A Madrid-style Christmas

It's that time of year again. Of all of Madrid's festivals, Christmas fills the city with a special kind of magic...and a special kind of sparkle too! Neighbourhoods across the capital dazzle as Madrileños and locals come together on our streets to enjoy the festive season. 

From the end of November until the beginning of January, glimmering lights, holiday decorations and glowing window displays take over the city. It's impossible not to be mesmerised by these multicoloured light displays.

Decked out streets and huge Christmas trees

In total, around 12 million LED lights illuminate the city, adorning light garlands, glowing cherry trees and large nativity scenes at the entrances to Plaza Mayor and Plaza de España. Twelve gigantic Christmas trees grace Madrid’s main squares, including Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor.

Over the Christmas period, Madrid hosts myriad events and activities for all ages. Head over to the beautiful Plaza Mayor square which hosts the city’s most popular Christmas market to purchase all kinds of festive decorations and Nativity scene figures. Dotted around the capital, you'll find plenty of design and artisan markets, including the Madrid Arts and Crafts fair, which are all great places for picking up last-minute gifts.

You won't be able to miss the elaborte Nativity scenes that are set up in churches and cultural centres all around the city. Found in most Spanish households, these cribs (belenes) illustrate scenes from the birth of Jesus, and include figures like Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and angels, and the Three Wise Men following the Star of Bethlehem. 

If you’re in the mood for shopping, head to the vicinity of Puerta del Sol, Gran Vía avenue, Plaza Mayor and Plaza del Callao, where you’ll find everything on your list. The Three Wise Men and Santa Claus always show their faces in the area, collecting letters from the youngest members of the family, who, can then enjoy the traditional Cortylandia show on Calle del Maestro Victoria.

Theatres and cultural centres across the city stage a host of festive shows and concerts such as the New Year’s Concert at the Teatro Real opera house, gospel performances and the production Circo Price at Christmas. A must for kids is a trip to any of the ice-skating rinks opened at some central squares or a go on the carousels located at the Royal Palace and close to Puerta del Sol. And if you want to take a tour of the city's wonderful Chirstmas lights, then don't think twice about enjoying a ride in an open-top bus.

Turrón (almond nougat), marzipan, glacé fruit, mantecados (traditional powdery sweets), roscón de Reyes (a large ring-shaped cake eaten on 6 Jan)… There's no doubt that Christmas is the sweetest date on the calendar. Forget your diet for a few weeks and take a tour of the oldest patisseries in Madrid. 

Long queues have been forming since 1942 outside Casa Mira, where you’ll find a huge selection of turrones all year round. Another establishment oozing history is Antigua Pastelería del Pozo, which opened in 1830. Here, they specialise in hand-made puff pastry sheets, filled with cream or cabello de ángel (pumpkin jam), and, when the festive season rolls around, they serve up their popular Pan de Cádiz (a marzipan bun with egg yolk, quince and coconut). 

El Riojano is a small shop—declared an Artistic Heritage Site—which was founded in 1855 by Queen Isabel’s baker. The royal cabinetmakers worked on its décor, which combines mahogany wood and Carrara marble. Everything is home-made and in the tea room they serve all kinds of delicious sweets: bartolillos (fried pastries with cream filling), pestiños (honey-coated pastries) and almond cakes, among others.

Horno La Santiaguesa, a slightly newer patisserie, sells mouth-watering traditional turrón, olive oil polvorones (crumbly, powdery biscuits), marzipan figures, nut brittle and candied fruit. Horno de San Onofre is also a firm favourite and is definitely worth a visit if only to stare at the colourful window: a delight for the senses. The ovens here create wonderful chocolate trees and one of the best roscones de Reyes in Madrid. They offer a great selection of these ring-shaped buns: from the traditional plain option to others filled with cream, hazelnut, raspberry or pumpkin. 

Read more about traditional sweets and pastries

Since 2012, the Teatro Real opera house has played host to one of the highlights of the Christmas season in Spain: the special Christmas Lottery. On the morning of 22 December, those who’ve bought their lottery tickets (that is to say, most Spaniards, for almost every family, group of friends or workplace in the country buys at least one) harbour hopes of winning the big El Gordo prize and making all their dreams come true.

The Christmas Lottery began in the 19th century, when the Cortes of Cádiz was in session (1812). In those days, the authorities thought it would be a good idea to add money to the public treasury without collecting new taxes. The name of the draw (Sorteo de Navidad, in Spanish) was made official in 1892.

Since 18 December 1812, the Christmas Lottery draw has followed the exact same procedures each year. Pupils of the San Ildefonso school call out the winning numbers and corresponding prizes, delivering the results in song to the public. In the early days of the lottery, the numbers and prizes were printed on paper. Today, two round lottery drums containing small wooden balls are used.

For over 40 years, the draw took place in the Lotería Nacional hall on Calle de Guzmán el Bueno, here in Madrid. In 2010 and 2011, it was held at Palacio de Congresos. Finally, in 2012, it moved to Teatro Real. This year, the lottery will give out 2,590 million euro in cash prizes.

Visitors can attend the exciting event at the opera house for free. Doors opens at 8am and it's first-come, first-served, so be sure to set your alarm on the 22nd!

In the meantime, check out this year's Christmas Lottery ad:

Every year, on New Year’s Eve, Puerta del Sol becomes the navel of the country’s revelry. Thousands of people from all over pack this square on 31 December to ring in the New Year while eating one lucky grape to each of the 12 midnight chimes from the Real Casa de Correos clock tower.

There are different stories about the origin of the 12-grape tradition. According to the most popular, in 1909, winegrowers in Levante had a surplus of grapes, and so they gave them to the population for free. They said that those who ate the grapes on New Year’s Eve would be prosperous the following year.

It’s quite clear they were convincing! More than a century later, people across Spain gobble down their dozen grapes at midnight, one for each month of the coming year.

When the clock strikes on 31 December, the vast majority of Spaniards are watching, either in person or on TV. A few seconds before midnight, the ball on top of the clock drops to the sound of a carillon. Then, the four anticipatory tones (cuartos in Spanish) can be heard as a prelude to the 12 chimes themselves, striking every three seconds to prevent grape eaters from choking.

The clock ceremony is only the beginning of a very long night. On New Year’s Eve, Madrid never really goes to sleep: festive atmosphere, music and merrymakers are everywhere. If you’re coming to the capital, make sure to not miss our special New Year’s Eve celebrations.

On the afternoon of 31 December, Madrid hosts the traditional San Silvestre Vallecana 10k race, which sees more and more participants and sponsors involved every year. Although the organisers are constantly increasing the number of places available, participant slots are limited and they sell out fast.

The course starts in the financial district, on Avenida de Concha Espina, next to Paseo de la Castellana (metro station: Santiago Bernabéu), and takes in some major tourist sights like the Puerta de Alcalá gate, Cibeles Fountain and Paseo del Arte (Art Walk). The finish line for pros is at the new Vallecas football stadium—home to Rayo Vallecano—in the Vallecas district, while amateur runners finish up close by the stadium.

It’s an appealing course, with a slight downward incline during the first 8 kilometres. However, brace yourself for the final uphill stretch as some of the climbs can be quite taxing (especially between kilometre 8 and 9).

On Epiphany Day (6 January), Spanish kids traditionally wake up to find the reward for their behaviour during this past year: presents for the well-behaved, charcoal for the naughty. These have been left in their homes during the night by the Three Wise Men from the East, who pass through the streets of Madrid the evening before (5 Jan) in a spectacular parade.

The Three Kings and their cohort set off from Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz and go down Paseo de la Castellana to Plaza de Cibeles, where they deliver a message to all children.