❄️ The Tapa Weekend: January 17
Blessings for your pets, flamenco pop, and Ukrainian treats.
By @IanMount and @AdrianBono | January 17, 2024 | Madrid | Issue #82
🎉 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 freezing again!
The icy breath of winter doth linger o’er Madrid, and this weekend’s cruel frost shall chill both bone and soul alike. In simpler terms, it’s cold outside, y’all!
If you’re not thinking of going out this weekend, we totally understand. Nothing beats your couch, a blanket and a new episode of The Traitors with a warm mug of Cola Cao or a glass of Rioja.
However, if you’re one of those weirdos (like we are) who doesn’t care about the weather and will go to that 6 a.m. yoga session in the Retiro Park on Sunday, who are we to judge?
Enjoy!
PS: Just in case you ask, that 6 a.m. yoga session in Retiro Park is totally made up.
1.🐶 Bring your pet to the San Antón Festivities 2025
Grab your cat, grab your dog and put on your Sunday clothes because it’s that one time of the year you go to visit the church for something that doesn’t involve confessing your dirty sins.
San Antón Festivities are back in Madrid! This is an annual celebration in honor of San Antonio Abad, the patron saint of animals, who in English we apparently call Saint Anthony the Great. Taking place this weekend, this tradition brings together pet owners and animal lovers to participate in blessings, processions, and various activities dedicated to animals.
If you live in the Chueca/Mañasaña area, do not miss the traditional sale of panecillos (special blessed bread rolls associated with the protection of animals) at the San Antón Church on Hortaleza Street.
The most symbolic event of the festival takes place today from morning until the evening, when you can bring your pet to the San Antón Church so it (sorry—he, she) receives a special blessing from the priest. There will also be a High Mass held at midday so expect a lot of people with their pets showing up (remember to bring a leash, you don’t want the pets fighting each other).
One of the most anticipated moments of the day is the San Antón Procession (the Vueltas de San Antón), in which pets and owners take part in a walk through the streets near the church, turning the area into a zoo.
There are other activities taking place tomorrow at Palacio de Cibeles (dog exhibits) and a Pet Parade and Charity Market in Plaza de Chueca on Sunday.
You’re not Christian? It doesn’t matter. The point is to look at the animals, not to take the habit.
San Antón Festivities. Iglesia de San Antó, Calle de Hortaleza 63, Madrid. Through Jan. 19. Check official program for schedule. Free admission.
2.💃🏻 Enjoy flamenco-pop with Antoñito Molina
Friendly reminder that the Wizink Center is called the Movistar Arena now (so don’t be confused!)
Antoñito Molina, the singer-songwriter from Cádiz, is taking the stage at Movistar Arena for the first time tomorrow, as part of his La Aventura Tour. You may not know him, but with his unmistakable flamenco-pop style and his distinctive voice, you better get ready for a night to remember.
Molina first gained recognition in the music world when he was part of the duo El Tren de los Sueños, with which he recorded six albums. In 2017, he decided to launch his solo career, releasing Déjame que te cuente, which featured tracks like Yo soy pa ti and Ya no más.
His breakthrough as a solo artist came with his second album, La ley de mi naturaleza, which took him on a tour across Spain. In the fall of 2022, he released his third album, El club de los soñadores, and now, with La Aventura, he is back on the road.
Molina has carved out a unique space in the Spanish music scene, blending traditional flamenco influences with modern pop melodies.
Antoñito Molina. Movistar Arena, Av. de Felipe II, s/n, Madrid. Jan. 18, 9 p.m. Tickets start at €29.
3.🚴♀️ Los de Ahí: A Play about delivery riders and human indifference
Celebrate Argentine actor and director Claudio Tolcachir writes and directs this thought-provoking drama about the strangers that regularly bring to our door the food we ordered on Glovo or Uber Eats from the comfort of our couch.
The play explores the consequences of globalization, job insecurity, and the digital economy on people’s lives. Set in the desolate wasteland on the outskirts of a big city, the story centers around a group of anonymous couriers who receive orders from a machine as they travel through the streets, invisible to most people.
A small group of riders spends their day waiting for their next orders, as they deal with maps in foreign languages, unknown streets and dangerous routes, unaware of the content of the packages they are carrying.
Gathered around the machine, they begin to form connections with each other in an effort to escape the mechanical system they are a part of.
And one more thing: on Jan. 23 there will be a live post-show discussion with the audience.
Los de Ahí. Teatro María Guerrero, Calle de Tamayo y Baus 4, Madrid. Through March 9. Check website for schedule. Tickets start at €18.
4. 🐸 Mercado de las Ranas street market
Yes, it’s 2025 and the Mercado de las Ranas is still one of our top recommendations because of how cool it is. The market is back this Saturday and while it is an outdoors activity, there’s nothing a hot coffee or cocoa from Ambu Coffee or Feliz Coffee can’t solve.
This street market is similar to the Portobello Road or Candem Town markets in London. This Saturday, stores participating in this mercado in Plaza Santa Ana, in the Las Letras district, bring their goods outside into the street so visitors can buy their favorite book, t-shirt or grab a slice of pizza on the go.
If there’s one thing we love about Madrid (and there are actually many), it’s the street market scene, and this one doesn’t disappoint. After a bit of retail therapy, grab a table at the plaza and sip a cool caña. You’re welcome.
Mercado de las Ranas. All along Calle de las Huertas in Las Letras, Madrid. Jan. 18, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
5.🤤 Try some Nuezz, putting a spin on a Ukrainian tradition at the Antón Martín Market
