Strike up the Bands

Twenty concert bands, nearly one thousand musicians, over a million people in the street. Madrid, ever the royal town and court and today a great metropolis, recovers its "Manchego small-town spirit" - as Azorín once described it - in a big way thanks to the municipal concert bands coming to Madrid tonight from twenty towns in Madrid Province and surrounding areas.

Starting from different points in the city, the bands will follow the dictates of tradition and parade through Madrid's streets and squares. Thus, these real vocational "heroes" of music will liven up people on the streets and in the lines waiting to enter various institutions. The goal is to fill the streets with music and joy and to get as many people as possible to move to the beats of the various bands parading around Madrid. The repertoire will be chosen by each band, although La noche en blanco has encouraged them to "be inventive" and surprise the citizenry with songs not usually played by concert bands.

A total of 20 bands will participate: the Ciempozuelos Music Band, the Complutense Concert Band, the Villa de Algete Music Band, the Colmenar Viejo Concert Band, the Meco Musical Association Band, the Spanish Postal Service Music Band, the Villarejo de Salvanés Music Band, the Ciudad de Chinchón Music Band, the "La Inseparable" Music Band from Pozuelo de Alarcón, the Municipal Band of Velilla de San Antonio de Madrid, the "El bemol" Music Band from Galapagar, the "La unión musical de Pozuelo" Music Band, the San Sebastián de los Reyes Music Bands, the Valdemoro Municipal Music Band, the Band of the Sotillo de la Adrada Musical Association, the Band of the Manuel de Falla Musical Association of Illescas, the Band of the Dionisio Aguado Music School of Fuelabrada, the Navalcarnero Municipal Band, the Pinto Municipal Band, and the Arturo Soria Music Band.