Celebrating San Isidro in Madrid

Madrid is a well known destination for nightlife, parties, luxury hotels and celebrations. Throughout the year, there are many celebrations that are honored throughout Madrid, one of the biggest being the Fiesta de San Isidro. Each year around the middle of May the people of the city come out to celebrate the Patron Saint of Madrid, San Isidro.

At the heart of the fiestas de San Isidro is a pilgrimage that takes place when locals dressed in 19th century traditional attire slowly make their way toward the shrine of San Isidro. Upon arrival, patrons traditionally drink the miraculous waters of the Saint’s meadow. Throughout this procession, patrons typically enjoy traditional foods and drinks.

Surrounding the main procession of San Isidro are many celebrations which take place throughout the city, most focused around the Plaza de las Vistillas, Plaza de San Andrés and Puente de Segovia. In these areas at nights, bars and restaurants setup in the streets offering and abundant supply of food and drinks which keep the festivities going late into the night.

Music has also become a large part of the fiestas de San Isidro. In and around Plaza Major, Madrid locals gather to hear everything from traditional flamenco music to rock and modern pop music. As the nights wear on, this area is also transformed into a bit of an open-air dance club. It is on these nights that locals of all ages come together and share in the celebrations of their patron saint. Bullfights are also a large part of the celebrations surrounding San Isidro. For a month surrounding this event, some of the best bullfighters in the world converge on Madrid to the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas.

Bullfights and related events including bullfighting fairs are held daily around 5pm with the larger events held over the weekends. Spectators get the unique opportunity to experience bullfighting techniques from around the world as many different bullfighting styles are represented during the celebrations.

While many of the traditions surrounding San Isidro are still practiced today, the focus of these festivities seems to no longer be on the original religious purposes of these celebrations. However, the new meaning and purpose of the Fiestas de San Isidro seems to be to display the culture, creativity and community that makes Madrid such a spectacular European city to live in, visit and experience. Either way, experiencing the fiestas de San Isidro are a great way for a visitor of Madrid to get a true taste for the city.