Matadero hosts the Back to the Book festival with Julieta Venegas and Paco Roca, Directed by Women and a dance installation. Barajas and Ciudad Lineal celebrate their local festivals and Retiro offers free puppetry.
Madrid concentrates this weekend a cultural programme that encompasses literature, cinema, dance and popular festivals across various districts, with most activities free until capacity is reached. According to Noticias para Municipios, the literary epicentre will be Matadero Madrid, where the third edition of Back to the Book, the Independent Festival of Literature and Publishing driven by Librería Altamarea, kicks off.
Until Sunday, the Casa del Lector will bring together authors and illustrators. Among the participants, singer Julieta Venegas presents her debut as a novelist with ‘Norteña. Memorias del comienzo’, accompanied by comic artist Paco Roca and writer Lucía Solla Sobral. All activities are free to access until capacity is reached.
Matadero itself hosts in its Cineteca room the XII edition of Directed by Women Spain, dedicated to films made by women. This Friday, the programme starts at 18:00 with ‘El silencio de otros’, continues at 20:00 with a short film session and closes at 20:30 with ‘La casa y el ternero’. On Saturday and Sunday, there will be new screenings, a discussion on series and film creation, and a documentary construction workshop. On Sunday at noon, the animation cycle ‘¡Corre, salta, vuela!’ opens a session for family audiences. The organisation recommends checking ticket availability before attending.
The installation ‘Bailad, bailad, malditos’, by artist Carlos Aires, also opens this Friday in Nave 0 of Matadero. More than a hundred supports and twenty screens transform the old cold storage room into a dance floor that references the traces of the fire that the building suffered. Admission is free until capacity is reached.
Those who prefer another exhibition proposal can visit for free ‘In-situ’, by Carlos Cartaxo, at CentroCentro, where painting, sculpture and architecture engage in a dialogue through a journey that varies according to each visitor's perspective.
The Cerro del Tío Pío, in Puente de Vallecas, becomes the stage for ‘MagiCéltica’ from this Friday, a free cycle that combines parades, street theatre, circus, folk and traditional dance around characters from Celtic and medieval mythology, with performances of ‘Grimorium’ and ‘Lenda’ at 20:00 and 21:30.
In Latina, the cycle ‘Flamenco en el Templete José Menese’ brings together artists such as Paco del Pozo, Esther Merino and Elena Andújar this Friday and Saturday from 20:30, with free entry until capacity is reached. For those looking for a more traditional plan, on Saturday at noon the chotis workshop by La Tremolina takes place at the Museum of History of Madrid, open to both beginners and those already familiar with the dance.
Additionally, two districts celebrate their local festivals. Barajas continues with the Our Lady of Solitude festivities until 20 September, with Ayerbe street as the main fairground. Ciudad Lineal extends its programme until Monday with concerts (including Cepeda, Nacha Pop and La Década Prodigiosa), parades, sports competitions and workshops.
For families, Espacio Abierto Quinta de los Molinos offers on Saturday and Sunday, in continuous sessions from 10:15 to 19:30, the programme ‘En Pijama’, featuring lullaby concerts, short films and creative workshops linked to sleep. The Puppet Theatre of El Retiro presents ‘Hansel and Gretel’ both days at 18:30, with free tickets available for download from this Friday at 10:00.
On Sunday, ‘Hop. A journey through the history of Price’ debuts at the Teatro Circo Price, a theatrical visit with clowns Adoquín and Pasmarote that reviews the 150 years of the venue.
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