🎥The Tapa Weekend: July 26
A Madrid film tour, Carla Bruni in concert and a drag queen musical.
By @IanMount and @AdrianBono | July 26, 2024 | Madrid | Issue #64
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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
Happy Friday, everyone!
We’ve finally made it to the end of July. Congratulations! You survived the heat wave. But now you need to survive another menacing threat: Madrid’s empty streets for a month.
Not that there isn’t anything for you to do, of course. The city is brimming with outdoor activities, plays and screenings. But Gran Vía without the masses doesn’t feel like Gran Vía.
This will be our last events post before we take our August break (though we’ll be doing one more edition of the Thursday news version), so make the best of it! We’ll be back in September with more things to do, fighting the post-vacation depression.
Enjoy!
1. Guided Tour: Madrid on Screen
From Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown to Money Heist, Madrid has it all (and chances are you haven’t seen it yet). So why not take a guided tour of the city’s most iconic cinematographic landmarks?
The Madrid Film Office invites you this summer to explore the city through film and TV with the Madrid en la Pantalla (“Madrid on Screen”) tour program.
Madrileños and visitors can join free guided tours to revisit iconic movie scenes, discover filming locations of popular TV shows, hear behind-the-scenes anecdotes, learn about Madrid’s history, and follow the adventures of national and international stars who have worked in the city. The program runs every Saturday and Sunday through September 15,
There will be five different routes over nine weekends to promote Madrid’s cultural offerings and screen tourism. There’s one about Almodovar, one about TV shows, one about Concha Velasco and more!
So if you’re a movie fan or just don’t know what else to do this weekend, sign up before the tickets are sold out (do it quickly) because these tours are totally worth it.
Madrid en la Pantalla. Multiple locations across Madrid. Check the website for schedules. Free admission but limited to 25 people per tour.
2. An Acoustic Evening with Carla Bruni
Renowned Italo-French singer-songwriter Carla Bruni is back and will perform live in an acoustic show during the Veranos de la Villa festival (if her name rings a bell, it’s because she is married to former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and she was First Lady of France for four years).
The Sarkozy bit is secondary, though, because besides being internationally known as a muse for top designers and photographers—and as a 1990s supermodel—Bruni is also an amazing singer whose debut album Quelqu’un m’a dit quickly launched her career. Her distinctive, captivating voice and subtle melodies brought her unexpected global success.
Bruni has released several acclaimed albums, including No Promises (2007), Comme si de rien n’était (2008), Little French Songs (2013), French Touch (2017), and a self-titled album Carla Bruni (2020), all marked by “a unique poetic sensitivity” (check out the video above).
In this concert, she will perform her most well-known hits, some favorite Italian songs like “Il Cielo,” “Dolce Francia,” and “Voglio l’amore,” as well as classics like “Moon River” and “Stand By Your Man”. We’re going. Are you?
An Acoustic Evening with Carla Bruni. Centro Cultural CondeDuque, Calle del Conde Duque, 11, Madrid. July 28, 10 p.m. Tickets start at €25.
3. La Casa Encendida’s Magnetic Rooftop (Again!)
Considering it’s still very hot outside, why not watch a movie on a rooftop with a bunch of strangers? This is what La Terraza Magnetica offers tonight if you care to know.
La Terraza Magnética (the magnetic rooftop) offers a bunch of cultural and fun activities in the summer, as you can see from the video above (last week we covered the screening of Petite Maman, remember?). There’s another screening tonight you shouldn’t miss: La Casa Lobo, a stop-motion nightmare.
The plot revolves around María, a young woman seeking refuge after escaping a sect of German religious fanatics in Chile. She finds shelter with two pigs, the only inhabitants of the place. Like a dream, the house’s universe responds to María’s emotions. The animals slowly transform into humans, and the house turns into a nightmarish world.
Chilean directors Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña studied at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and have been working together since 2007. Their works are displayed in museums and biennials across Latin America, as well as in notable venues like the Whitechapel Gallery in London, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Venice Biennale.
If you’re into cool films and cool locations, do not miss this one.
La Casa Lobo at La Casa Encendida. La Casa Encendida, Ronda de Valencia, 2, Madrid. July 26, 10:00 p.m. Tickets: €4.
4. Chatea Madrid: Drinking Wine in Style (Again!)
The #ChateaMadrid initiative is still on (we covered it last month, remember?). It’s a great excuse to drink wine because, ahem, that’s the best way to learn about wines, maybe.
This awesome event offers the opportunity to discover the D.O. (Designation of Origin) wines of Madrid and its authentic cuisine by paying a visit to century-old restaurants and taverns that have over a hundred years of history.
People can enjoy a glass of wine from the D.O. Wines of Madrid Regulatory Council for just €1 (!!) and receive a special chato glass made for the occasion as a gift (that’s where the event’s name comes from, has nothing to do with chatting).
This is a unique opportunity to experience the best wines in historic settings such as Bodega de la Ardosa, Casa Alberto, Casa Ciriaco, Cervecería Alemana, La Casa del Abuelo, Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas, Posada de la Villa, and Taberna Antonio Sánchez.
Oh, and by posting a photo using the hashtag #ChateaMadrid on the social media pages of the Association of Century-Old Restaurants and Taverns of Madrid, participants will be entered into a draw to win two complete wine tourism experiences in the Community of Madrid for two people.
This includes a visit to wineries, wine tasting, a meal, and a gift bottle of wine. Not bad, eh?
Chatea Madrid 2024. Multiple locations around Madrid. Ends on July 28. Check website for participating venues.
5. A Musical: Los Tacones de Papá
Here’s an interesting, fun option: a musical in which the world of drag is seen through the eyes of a young Catholic woman who, after her father’s death, “realizes life isn’t just black and white but full of colors”.
This hilarious play with a heart is by renowned author José Warletta, whose recent comedies “Ultima Planta” and “Santas y Perversas” are showing at the Teatro Lara.
Indeed, “Santas y Perversas” has been highly acclaimed, so much so that it is currently performed by the National Theatre Company of Sofia, Bulgaria, and has been hailed as the best comedy of 2023 in the city by entertainment media.
Jose Warletta co-directs with Juan Luis Iborra, who was awarded Best Musical Director last year for “Los Chicos del Coro” and is a Goya-winning screenwriter, known for directing numerous films, plays, and TV series.
Los Tacones de Papá. Teatro Lara, Calle Corredera Baja de San Pablo, 15, Madrid. July 26, 9:30 pm. Tickets start at €24.
👨🏻💻 Viral Stories of the Week
🎤 What she said. (Warning: this video requires a C2 in Andaluz)
🎬 Michael Douglas is in town (in Mallorca) for his birthday, and we for one are pleased to see him
🛒 Wall-E comes to Benidorm
🔔 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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