HO HO HO: Christmas and Winter Season in Madrid

On November 24, the City of Madrid officially launched its holiday lights. Illuminations, Christmas market with more than 100 stands, ice rinks, nativity scenes, hot chestnuts and intense cultural agenda… the atmosphere is guaranteed! 

Until January 6, you can enjoy more than a month of festivities marked by Christmas, New Year’s Day but also the Three Wise Men, who come to deposit the gifts to the Spanish children on the night of January 5 to 6.

What will surprise you in Madrid this winter? Let us guide you:

The traditional Christmas lights. With the market installed in the magical Plaza Mayor, and the show Cortylandia. This last event delights every year all the children of Madrid: for 30 years, one of the main El Corte Inglés shopping centers of the city offers a wonderful show on the façade of its building, on Calle Maestro Victoria.

Illuminated nature. New edition of this event taking place in the Royal Botanical Garden. This sound and light show in the open air is the perfect plan to add a little magic to the traditional city tour. A sensory journey on the theme of the ocean, a walk in the heart of the flora and fauna of the seabed. From November 14 to January 15.

Naviluz, the Christmas Bus. From late November till the 6th of January, this popular bus takes passengers down some of Madrid’s most emblematic streets, to show off the city’s wonderful display of Christmas lights. 

Three King's Parade and “roscón de Reyes”. During the night of January 5 to 6 and like every year, the Three Wise Men visit each of the houses of Madrid to deliver gifts to all the children. But the afternoon before, they travel through the streets during a spectacular parade. But it’s not all: the pastry shops of the capital prepare the famous "roscón", this delicious bun traditionally consumed on Three Kings Day, among family and friends.

Arts and cultural events. There is no season to visit Madrid’s exciting museums!­ And did you know that UNESCO has recently inscribed Paseo del Prado and El Retiro park on its World Heritage list as “Landscape of Arts and Sciences”? This recognition places the Prado Museum, one of the most important art galleries worldwide, in the heart of the first urban landscape in Europe to be protected by the prestigious institution.

Exhibition Picasso – Chanel. 2023 will undoubtedly be the year of Picasso. It is the whole country that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the artist’s death on April 8, 2023. The city of Madrid offers a long list of cultural events to pay tribute to the genial artist. 
Before Picasso-El Greco (Prado Museum) and Picasso-Velázquez (Casa Velázquez), the Thyssen Museum invites you to Picasso-Chanel. This wonderful exhibition inaugurated on October 11 and presented until January 15, 2023, looks back on the personal and artistic links between these two great figures of art and fashion that were Pablo Picasso y Gabrielle Chanel.