Madrid is bursting at the seams with things to do even at the slowest times of the year, but May is the time when social life springs back to life again. With temperatures around 22°C, it is much easier to explore the city unlike during the summer when temperatures crawl all the way up to 30°C. Without further ado, here are the best things to do in May 2022 in Madrid.
May events in Madrid
Starting with music, May brings over 50 different gigs, both indoors and outdoors, by international and local artists. The best music happens at music festivals like the Tomavistas festival which takes place from the 19th to the 21st of May with music from just about every genre. Another great festival is the Inverfest which celebrates music from all sorts of artists like the ones playing on the 26th of May when you can look forward to Pablo Lesuit and Chaqueta de Chándal, both playing in Siroco.
For beer lovers, there’s the 38th Brewers Forum. Focused primarily on the distributor, brewer, and server end of the beverage, the beer festival offers a professional discussion of the changes in the beer market as well as workshops and talks on fermentation, technologies, and consumer expectations by leading voices in the business.
If you love art, there are tons of incredibly interesting exhibitions hosted in May. The Frida Kahlo Experience is on until the 29th of May and the Frida Kahlo: Wings to Fly displays 31 original artworks and over 90 photographs and it’s opened since the 7th of May. 58 artworks by Picasso are on display until the 15th of May, and for lovers of the hyperrealist style, The Art of Trompe l'oeil will be displayed until the 22nd of May. There’s no time like May to really delve into the fine arts.
Lastly, Sundays and public holidays see the now famous El Rastro flea markets. The Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores in the city centre is taken over by thousands of stalls selling everything and anything from stamps and photographs to paintings, coins and much more. The Plaza Mayor is even known for its numismatic zeal, becoming one of the best places in Spain to go if you are an avid coin collector.
Places to go in Madrid in May
Marid is well-known for its parks and for a good reason. Take Casa de Campo, for example. Stretching over impressive 1530 hectares, the park is open to just about any form of outside activities. Whether you want to have a great place to bike or run, play sports with friends, read a book, or have a picnic, this place will always have space for you. Another popular park is called El Retiro and it can be found in the city centre. With statues, monuments, and fountains, it is a great place for a stroll in the spring sun.
A truly unique sight is the Temple of Debod, an authentic Egyptian temple dating back to the 2nd century BC which was donated to Spain by the Egyptian government in 1969. On the completely opposite spectrum is the Chueca neighbourhood. This centre of the LGBTQ+ culture in Madrid is one of the most vibrant and lively places you will see in the entire city.
