News
Processions, saetas and torrijas: this is what Semana Santa will be like in Madrid
Madrid is preparing for a Semana Santa that will go beyond the traditional processions. The City Council is expanding the programme with live music, exhibitions and gastronomic routes, while promoting its recognition as a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Regional.
The programme, with wider publicity than in previous years, places processions at its centre, as they will pass through the city from 27 March to 4 April. Neighbourhoods such as Vallecas, Carabanchel and Delicias join a circuit whose main settings include Puerta del Sol, with grandstands to follow the most emblematic processions.
Highlights include the Palm Sunday departure from Catedral de la Almudena and the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday processions, with images such as Cristo de Medinaceli and Santo Entierro. Holy Saturday will close the cycle with Soledad y Desamparo.
Music carries more weight in this edition. Plaza Mayor hosts a gathering of procession bands for the first time, while churches such as San Ginés are putting on free concerts. Saetas will once again accompany the processions at different points in the centre.
The tradition also extends to gastronomy with the ‘Dulces Pasiones’ route, devoted to torrijas, and to an exhibition in Plaza Mayor tracing the history of Madrid’s religious brotherhoods. The closing event will arrive on Easter Sunday with a drum performance that will fill the centre with sound.
During these days, the city centre changes its usual rhythm. Road closures, higher visitor numbers and an expanded cultural programme make Semana Santa a key period for commerce, hospitality and life in the neighbourhoods, as the city reorganises to welcome both residents and visitors.