Food festivals in Madrid worth planning a trip around, by month.
Food festivals in Madrid worth planning a trip around, by month.
Madrid Fusion at IFEMA in Madrid is Spain's flagship gastronomy congress since 2003, with three days of chef demos, tastings and the international.
Focus: Spanish gastronomy, world chef gathering
Tip: Tickets 195 to 295 euros per day; buy at madridfusion.net. The Saturday slot is the easiest; chef demos on the main stage.
Gastrofestival Madrid is the city-wide gastronomy festival since 2009, with hundreds of restaurants, hotels and bars hosting special menus, tastings and chef.
Focus: Multi-venue Madrid gastronomy festival
Tip: Free entry; individual events priced separately (15 to 80 euros per menu). Programme at gastrofestivalmadrid.com.
Salon Gourmets at IFEMA Madrid is Spain's largest gourmet food and wine fair since 1987, with 2,000 producers, four days each April and tastings.
Focus: Gourmet food and wine fair, professional and public
Tip: Tickets 30 euros per day at salondegourmets.com. The Saturday slot is busiest; the wine pavilion is the headline.
Tapapies is Madrid's multicultural tapas festival in Lavapies since 2010, with 70 bars pouring beer-and-tapa pairings for 2.50 euros each October.
Focus: Multi-ethnic Lavapies tapas crawl
Tip: Free entry; tapa-and-cana pairings 2.50 euros each. The Saturday and Sunday slots are the busiest; programme on Madrid council site.
Fiestas de San Isidro on May 15 is Madrid's patron saint festival, with bakeries selling rosquillas tontas y listas and the Pradera picnic of empanadas.
Focus: Rosquillas de San Isidro, Madrid patron saint food festival
Tip: Free entry; rosquillas at Horno de San Onofre and La Mallorquina (10 to 14 euros per box). Pradera picnic on May 15.
The Madrid Pear Festival in Plaza Mayor is the annual September gathering of Spanish pear producers (DO Jumilla, Rincon de Soto and others) with tastings.
Focus: Spanish pear and stone-fruit producers
Tip: Free entry; tastings 2 to 4 euros per cup. The Saturday afternoon slot is the busiest.
Noche de Tapas Madrid is the annual one-night summer tapas crawl across 200 city bars and restaurants, with 2-euro tapas and 2-euro canas each June.
Focus: City-wide tapas crawl
Tip: Free entry to participating venues; tapas 2 euros each. Programme published by Madrid city council a week ahead.
Feria del Vino Madrid is the November wine fair in Plaza de las Comendadoras with 80 Spanish wineries, focus on Vinos de Madrid DO and Castilla la Mancha.
Focus: Madrid DO wines and small Spanish producers
Tip: Tickets 12 euros for a tasting glass (free unlimited pours). Saturday afternoon is the busiest slot.