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Carabanchel unveils its new green lung with Manolito Gafotas park
The Carabanchel neighbourhood gains a green space designed for families and residents. Manolito Gafotas park opens this Sunday in the presence of Elvira Lindo. A new meeting point for southern Madrid.
This Sunday, Carabanchel has one more reason to take to the streets. The eagerly awaited Manolito Gafotas park officially opens its doors, transforming a forgotten strip beside the M-40 into a space designed for the neighbourhood. The event, at midday, will bring together families, children and local residents who have been waiting for this moment for years.
Writer Elvira Lindo, creator of the famous character after whom the park is named, returns to Carabanchel to attend the opening. She will be joined by actor Ángel Jodra, illustrator Emilio Urberuaga and writer Lorenzo Silva, in an event intended to celebrate local identity and the literature that has marked several generations.
For years, the idea of this park was a constant demand of the residents of Carabanchel Alto. The land, located between the neighbourhood and the motorway, was the setting for symbolic gatherings long before the park existed. Now, after years of procedures and negotiations with the City Council, the space becomes a reality and a meeting point for the south of Madrid.
The day will include the unveiling of the 'Monolith to Manolito', a nod to the character and the neighbourhood's collective memory. In addition, the youngest participants will take part in a symbolic planting in the children's area, marking the start of a new chapter for this green corner.
The event, organised by the Asociación de Vecinos de Carabanchel Alto, represents far more than the opening of a park: it is the result of neighbourhood perseverance and a commitment to neighbourhood life. Madrid is already beginning to move in that direction, reclaiming spaces for meeting and play.
Carabanchel Alto has undergone a transformation in recent years marked by the arrival of new families and improved infrastructure. Manolito Gafotas park joins a network of green areas that seek to balance the urban pace with breathing spaces. For many, this park symbolises the neighbourhood's ability to reinvent itself without losing its own character.