10 Things To Do Madrid’s San Isidro Festival.
Each Mid-May there is a Festival in Madrid to honor it’s patron saint, San Isidro.
Legend has it that one day, in the Moorish town of Mayrit (today Madrid), a day laborer named Isidro was plowing his Lord’s field when he caused a spring to gush from the earth, (like a teenager hitting a sprinkler head with the lawnmower.)
Then Isidro saved his son from a deep well by praying to raise the water level, thus causing the child to float back to the top.
These are just some of his many miracles that would end up lifting this humble/devout Spaniards, Isidro to prominence and eventual sainthood. All —spearheaded by the Spanish monarch, King Phillip II, who was supposedly cured of a grave illness by drinking the water that flowed from a spring that San Isidro found… & the fountain still functions today in a part west of the city.
Later a church was build in the 14th century near the spring in honor this Saint… giving you a sense how long ago this happened in Madrid’s history.
Top things to do on a typical year of the Festival of San Isidro:
(A Thank you too Naked Madrid for sharing these fun events.)
http://www.nakedmadrid.com/2015/05/13/san-isidro-all-you-need-to-know/
1. Go to a free open-air concert: (Everywhere throughout the long weekend) There are free outdoor concerts throughout Madrid, including in the Plaza Mayor. On several nights at 9pm, for example, live classical music is played next to Templo De Dubod as the sun goes down. Amazing with this Egyptian temple aglow in the background. It’s worth seeing. \
2. Have yourself a class picnic in the Pradera(Sunday is the big day – Pradera de San Isidro). This is the most emblematic part of the festival. In fact, the picnicking tradition here has purportedly been around since the 1600s, and by the time Goya used it as the subject of some paintings in the late 1700s, the cultural tradition was already widely known.
3. Party on the street “Paseo de 15 de Mayo” (Primarily Sunday, the 15th, to a lesser extent Saturday and Monday / next to the metro stop Marqués de Vadillo) The San Isidro Festival has a very prominent “barrio-feel.” It’s the neighborhood next to the Pradera de San Isidro (Marqués de Vadillo Metro) reigns supreme. Go here to drink wine and beer from the bars along the street and then head to the Pradera for your picnic.
4. Check out the Carnival (Saturday, Sunday, Monday / Pradera de San Isidro): Like all carnivals, it has rides of questionable safety and hordes of roaming kids, but it’s a good time nonetheless. There’s typically a Ferris Wheel that offers good views of the city.
5. Party in Las Vistillas (Friday, Sat, Sunday, Monday near Puerta de Toledo, Jardin de Las Vistillas) This little park in La Latina plays annual host to another of the city’s “verbenas” (local parties), together with the Plaza Mayor and the Plaza de La Villa. The scenic gardens fill up with food stands, music, and people dancing the Chotis. It’s usually one of the first things that come to locals’ minds if you ask them about the holiday.
6. Drink Wine Under Fireworks/ Music in Retiro (Saturday and Sunday, around 8:30pm/dusk): Bring a bottle of wine and a blanket, lay back, and enjoy.
7. Check out the bullfights: (Afternoons in Las Ventas) San Isidro is traditionally the beginning of bullfighting season in Madrid, and it’s actually the biggest bullfighting festival in the world. There are 24 afternoons of bullfights, including one specific day in which they all don Goyesco costumes, an event reasonably called La corrida Goyesca.
9. Watch the little Parade of Big-heads and Giants (Friday 13th at 6pm –Route: Plaza de Santo Domingo – Plaza de Callao – Puerta del Sol – Mercado de San Miguel – Plaza de la Villa): This strange little parade has origins in the 16th century but was rediscovered in the 1800s—it marches larger-than-life figures down the main streets of the center of Madrid. The giants are four pairs of monarchs who represent Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.
10. Lastly… Don’t forget to stand in line for the Holy Water from the San Isidro Fountain for good health for the year.The line is easy to find but be prepared to stand for a good 45-1hour.
It is a fun event to see some authentic dress and customs of the Spanish culture. Specifically Madrid.
XX Kathy
