What’s on in Madrid this week

Where to go in Madrid: events, concerts and shows worth your night

Madrid keeps later hours than any capital in Europe: theatres start at eight, dinner at ten, concerts at eleven and the clubs fill after two. It has one of the world’s great opera houses, a museum triangle that stays open late, and neighbourhoods like Malasaña and Lavapiés where every second door is a bar with a stage. Below is where to go in Madrid for a night out, with addresses, and what tends to be on when.

Concerts and live music in Madrid: from the Sol to the arena

Sala El Sol (Calle de los Jardines 3, 28013), a block from Gran Vía, has put on bands nightly since 1979 and is the room to see a touring indie act up close. Bigger tours play La Riviera (Paseo Bajo de la Virgen del Puerto s/n, 28005) by the river, and the largest the Movistar Arena (formerly WiZink Center, Avenida de Felipe II s/n, 28009) in the Salamanca district, a short Metro ride from the centre. For jazz, Café Central (Plaza del Ángel 10, 28012) in Huertas has had a set every night since 1982; for flamenco, Corral de la Morería (Calle de la Morería 17, 28005) is the tablao the artists themselves rate.

Madrid nightlife: Malasaña, Lavapiés and the big clubs

Malasaña, north of Gran Vía, is the bar district: indie rock, vermouth at dusk, dancing in small rooms until three. Lavapiés, south of the centre, is more mixed and more local. The big clubs are spread out: Fabrik in Humanes, 30 km south, for the largest electronic nights, and a cluster around Atocha and the Paseo del Prado for everything else. The Metro closes around 1.30 am every night; night buses (the búhos) run from Cibeles, and taxis are cheap by European standards.

Opera, ballet and theatre in Madrid

The Teatro Real (Plaza de Isabel II s/n, 28013, teatroreal.es), facing the Royal Palace, runs opera and dance from September to July and is the one to book ahead. The Teatro de la Zarzuela (Calle de Jovellanos 4) keeps Spain’s own light-opera tradition alive, and the Teatros del Canal in Chamberí stage the contemporary dance. Gran Vía is Madrid’s Broadway, with a row of theatres running Spanish versions of the big musicals; most theatre is in Spanish, so dance, opera and flamenco are the easier evenings if you don’t speak it.

Art galleries and museums in Madrid for an evening

The Museo Reina Sofía (Calle de Santa Isabel 52, 28012, museoreinasofia.es), home of Picasso’s Guernica, is open until 9 pm most days and free for the last two hours, which makes it the obvious evening museum. The Prado and the Thyssen next door on the Paseo del Prado complete the triangle, each with a free late slot. Matadero Madrid (Plaza de Legazpi 8, 28045, mataderomadrid.org), a former slaughterhouse by the river, is the contemporary arts centre: exhibitions, performance and a bar in the courtyard, free to enter.

Madrid festivals and events by season

• Spring: San Isidro in mid-May, the city’s own festival, with free concerts in the Pradera and the Plaza Mayor.
• Summer: Mad Cool, the big rock and pop festival, in July; Veranos de la Villa, the council’s summer programme of open-air concerts, dance and cinema through July and August; and Madrid Pride at the start of July, one of the largest in the world.
• Autumn: the Festival de Otoño of theatre and dance in November, and the new Teatro Real season.
• Winter: Christmas lights on Gran Vía from late November, the Three Kings parade on 5 January, and ARCO, the contemporary art fair, in February.

Things to do in Madrid tonight and this weekend

The listings above are the live version of all this: every concert, show, club night and exhibition on in Madrid tonight, tomorrow and this weekend, with times, prices and tickets, updated every hour.