San Isidro Madrid - Festivities and traditions guide San Isidro Madrid - Festivities and traditions guide

San Isidro Madrid Festival, Bulls And Rosquillas

Each 15th of May in Madrid is the festival of San Isidro, the patron of Madrid. For a period of five days, locals take to the streets to celebrate their pilgrimage in the Pradera of San Isidro and also to enjoy music, dancing and Madrid cuisine in the gardens of the Vistillas

Guide - San Isidro in Madrid

San Isidro, Madrid Festival

A brief history of San Isidro

The day before the San Isidro festival party, in the streets of downtown Madrid, you can hear the excitement from the Parade of Giants, announcing the arrival of the Proclamation that occurs on the afternoon of the 14th on Plaza de la Villa.

On the morning of the 15th, the festival of San Isidro begins procession and mass in honor of the saint. It is a tradition to drink water from the well where San Isidro worked during one of his most important miracles. The son of San Isidro Labrador had fallen into the well and his father, through praying, managed to make the waters rise thus preventing him from drowning. The Mass of the Bell is celebrated at 12am

Festivities

Concerts and festivals are held every day in the meadow of San Isidro from the 14th to the 18th with performances for children and adults. There are orchestras playing and shows where girls and the boys can dance the “chotis” dressed in their traditional costumes, showing for one day the openness and the sassy nature of most traditional Madrilenians.

Every day in the meadow you will be able to taste great dishes from the community such as Madrid Stew or tripes. In the stalls you can try specialties such as gallinejas and other intricacies with a good beer. You can also take the tortilla (potato omelet) from home to share with a good glass of wine or a glass of beer with your friends and family.

For snacking, another San Isidro tradition is the typical Holy donut. Today you can find lemon, chocolate and more modern variations of the donut. Another typical San Isidro sweet these days is the wafer and its fun roulette.

More shows worth seeing live are the zarzuela concerts, that take place on Plaza de la Villa or Plaza Mayor and the so called Opera Girl for its more popular, folkloric character – bringing joy to the nights of San Isidro.

But if  Zarzuela is not your musical genre, you can choose between different rock concerts that take place daily in the Vistillas or Pradera of San Isidro from 9 to 12 at night.

To end each day at midnight, the skies of Madrid fill with color with the nights of fire and music in the gardens of Retiro. It all ends on the 18th with a large fireworks display on the Prairie of San Isidro.

Bullfights in San Isidro

Like in the case of San Fermin, San Isidro festivities cannot be complete without bulls. This is because two weeks before May 15th and until early June are different bullfights held every day at the Monumental Plaza de las Ventas. Here you will see less experienced toreadors “novilleros” to more experienced “toreros”, that give fame to more prestigious bullfighting festivals worldwide.

The fair of San Isidro is a unique spectacle for fans of bullfighting as it brings together the most recognized figures in the bullfighting roster of the moment, the best farms, all in an iconic scene in the center of the capital. 

Besides the San Isidro bullfights, we need to highlight two bullfights for their importance and tradition: the bullfight of La Prensa and the Charity Bullfight, where you will surely find someone from the Royal House.

More information on Spain, its culture and its traditions

Traditional family in a flamenco performance
Spanish culture

Flamenco dance and music

Flamenco is passion, music, dance, and an icon of Spanish culture. Flamenco shows can be enjoyed all over Spain at tablaos. This music genre is deeply rooted in Spanish history and its evolution is full of anecdotes and interesting stories. In this post, we invite you to the wonderful and colorful land of Flamenco music and flamenco dance. … Read More

spanish-paella-valencia
Spanish culture

Spanish Diet

When people commonly refer to the Spanish diet, the image typically portraited is that of the Mediterranean diet. Olive oil, grains, vegetables, fruit, fish…We cannot, however, refer to just one single Spanish diet since there are many regional differences. In this article, we are going to cover those and highlight some of Spain´s most well-known local dishes. From the valencian paella to the ,madrid cocido,learn all about spain’gastronomy … Read More

paella-dish-spanish-gastronomy
Spanish culture

Paella And Fideuà

Paella is as well known around the world as anything else Spanish: Tapas, flamenco, bullfighting … Paella. This very special and very Spanish dish is a 15th-century creation from the region of Valencia. Fideuà on the other hand is a much more modern creation that originated in the region of Gandía, also in Valencia, and is very similar to paella and at the same time altogether different. In this article, we will go over the differences and similarities between these two amazing dishes. … Read More

Spanish culture

La Merce In Barcelona

The patron saint of the city of Barcelona is the Virgen de la Mercé, and is celebrated every September 24TH since the nineteenth century to dismiss the summer solstice and prepare for the arrival of the colder months.

A Mediterranean feast that brings back all the inhabitants of the city to enjoy music, dance and street entertainment with Giants, Castellars and Sardanas that dance to traditional instruments such as the “chirimía” a kind of hornpipe. … Read More