Food festivals in Madrid worth planning a trip around, by month.
Food festivals in Madrid worth planning a trip around, by month.
Tapapies is the Lavapies tapas route run by the district's merchants' association, 15 editions since 2011; the 2026 edition is cancelled and it is due back in 2027 in a new format.
TipIn 2025 (16 to 26 October) a tapa with a beer cost 3.50 euros at more than 100 bars; check the merchants' association for the new 2027 format before planning a trip.
Vadevermut Madrid gathers more than 270 vermouth brands at the MEEU hall inside Chamartin station for a late October weekend of tastings, guided workshops, gourmet stalls and live music built around the aperitivo ritual.
TipSessions are split: Saturday 11:00 to 16:30 and 17:00 to 23:00, Sunday 11:00 to 15:00 and 15:30 to 20:00. Metro Chamartin is at the door.
All Saints on 1 November is Madrid's marzipan day. Pastelerías fill with huesos de santo, marzipan tubes shaped like bones and filled with dulce de yema, sold beside buñuelos de viento.
TipEl Riojano, La Mallorquina and Casa Mira have made them for over a century; the yema filling is the traditional one.
Madrid's Christmas market fills Plaza Mayor with more than 100 red wooden stalls from late November to New Year's Eve: nativity figures, decorations and novelties, plus turron and hot chocolate stands around the square.
TipOpen 10:00 to 21:00 Sunday to Thursday and until 22:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and holiday eves; go on a weekday morning to avoid the crush.
Salón Vinos Naturales Madrid is the natural wine fair run by the growers' association PVN: open tasting of more than 400 wines, with the producers pouring, at the Museo del Ferrocarril.
TipTickets are 12 euros for Sunday, 6 for Monday or 15 for both days, and include a PVN glass. Sunday is busier; Monday is quieter and has trade activities, but the public is welcome. Over 18s only.
Madrid Fusion Alimentos de Espana is Spain's chef congress at IFEMA Madrid, with its 25th anniversary edition on 1 to 3 February 2027 across two pavilions.
TipTickets 195 to 295 euros per day; buy at madridfusion.net. The Saturday slot is the easiest; chef demos on the main stage.
The Ruta del Cocido Madrileno runs from mid-February to the end of March across 46 restaurants in Madrid and the sierra, each serving its own cocido in the traditional three vuelcos of broth, chickpeas and meats.
TipPrices ran from 14.50 to 75 euros per person in 2026; most tabernas serve cocido only at lunch on set days, so book ahead.
Salón Gourmets is a trade fair for gourmet food and drink at IFEMA Madrid, open to professionals only, with about 2,000 exhibitors over four April days; the 39th edition ran 13 to 16 April 2026.
TipEntry is for food and drink professionals aged 18 or over, with identification; visitor hours are 10:00 to 19:00 Monday to Wednesday and 10:00 to 17:00 on Thursday.
Fiestas de San Isidro, Madrid's patron saint festival around May 15, fills the Pradera de San Isidro with the romeria, chotis, lemonade and rosquillas tontas y listas, plus free concerts at Plaza Mayor and Las Vistillas.
TipFree entry. The Pradera programme ran 8 to 17 May in 2026; esmadrid expects 2027 to fall around 7 to 16 May, with the programme published in early May.
Día Mundial de la Tapa en Lavapiés, in its sixth edition, has more than twenty bars in the Lavapiés neighbourhood each serve their own croqueta for €1.50, 16 to 21 June 2026.
TipEach bar serves its own croqueta recipe at the €1.50 price, including seven vegetarian and vegan options in 2026. It is organised by EnLavapiés, whose site lists the taking-part bars.
La Paloma closes Madrid's August verbenas in La Latina from 13 to 16 August: chulapos dance chotis in the Jardines de las Vistillas and plaza de la Paja, with a Gran Chocolatada Castiza, vermut castizo and free limonada.
TipFirefighters carry the Virgin down from her church on 15 August; the limonada giveaway and vermut castizo are on the 16th, and Cava Baja bars fill every night.
Hotel Tapa Tour turns Madrid's four and five-star hotels into a tapas route on 17 to 27 September 2026, with author tapas paired with wine and cocktails and no reservation needed for the free tour.
TipPick one of the nine routes on hoteltapatour.com and walk in without booking; the guided in-house experiences at four hotels are booked separately.
Beermad is Madrid's craft beer fair, three late September days on Avenida del Planetario beside Parque Tierno Galvan with 50 breweries pouring more than 200 styles, around 15 street food stands and live music.
TipEntry is free; the official tasting glass costs 3 euros. Friday opens at 17:00, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00.
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Guided tour · 3h 30m
Enjoy incredible local tapas and a fun, informative, private or shared walking tour of Madrid’s historic city center. Discover how the city’s food and history go together.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Enjoy a delicious initiation to Spanish cuisine at the small, family-owned eateries Madrid locals know and love best.
4 hours
Get immersed in Spanish food culture with a hands-on cooking class led by local chefs. Choose between a paella class with a market visit in the morning or a tapas clas...
