🍪 The Tapa Weekend: December 8
A Cuban nutcracker, Mundo Pixar and crafty nuns.
By @IanMount and @AdrianBono | December 8, 2023 | Madrid | Issue #33
🎉 Welcome to a new issue of The Tapa: Weekend Edition! An English-language newsletter about what to do this weekend in Madrid (plus memes!)
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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
It’s Friday again! And if you’re thinking of going to a restaurant this weekend, we hope you made your reservation back in 2006 because the crowds roaming Madrid this super-long weekend are so large, it’s basically impossible to improvise dining out.
Seriously: Madrid City Hall has actually decided to issue a black level alert, which in simple terms means that there are too many damn people in town (hence public transportation and public spaces are a mess).
So, without any further ado, here are five things for you to do this weekend.
1. Cuba’s Camagüey Ballet Presents: The Nutcracker
The Camagüey Classical Ballet from Cuba is performing The Nutcracker this month and as you all know, it’s not really Christmas until you’ve seen this holiday classic at least once.
This is the fourth visit this world-renowned Cuban ballet company has paid to Spain, this time performing this timeless fairy tale and musical adventure. The Nutcracker was created in 1892 and is about childhood memories and the world of dreams. And cracking nuts. Actually, it’s not about cracking nuts.
The plot revolves around “Uncle Drosselmeyer”, who can bring toys to life. When young Clara goes to find the nutcracker her uncle gifted her, she discovers that the room has been invaded by the Mouse King and his minions (we find this happens a lot in our house).
Fortunately, the Nutcracker transforms into a human thanks to Drosselmeyer's magic, saving Clara and taking her on a magical journey through the Kingdom of Snow, the Land of Flowers, and the Land of Sweets, alongside her younger brother Fritz.
Sounds like a pretty exciting ballet to us! Seriously, you got better plans?
The Nutcracker. Teatro Capitol Gran Vía, Gran Vía 41, Madrid. Dec. 10, 12 p.m. Tickets start at €22.
2. Feria Mercado de Artesanía (or Madrid’s Craft Fair)
The Fería Mercado de Artesanía (Madrid’s Craft Fair) is now, in its 36th edition, a staple of the holiday month. This is the main showcase for regional craftsmanship and the place to go to if you’re looking for the perfect artisan gift.
The fair features 130 artisan workshops and will be on the Paseo de Recoletos all of December. So if you need some last minute Christmas gift for a special someone, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Participating are artisan workshops from Madrid and around Spain, including potters, jewelers, decorators, leather workers, ceramists, toy makers and many more.
Don’t miss this one! Honestly, this is where we buy some of our Christmas gifts, and people seem well pleased.
XXXVI Feria Mercado de Artesanías de Madrid. Paseo Recoletos, Madrid. Through Dec. 30. Free admission.
3. Mundo Pixar (You guessed it: “Pixar World”)
No matter your age, chances are you’ve laughed with Finding Nemo and cried with Coco, two great animated films brought to us by Pixar studios. Well, now you have the opportunity to not only relive your favorite films, but also become a part of them thanks to the largest Pixar immersive experience in the world.
At Mundo Pixar, your kids (okay, let’s face it, you) will be able to dive into your favorite movie through life-sized recreations of their most iconic settings and enjoy a vast, virtual exhibit.
You can visit Andy’s room from Toy Story and feel small while interacting with some of the movie’s most beloved characters, experience the depths of the sea and take a walk through the coral reefs of Finding Nemo and even visit Carl Fredricksen’s garden and house (the old guy from Up!).
And before you ask, yes, there’s a Pixar official store at the end so if you’re feeling like you want to buy everything for your kids (again, let’s face it, you) then this is your opportunity. To infinity and beyond!
Mundo Pixar. IFEMA, Espacio 5.1, Avda. del Partenón, 5, Madrid. Through April 7. Tickets start at €12,80.
4. Hang Out with Nuns and Monks at the Monastic Products Fair
In case you don’t know it, “monastic” means something that’s “relating to monks, nuns, or others living under religious vows, or the buildings in which they live”. Sounds fun! Right?
The Casa de la Panadería in Plaza Mayor this weekend is hosting a monastic products fair that features all sorts of Christmas pastries and candies. It also features an exhibit and tasting of artisanal products made by monks and nuns from 80 different monasteries.
The fair, organized by the Contemplare Foundation, aims to support convents and monasteries from all over Spain and showcase the “richness of contemplative life through the work carried out by the monks and nuns living in them”.
Oh, and there’s even sacred music concerts and meet-and-greets with the monks! Even if you’re a heathen like us, you shouldn’t miss this opportunity.
Feria de Productos Monásticos. Casa de la Panadería, Plaza Mayor 27, Madrid. Through Dec. 10. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Free admission.
5. Want to see some good theatre? Go see ‘La Isla del Aire’
La Isla del Aire is a play based on Alejandro Palomas’ eponymous novel that takes place in Menorca, where a family of five women, led by the elderly Mencía (the family matriarch), embarks on a boat trip to the so-called Island of Air.
The disappearance of Helena, Mencía's eldest granddaughter, weighs heavily on the family's minds, and during this trip, Mencía will compel her daughters and granddaughters to confront the truth and the secrets they conceal.
You can expect lots of drama in this fantastic adaptation of Palomas’ work, directed by Mario Gas, that deals with the open wounds within a three-generation family.
Palomas won the prestigious Nadal Award in 2018 for one of his novels so you know you’re going to see something worth paying for.
La Isla del Aire. Teatro Español. Plaza Santa Ana, Calle del Principe 25, Madrid. Through Jan. 14. Tuesdays to Sundays, 7 p.m. Tickets start at €6.
👨🏻💻 Viral Story of the Week
🎄 O Tannenbaum… whoops!
Cuenca’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony didn’t go according to plan. Of course, there was a sense of excitement and joy in the air, a countdown that everyone took part in, and then…
Let’s just say that electricity is very expensive and the town’s “cuenca atrás” didn’t have the expected ending.
🔔 A Message From Our Sponsor
Secret Kingdoms is your English bookstore in Madrid. It specializes in Spanish history and literature, contemporary and classic novels, books for children and young adults of all ages, history and historical fiction, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, poetry, biographies and much more.
Located on Calle de Moratín 7 — a few blocks away from the Prado Museum — and with over 20,000 new and used books, Secret Kingdoms has something for everyone.
Find out more at www.thesecretkingdoms.com
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We’ll be back next week with more.