Carnival

30 January - 6 February

Carnival is a huge event throughout most of Europe, and nowhere more so than in Spain, where the weeks preceding Lent are filled with parties, parades, street festivals and all manner of revelry!

Fashion Week

15 - 17 February

The fashion world descends on the Juan Carlos Exhibition centre for the week, bringing to the city hordes of reporters, models and an air of frenzied glamour.

San Isidro Festivals

1 - 31 May

The centrepiece of the Fiestas de San Isidro is a Romeria (a kind of pilgrimage) to the shrine of Madrid's patron Saint, Isidore. Around this simple ceremony a whole season full of events and fiestas.

Summer in the City (Veranos de la Villa)

1 July - 31 August

Summer in the City (Veranos de la Villa) is a two-month programme of music, dance, theatre and bullfights in venues across the city. There are more than 40 music concerts, from jazz to classical, and many open-air film screenings, including lots specifically for children.

Autumn Festival

1 October - 30 November

Throughout most of these two months the city will be swept by a wave of concerts, theatre performances and other cultural goodies to welcome in the season.