Show, Harry Potter comes to the Hipódromo de la Zarzuela on 18 September at 21:00.
El Rey de Trébol close-up magic
El Rey de Trébol close-up magic comes to Sala Houdini on 18 September at 19:45.
Friday Stand-up Comedy in English
Friday Stand-up Comedy in English comes to Madrid Comedy Lab on 18 September at 22:00.
Temporary exhibitions in Madrid
Carmen Laffón, Variations
Until: 27 September
Where: Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
A retrospective of the Andalusian painter and sculptor, following her seascapes, orchards and studies of light through the changing seasons.
Women Artists, Pathways through Pre-Raphaelitism (1850-1914)
Dates: 24 September to 10 January 2027
Where: Fundación MAPFRE, Sala Recoletos
The first survey of the women behind the Pre-Raphaelite movement, from painters and models to embroiderers, across six decades of British art.
Manolo Millares, Fallen Figure
Until: 16 February 2027
Where: Museo Reina Sofía
A focused display around Fallen Figure, tracing the raw burlap and dark matter of the Spanish artist's post-war informalist work.
Madrid tickets and tours
Keep the city and national holiday calendar in mind
Public holidays change the rhythm of a visit more than most travellers expect. Shops and museums move to holiday timetables, public transport can run a reduced service and a day built around a market or a municipal museum can fall flat. Madrid keeps 14 paid public holidays in 2026: the 8 that apply across the whole of Spain, 4 more set by the Comunidad de Madrid and 2 that the city council fixes for itself, San Isidro on 15 May and the Almudena on 9 November. Two of the regional days exist only because All Saints' Day and Constitution Day fall on a Sunday in 2026 and the region moved them to the following Monday.
National holidays in Spain 2026
- 1 January New Year's Day (Año Nuevo)
- 6 January Epiphany (Epifanía del Señor)
- 3 April Good Friday (Viernes Santo)
- 1 May Labour Day (Fiesta del Trabajo)
- 15 August Assumption of Mary (Asunción de la Virgen)
- 12 October National Day of Spain (Fiesta Nacional de España)
- 8 December Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Inmaculada Concepción)
- 25 December Christmas Day (Natividad del Señor)
Local holidays in Madrid 2026
- 2 April Maundy Thursday (Jueves Santo), regional
- 2 May Day of the Community of Madrid (Fiesta de la Comunidad de Madrid), regional
- 15 May Saint Isidore (San Isidro Labrador), local
- 2 November All Saints' Day moved from the Sunday (traslado de Todos los Santos), regional
- 9 November Feast of the Almudena (Nuestra Señora de la Almudena), local
- 7 December Constitution Day moved from the Sunday (traslado del Día de la Constitución), regional
Most of the city information points close early at 17:00 on 24 and 31 December and open late at 11:00 on 25 December and 1 January, and the Plaza Mayor centre shortens its hours from 13 to 17 May for San Isidro. The CentroCentro point is the exception listed as closed on 1 and 6 January, 1 May and 24, 25 and 31 December, and the regional centre on Puerta del Sol closes on 1 May, 25 December and 1 January.
Keep exploring Madrid
The Madrid guide
The Madrid guide on Tourist Office gathers a first day itinerary, the landmarks worth booking ahead and what the city offers for free.
Tourist office in Madrid
Where Madrid's official tourist information points are, when they open and which public holidays change their opening hours.
Spain highlights
The Spain guide looks beyond the city to the country's great cities, landmarks and coast, with the sights worth planning a longer trip around.