August empties Madrid, but the city doesn't stop. Exhibitions, street festivals, an eclipse, and the Veranos de la Villa encourage staying.
August arrives and Madrid is left half-empty, but the cultural and leisure agenda doesn't rest. For those staying in the capital, the month offers plans ranging from top-level exhibitions to the most traditional street festivals, along with a solar eclipse visible in much of the region.
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is hosting two major exhibitions until early September: a retrospective of Polish artist Ewa Juszkiewicz, who deconstructs female portraits from historical painting, and an exhibition dedicated to the Sevillian painter and sculptor Carmen Laffón. Both can be visited at a leisurely pace, away from the crowds of the rest of the year.
CaixaForum offers an immersive journey through the life of Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria, available until early October, and the experience We Are Nature, featuring stunning images from National Geographic. At Sala Alcalá 31, the Community of Madrid is exhibiting Modern Mythologies: Ouka Leele & Co until mid-October, a review of the role of mythology in 1980s Madrid art.
Photography also takes over the city with a new edition of PHotoESPAÑA, which spreads its proposals across various venues until mid-September. The Fernán Gómez cultural centre will host an exhibition by renowned Dutch photographer Viviane Sassen.
The street festivals return as the stars in the most traditional neighbourhoods. The San Cayetano festivities will be held from August 5 to 8 in the Rastro and Embajadores area; the San Lorenzo celebrations in Lavapiés will take place from August 9 to 12; and the Virgen de la Paloma festivities, the most crowded, will arrive in La Latina from August 14 to 17 with booths, regional dances, chotis and pasodoble contests, and culinary tastings.
On August 12, one of the astronomical phenomena of the year occurs: a solar eclipse visible from much of the Community of Madrid. The Sierra Norte will be one of the best observation points, and municipalities like Buitrago de Lozoya have organized workshops, guided observations, and family activities around the event. The Perseids will complete the spectacle during the second half of the month.
Music and theatre also have their place with The Veranos de la Villa, celebrating its 42nd edition from July 7 to August 30 with over seventy proposals spread across the districts. Conde Duque, Matadero, the cloister of the San Isidro Institute, and Enrique Tierno Galván Park will be some of the epicentres.
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