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Madrileños love a party and festivals provide an excellent excuse. The city’s biggest festival is the Fiesta de San Isidro, a two-week long party which erupts in the streets with traditional music and dancing. The local dance is called the chotis and you’ll see it danced by women in flouncy dresses with carnations tucked in their hair and men in caps and checked coats. There are plenty of other traditional festivals, some of which are still in touch with their religious roots, like the pilgrimage from La Paloma in La Latina. You can also catch some bizarre traditional ceremonies, like the Burial of the Sardine that marks the end of winter. There are excellent cultural festivals, from the spring dance festival, Madrid en Danza, to the Festival de Otoño, devoted to the performing arts. Festimad is a huge music festival held in a Madridleño suburb. Check details of festivals in advance; for more information, see the cultural agenda section of the city’s website, http://www.munimadrid.es, contact tourist offices or the T 010 city information line.
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