July is the hottest month of the year in Madrid. Fortunately, it is a month full of festivals and events, with fewer tourists and people, as students are on holiday. Stunning Madrid, here we go!
Botanical Nights (Noches del Botánico)
• When: July 1 to July 29, every day at 8 PM
• Where: Alfonso XIII Royal Botanic Garden
The third edition of a large music festival with the attendance of favorited artists and musicians throughout Spain as well as international ones, in a variety of genres, from jazz, latin, electric, flamenco, pop to rock and more to discover. Find out the schedule of the festival and immerse yourself with great music of Elvis Costello, James Rhodes, Jeff Beck, Phoneix, Norah Jones and more in summer nights, under the sky of Madrid.
Veranos de la Villa
• When: During July. Schedule here.
• Where: Various venues in Madrid
Veranos de la Villa is a two-month cultural festival for art and music lovers in Madrid, fulfilled with flamenco, circus, theatre, choral and classical music that are presented by the most prestigious artists in Spain.
Mad Cool Festival
• When: July 12 to July 14
• Where: Valdebebas – Ifema
Mad Cool Festival is a three-day festival that runs from early evening to early morning. It is a pop, rock and indie music festival for everyone with the famous names such as Arctic Monkeys and Jack White, Pearl Jam, Depeche Mode, Queens Of The Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, Jack Johnson. In this third edition, Mad Cool has increased from five to seven stages, as well as changed the venue to another area of 100,000 square meters, with a capacity of 80,000 people. Visit the official website of Mad Cool for the line-up and tickets.
Disney. The Art of Storytelling
• When: From July 17 to November 11.
• Where: CaixaForum Madrid
Disney. The Art of Storytelling is an exhibition with a set of extensive drawings from watercolors to digital prints, storyboards and fragments of production notes. Through it, audience has a closer look at the amazing works and efforts of Disney studios with myth, legends and fairy tale and how it adapts the classic stories to animation and cartoons as we see on the television nowadays.
The Royal Ballet
• When: July 18 to July 22
• Where: Teatro Real (Royal Theater)
This year of 2018 celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Royal Theater – one of the most prestigious and most important cultural institution in Spain. The Royal Ballet, this time, returns to the Royal Theater with an annals romantic fable of universal dance history – Swan Lake, impressively performed by the high-quality artists England’s leading ballet company.
Sunset in Madrid
Need an idea to chill with friends on summer days? The combination of sunset, panoramic view of the city, cocktails or dinner on a terrace is just for you. Check the lists of plenty of cafe, bar and restaurants now are open on terraces here.
Another great spot to watch the sunset at no cost in Madrid is Temple of Debod – an ancient Egyptian temple donated to Spain in 1968. The monument itself is simple but turns into something amazing under the sunset. The area glows up the whole surrounding areas in red and orange shade.
Bullfighting
• When: Each Sunday of July at 7 PM
• Where: Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas
Even though the best performances are in May, during the San Isidro Festival, the bullfighting season is still going until the mid-October. The bullfights are never bored and still exciting for everyone so do not miss the chance to admire the talent, ingenuity and agility of matadors and participate in one of the oldest tradition of Spain.
