🪘The Tapa Weekend: October 13
Colombian musical legend Carlos Vives, a literature festival and an ocean exhibit.
By @IanMount and @AdrianBono | October 13, 2023 | Madrid | Issue #25
🎉 Welcome to a new issue of The Tapa: Weekend Edition! An English-language newsletter about what to do this weekend in Madrid (plus memes because why the hell not).
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Here Are 5 Things to Do in Madrid This Weekend
If you’re confused by the photo above, depicting an idyllic beach in the middle of summer, don’t worry, we are too. We’re supposed to be raking leaves and putting up Halloween decor, not heading out to Mallorca for the weekend. And yet here we are.
Summer is apparently still around, Madrid’s streets are brimming with tourists eating ice cream and wearing shorts and sandals like it’s the middle of July. Things are so bad that the Canary Islands has suspended school for several days this week due to the unbearable heat. But let’s make the best of it and enjoy the leftovers of summer before the fall arrives with a vengeance, shall we?
Here are five things for you to do this weekend.
Oh, and can you please continue to give us likes? Seriously, we got like 8 last week, which moved us to tears. Can we make it to 10 this week? Let’s do this!
1. Las Vendimias de Ortega y Gasset: Wine, Wine and More Wine
Let’s face it, it’s been a long week. So what better way to unwind than a fine glass of Rioja? This Saturday, grab your friends and head over to the upscale neighborhood of Salamanca for the vendimias de Ortega y Gasset, where over 40 wineries set up shop over the street and people just flock from one wine bottle to the next while some live house music plays in the background. It’s a wine wonderland!
That’s right, top-notch wineries from Spain and beyond are joining the party, letting you taste their best brews right there on the sidewalk.
With over 120 wines available for tasting—including Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Toro, Bierzo, Cigales… basically, the rockstars of the wine world—get ready to jump from stand to stand while also pairing it with some of the delicacies from the gourmet food stalls nearby. Remember to drink responsibly! (Mostly because there are still many other things to do this weekend and you don’t want to be hungover).
Las Vendimias de Ortega y Gasset. Lavinia, Calle de Ortega y Gasset 16, Madrid. Saturday, Oct. 14, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.. Tickets start at €30.
2. Liquid Intelligence at the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum
The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum (aka The Thyssen) is always putting up cool exhibits, and this one is no exception. This time, in collaboration with the TBA21 Foundation, it’s Liquid Intelligence, which delves into the critical state of ocean life.
The concept of viewing the ocean as “liquid intelligence” encourages a shift in perspective, “urging imagination and admiration for the intricate ecosystems and suggests recognizing the it not only as a carrier and enabler of oxygen and life but as possessing its own form of intelligence, distinct from human intelligence”.
Liquid Intelligence incorporates specially crafted installations that go beyond visual art and features an extensive program of activities, bringing together curators, artists, musicians, performers, scientists, philosophers, and researchers on an international scale (basically it’s like going to see The Little Mermaid but without talking crabs putting on musical performances).
The display comprises works from eight international artists, including pieces from the TBA21 Collection and new productions by the Foundation. If museums are your thing, pick this one.
Liquid Intelligence. Thyseen-Bornemisza National Museum. Paseo del Prado 8, Madrid. Through Jan. 28. Tickets start at €13.
3. Festival Eñe 2023 (Or I guess you could just call it “Ñ Festival”)
Try pronouncing that one! The Festival Eñe is a big literary event that's been taking place in Madrid since 2009. In fact, people refer to it as the “Woodstock of Spanish literature”, as all the cool cats in the literary scene (writers, editors and thousand of book buffs) head over to classic cultural locations like Círculo de Bellas Artes, the Cervantes Institute, the National Library and the Casa de América to take part in it.
This is an event that celebrates “the magic of words” and everyone is invited. See? And people say reading is dead.
This festival has become the literary hangout over the years, with over 14,000 book enthusiasts showing up to celebrate literature and the prestigious Festival Eñe Prize, which in the past has been awarded to literature legends like Gioconda Belli, Javier Cercas, Mario Vargas Llosa, Almudena Grandes, and Rosa Montero.
This year the festival is celebrating 15 years of building a cultural bridge between Latin America and Europe and it’s expected to have the participation of some of the most prominent figures in literature, film, music, and other arts. such as Philippe Sands, Elvira Lindo, Sergio Ramírez, Leonardo Padura, Mario Obrero, Elizabeth Duval, Manuel Jabois, Bob Pop and many more! Do not miss it.
Festival Eñe. Multiple locations around Madrid. Oct. 14 to Nov. 5. Download the full program for more information on activities and events.
4. “El Mercadillo del Gato” Pop Up Market
Another week, another pop up market! This weekend we give you “El Mercadillo del Gato”, which doesn’t involve a cat but it’s still pretty classy and cool.
Over 60 vendors gather this month to bring you the best in fashion, crafts, gourmet cuisine, home decor, accessories, bling and other collectibles.
It’s the ultimate pop-up market in town and it offers a wide variety of items, from vintage dresses to fancy bags and silk scarves featuring artwork from well-known 19th-century painters. Get ready to discover limited-edition items and unique clothing, as the Mercadillo brings together hard-to-find brands, up-and-coming creators and limited collections.
And one last thing: with every new edition, there’s new brands and creators participating in it so you can never get tired of buying there. Definitely a must-visit.
El Mercadillo del Gato. Gran Vía 13, Madrid. Through Oct. 15. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.. Free admission.
5. The Big One: Carlos Vives Live in Cibeles
The Spanish National Day celebrations are coming to a close this weekend and the cherry on top is a free, live concert by legendary Colombian and Latin Grammy-award winner Carlos Vives. As we’re celebrating Hispanidad (or Hispanic pride) all of Latin America gets to shine, with hosts from LOS40 radio station coming from Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Colombia attending the event.
The show starts Saturday at noon at the Puerta de Alcalá under the motto “All accents are welcome in Madrid.” Expect lots of people ready to listen and dance to the rhythm of some Latin classics.
Vives is scheduled to take the stage at Plaza de la Independencia (where the Puerta de Alcalá is) at 1:00 p.m. and offer a special concert commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of his album “Clásicos de La Provincia”. But don’t worry, he’s also expected to perform his latest releases, as well as other major hits from his career such as “La Bicicleta,” his collaboration with Shakira, or “Robarte un Beso.”
If you don’t know who he is, be sure to check him out. He’s a freaking legend.
Carlos Vives Live Concert. Plaza de la Independencia (Puerta de Alcalá), Madrid. Saturday, Oct. 14. 12 p.m. Free admission.
👨🏻💻 Viral Stories of the Week
👸 Royal Gossip! (Or, as they say here, “salseo real”)
Calling all internet sleuths and armchair detectives! We have a royal mystery on our hands and we must do everything in our power to solve it.
Is Princess Leonor (aka future Queen of Spain)… dating?! We know, they grow up so fast.
If there’s one clip from today’s celebrations of the National Day of Spain that has managed to pretty much overshadow everything else (even the people booing caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez) it’s the one involving Princess Leonor and her parents King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
Princess Leonor stole the spotlight during the October 12 celebrations after appearing as an Army cadet for the military parade. Minutes later, the Royal Family moved to the Palace to continue their official activities and…well, parents will always be parents.
As the King, the Queen and the Princess were all lined up to shake hands with the guests participating in the traditional greeting ceremony, Leonor’s fellow cadets from the General Military Academy in Zaragoza appeared in line to shake hands with the Royal Family. They continued to shake hands normally but then…
One particular male cadet—the last one in line—exchanged glances and smiles with the Princess, while the King and Queen smirked and looked at each other, 100% aware of what was going on. The King was looking particularly amused, putting up an “Oh, that’s him” face. You know, just like any dad who has just embarrassed their daughter in front of the person she likes.
Obviously social media was lit up with thousands of comments from people wondering whether a) this is someone she likes or b) her new beau.
Sure, we don’t really know what exactly happened, but there’s precedent so we’re allowed to theorize. Exactly 20 years ago this month, before it was made public that (then-Prince) Felipe and Letizia were dating, they were caught on camera in an official event shaking hands, all smiles and pretending there was nothing to see there.
A few days later… BAM! Engagement announcement.
Inquiring minds want to know!
🎬 Pixar AI en español
The interwebs lit up this week with movie posters for invented Pixar movies about Spain. It’s amazing what visual AI lets you do, no?
🐘 Anyone seen my elephant?
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Wednesday morning revealed a car with its roof caved in and surrounded by poo in the Cuatro Torres area way up Madrid’s Castellana.
Some folks in the media tried to make us feel better by suggesting that it was a marketing campaign, but we know that there’s really a giant elephant rampaging through the city. If you’ve seen one, let us know.
🔔 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.