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 open the Movistar Arena on 17 September and Rawayana close the month there on 28 September, with Placebo and Los Kjarkas among the October highlights. 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.
Live music and festivals in Madrid
RAWAYANA
RAWAYANA plays Movistar Arena on 28 September at 20:30.
Leo de la Rosiori
Leo de la Rosiori plays Palacio Vistalegre on 4 October at 19:00.
Gondwana & Quique Neira
Gondwana & Quique Neira plays La Riviera on 6 October at 20:00.
Pacifica
Pacifica plays Sala Changó on 11 October at 20:30.
Los Kjarkas
Los Kjarkas plays Palacio Vistalegre on 15 October at 19:00.
Declan Welsh & The Decadent West
Declan Welsh & The Decadent West plays Sala El Sol on 25 October at 20:30.
Temporary exhibitions in Madrid
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.