Festivals, exhibitions, restaurants, festivals, carnivals and the best plans to make the most of the capital this month.
Chinese New Year celebrations in Madrid kick off on February 2nd.
- © aguscrespophoto / Shutterstock
The second month of the year in Madrid means parties and celebrations everywhere. On 9 February, the eagerly awaited Madrid Carnival returns, starting with the traditional opening speech from the balcony of the Casa de la Villa. It ends on Ash Wednesday, 14 February, with the Burial of the Sardine. But between these days there are many activities, such as the now customary gastronomic route 'El cortejo de la Sardina', and the iconic party at the Círculo de Bellas Artes.
Did you grow up watching Toy Story? Are you a fan of Monsters Inc? Well, this exhibition is what you've been waiting for all your life. For the whole month, the IFEMA Exhibition Centre will be transformed into the worlds of Pixar's best films, in an immersive and gigantic experience. You will be able to live Andy's room from Woody's perspective or go through the world of the dead together with Miguel and Dante, as they do in Coco.
More carnival! But in a different style. This year is the year of the Wooden Dragon from 2 February, and Madrid will be dressed in red and yellow to ensure that good fortune arrives. The eagerly awaited parade will take place on Sunday 11 February from 12 noon, and will feature three giant dragons, live music and traditional dances, all organised by the Chinese associations in the Spanish capital.
13 large-format sculptures will invade the district of Las Letras from 16 February, in an urban exhibition that invites us to reflect on the reaffirmation of the individual that is inseparable from the collective. Figures 4.5 metres high made by the artist Santi Flores will be installed in Plaza de Santa Ana, Plaza de Platerías, Plaza de las Cortes, at the intersection of Sevilla and Alcalá streets, next to the Four Seasons Hotel, and next to Serrería Belga, between Alameda and Almadén streets. This celebrated exhibition was on Broadway in New York in 2022.
Coffee lovers are in for a treat this month as CoffeFest returns to Madrid, where coffee professionals meet the great connoisseurs of this bean made drink. For four days, more than 40 roasters and the public will meet, who will be able to find out about trends and new developments in the sector, attend barista competitions, tastings, cuppings and workshops, as well as presentations and meetings.
This February sees the opening in Madrid of an exhibition that recounts one of the most important moments in modern human history: the moment when the world was divided by a great wall during the Cold War. Through more than 300 objects, videos and archives, this exhibition recounts the global conflict between capitalism and communism that brought the world to the brink of nuclear destruction. This exhibition at Fundación Canal will allow visitors to understand what it was like and what it meant to live in a divided city.
Throughout February and until 23 March, the Sala Berlanga will be screening the finalists in the 38th Goya Awards to be held in Valladolid. For €3.50 you can see La sociedad de la nieve, El maestro que prometió el mar, 20 000 especies de abeja, Las chicas están bien, Creatura, among others.
The Mexican artist Denise De la Rue explores the history and conquest of territories through her pieces, which will be on display at the Palacio de Liria from this month. In addition to the artist's works, unpublished letters of Christopher Columbus will also be on display. This exhibition opens the Contemporary Art room of this aristocratic museum. De la Rue's exploration ranges from the European arrival in America in 1492 to the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 through sculptures with extraterrestrial elements.
García Lorca' s classic returns to the stage, but with a change in the voices that address the audience. Directed and acted by actress María Goiricelaya, in the company of Aitor Borobia, Leire Orbe, Unai Izquierdo and Loli Astoreka, among others, this version of Yerma tells the story of the women that the playwright has represented and who live in their stories under the powerful stigma of not being able to be mothers. The play, which won the Max Award for Best Adaptation, will be performed at the Fernan Gómez Theatre, under the label of La Dramática Errante.
One of the most praised exhibitions in recent years is coming to Madrid: in an immersive plan -as we like everything nowadays-, these pieces take you into a forest recreated within an urban space. "When lambs rise up against the bird of prey" is an exhibition by the artist Precious Okoyomon (London, 1993). This forest grows inside the recently inaugurated Montaña Artificial del Retiro, also known as the Montaña de los Gatos. Among trees, moss and ferns hides an animatronic animal, "an intuitive and wise creature, capable of surviving predators and apocalyptic scenarios". Smells, textures and music accompany this unparalleled installation.
