THE EDITORIAL
Madrid gets a long weekend this week, and it knows exactly what to do with it. The city opens its doors, literally, to buildings that stay shut the rest of the year, then lets everyone take Monday off in honour of its Almudena. It's the kind of weekend that makes you feel you live somewhere that wants to be enjoyed. Take the extra day. Walk home the long way.
We've done the reading, so you can do the wandering. Here's where we'd spend the week.
AT A GLANCE
Worth the open door: Open House Madrid, from Thursday to Sunday. Free visits inside buildings you've never entered.
Worth the ticket: PESSOA, Robert Wilson's theatre of light, Friday or Saturday, with Spanish surtitles.
Worth the Saturday: Spain v Uruguay at the Complutense, 16:00, with children's tickets at 10€.
Worth the holiday: Monday 9 November, the day of Madrid's patron.
Worth the opening: Miguel Ángel Rojas at the Reina Sofía, Wednesday. See the heads-up below.
Heads-up: a general strike is called for Wednesday 11 November, 24 hours, nationwide. Minimum services had not been published at the last check. It may affect the Rojas opening and that evening's Fígaro at the Teatro Real, so check before you go.
THE WEEKLY CURATION
THEATRE
THE EVENT: PESSOA, Since I've Been Me, Robert Wilson
WHERE: Teatros del Canal, Sala Roja Concha Velasco, Calle Cea Bermúdez 1
WHEN: Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November, 20:00. 1 hour 20 minutes. No entry once it starts
PRICE: From 9€. Stalls rows 1 to 14 are 35€. Two shows 20% off
Robert Wilson turns Pessoa's poetry and his many selves into a theatre of light
Part of the 44th Festival de Otoño, and Wilson's first time in Spain with this piece. The poet Fernando Pessoa wrote as a family of invented selves, the heteronyms, and Wilson stages them in French, Italian, Portuguese and English, with Spanish surtitles. The company comes from France, Italy, Portugal and the United States.
The Edit Move
Be in your seat before 20:00, latecomers aren't admitted. If you also want Shiraz or another Festival de Otoño show, buy two for the 20% off.
For who it is
Anyone drawn to Wilson's slow, visual theatre, or to Pessoa and the idea of many selves inside one writer.
For who it is not
Anyone wanting a plot. This is image and text, not story.
MUSIC
THE EVENT: O Kwarteto, JAZZMADRID26
WHERE: Central de Diseño, Matadero Madrid, Plaza de Legazpi 8
WHEN: Friday 6 November, 20:00. 60 minutes
PRICE: Free, until capacity is reached
A women's string quartet reworks Brazilian popular music, inside a design biennial
The concert belongs to JAZZMADRID26 and sits in the same building as the 10th Bienal Iberoamericana de Diseño (BID26), which runs from 2 to 7 November. One trip to Matadero gets you a concert and a design biennial.
The Edit Move
Arrive by 19:30 and walk the biennial first. Entry is free but first come, first served.
For who it is
For anyone who wants to combine their design biennial and end the evening with a short journey through the universe of popular Brazilian music, via the perspective of a string quartet's original arrangements and interpretations.
For who it is not
Anyone after a late club night. This is a one hour chamber set.
SPORT
THE EVENT: Movistar Estudiantes v Casademont Zaragoza, women's basketball
WHERE: Movistar Academy Magariños, Calle de Serrano 129, Chamartín
WHEN: Friday 6 November, 19:00
PRICE: 18€ to 25€
Estudiantes' women take on Zaragoza in the club's home gym, where nobody is far from the court
Estudiantes is one of the most storied basketball clubs in Spain, and its women's team plays at Magariños, a school gym. It's loud, small and close, which is the point of watching basketball here instead of in an arena.
The Edit Move
Arrive for the warm-up and pick a seat low in the stand, so you hear the court.
For who it is
Anyone who wants live sport at human scale, on a Friday evening, for under 25€.
For who it is not
Anyone expecting a stadium night out.
SPORT
THE EVENT: Spain v Uruguay, World Rugby Nations Cup
WHERE: Estadio Nacional Complutense, Ciudad Universitaria. Metro Ciudad Universitaria (line 6)
WHEN: Saturday 7 November, 16:00 kick-off
PRICE: 15€ adult. Children 10€, up to six children's tickets per adult ticket.
Spain v Uruguay on the campus that was the front line ninety years ago this month
A World Rugby Nations Cup match played at the Estadio Nacional Complutense, in the Ciudad Universitaria. In November 1936, during the Battle of Madrid, this university campus was a front line. Ninety years later it hosts a Saturday afternoon of rugby.
The Edit Move
Bring the kids. For each adult ticket you can buy six children's tickets at 10€, which makes it one of the best-value family plans of the month.
For who it is
Anyone who wants live sport on a Saturday, with a bit of history under their feet.
For who it is not
Anyone who needs the rules explained. Read a short guide on the way.
DANCE
THE EVENT: Shiraz, Armin Hokmi
WHERE: Réplika Teatro, Calle del Poeta Esteban Villegas 18, Lavapiés
WHEN: Saturday 7 November, 20:00. Sunday 8 November, 19:00. 55 minutes
PRICE: From 6€
An Iranian choreographer takes the name of a city and makes a piece from it
Shiraz is part of the 44th Festival de Otoño and takes its name from the Iranian city. It is a short piece, at 55 minutes, in a small room in Lavapiés, and it needs no Spanish.
The Edit Move
Go on Sunday at 19:00, and then have dinner in Lavapiés afterwards.
For who it is
Anyone curious about contemporary dance outside the big theatres, for the price of a ticket to the cinema.
For who it is not
Anyone wanting a narrative. This is choreography first.
FAMILY
THE EVENT: Mi Primer Festival de Cine, 19th edition
WHERE: Contemporánea Condeduque (Calle Conde Duque 9 and 11), plus Mk2 Cine Paz and Teatro Salesianos
WHEN: 7 to 22 November. At Condeduque: film-concerts on Sundays 8, 15 and 22 November, workshops on Saturdays 14 and 21 November
PRICE: from 3.50€
A film festival made for children aged 3 to 12, with films you won't find in a cinema chain
Mi Primer Festival shows films from many countries and formats, introduced with teaching materials and followed by creative workshops. It looks for unreleased films and ones that are hard to see on commercial screens, and treats children as the audience that matters. Condeduque pairs some screenings with live music.
The Edit Move
Start with a Sunday film-concert at Condeduque, the easiest way in for first-timers.
For who it is
Parents of children aged 3 to 12 who want cinema beyond the multiplex.
For who it is not
Anyone expecting dubbed blockbusters. Check the language of each session before you go.
CULTURE
THE EVENT: The day of the Virgen de la Almudena, Madrid's patron
WHERE: Catedral de la Almudena, Calle de Bailén 10, and Plaza Mayor. Metro Ópera
WHEN: Monday 9 November. Solemn Mass at 11:00 on the cathedral esplanade, followed by a procession. A public flower offering in the afternoon
PRICE: Free. Coronas are priced by each bakery
Madrid takes Monday off for its patron, and the city's bakeries sell a cake that only exists this week
The Almudena is a public holiday in Madrid. The day starts with a solemn Mass on the esplanade of the cathedral and a procession, and in the afternoon Madrileños bring flowers to the Virgin. It's also the day for the corona de la Almudena, a sweet ring of bread, close to a roscón de Reyes, sold in the city's bakeries for this week only. Tourism Madrid has published the official programme for the festivities.
The Edit Move
Buy your corona early in the day from one of the city's artisan bakeries, they run out. Then walk it up to the cathedral.
For who it is
Anyone who wants to see the city celebrate something of its own, on a day off.
For who it is not
Anyone who needs a fixed timetable. The programme is long and loose, so pick one thing.
OPERA
THE EVENT: Las bodas de Fígaro, Mozart
WHERE: Teatro Real, Plaza de Isabel II
WHEN: Opens Tuesday 10 November, 19:30, and runs to 27 November. About 3 hours 25 minutes, with a 25 minute interval
PRICE: From 19€
Robert Carsen stages Mozart's comedy of a servant who outwits his master, in a new Teatro Real production
A new production by the Teatro Real, co-produced with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, directed by Robert Carsen and conducted by Stefano Montanari. Mozart turns Beaumarchais's play into a humane musical essay on power, desire and forgiveness. It's one of the most performed works in opera, which is exactly why a director of this calibre makes it worth seeing.
The Edit Move
Book one of the earlier dates in the run. At three and a half hours, pick a seat with a clear view over the cheapest one.
For who it is
Anyone who wants to see how a major director handles a repertoire staple.
For who it is not
Anyone after a rarity. Figaro is as familiar as opera gets.
The 11 November performance falls on the general strike day.
MUSIC
THE EVENT: Kenny Barron Trio, Songbook
WHERE: Teatro Fernán Gómez, Sala Guirau, Plaza de Colón 4
WHEN: Tuesday 10 November, 20:00
PRICE: From 40€
A great jazz pianist and his trio, in a seated theatre where you can hear the touch
JAZZMADRID26 runs through November around the centenaries of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Barron, one of the great pianists in the music, brings his Songbook programme to the Fernán Gómez, a seated theatre, so this is jazz you listen to rather than drink through.
The Edit Move
Go for the detail. In a seated hall you hear the piano's touch and the bass line properly, which a standing club rarely allows.
For who it is
Jazz listeners who want a master pianist in a proper concert room.
For who it is not
Anyone wanting a bar and a standing crowd.
MUSIC
THE EVENT: Miguel Ángel Rojas, La noche
WHERE: Museo Reina Sofía, Sabatini building, ground floor, Calle de Santa Isabel 52. Metro Estación del Arte
WHEN: Opens Wednesday 11 November, runs to 15 March 2027. Monday and Wednesday to Saturday 10:00 to 21:00, Sunday 10:00 to 14:30, closed Tuesday
PRICE: 12€ (collection and temporary exhibitions). Free 19:00 to 21:00, with a free ticket booked online
The Colombian artist who photographed in secret inside a Bogotá cinema in the 1970s gets his career at the Reina Sofía
The exhibition brings together the main works of a career that spans decades. Rojas is one of the central figures of the Latin American art scene. The opening falls on the day of the general strike, so check the museum's site before you go.
The Edit Move
Use the free evening slot, but book your free ticket online first. The museum asks for one even when entry costs nothing.
For who it is
Anyone who follows Latin American art beyond the famous names.
For who it is not
Anyone wanting a quick visit. This is a full career survey.
ON THE HORIZON
Peeping Tom bring Chroniques to the Centro Danza Matadero from 12 to 15 November.
Erik Truffaz and Antonio Lizana play New Sketches of Spain at Condeduque on 12 November, moved from the 11th because of the strike.
Rilke y el arte español opens at the Prado on 17 November, with free entry from 18:00 to 20:00.
Seen something in Madrid this week that should have made the list? Reply to [email protected] and tell us. We read everything, and the best tips end up here.
The Edit Madrid is an independent weekly curation of the best things to do in the city. No sponsored content. No filler. Just the things worth your time.
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