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The Rose Garden of Parque del Oeste seeks Madrid's most beautiful rose
There are few places in Madrid where spring is as noticeable as it is in the Rose Garden of Parque del Oeste. These days, the garden is once again filled with visitors strolling among rose bushes in full bloom, cameras and neighbours making the most of the good weather to spend the afternoon among colour and fragrance.
From 15 to 20 May, the Rosaleda hosts the 70th edition of the Concurso Internacional de Rosas Nuevas Villa de Madrid, one of the city’s most traditional botanical events. This year, 82 different varieties from international growers are taking part, and the public will be able to choose which one deserves to become the “Rosa de Madrid 2026”.
Voting is open both in person and online. Those who visit the park will be able to take part between 10:00 and 20:30, while the online system will remain active until 21:00. The organisers thus want to make it easier for more people to get involved in a competition which, over the years, has become a small Madrid tradition in May.
The atmosphere will be especially lively on 20 May, the final day of the competition. People who vote in person will receive a cut rose as a souvenir and will be able to take part in children’s workshops, painting activities and educational proposals related to nature and the care of green spaces. In the afternoon, at 19:00, the Orquestas Escolares Arcos will give an open-air concert inside the grounds.
With more than 32,000 square metres and around 650 varieties of roses, the Rosaleda is one of those places that many people from Madrid rediscover every spring. Although the garden serves as a quiet space for much of the year, in May its atmosphere changes completely and it becomes one of the city’s most photographed spots.
The competition was born in the 1950s, inspired by similar contests in other European cities, and has managed to remain one of the most beloved activities on Madrid’s spring calendar. Among rose bushes, concerts and families strolling, Parque del Oeste once again demonstrates how a green space can become the centre of urban life for a few days.