The San Isidro festival honours Saint Isidore the Labourer, patron saint of Madrid, every year around 15 May. For about ten days the city lays on free concerts, chotis dances, verbenas and religious ceremonies, from the Plaza Mayor to the Las Vistillas gardens and out to the pradera de San Isidro, in the Carabanchel district. In 2026 the festival ran from 7 to 17 May; the city council has not yet published the 2027 programme. The popular heart of the festival is still the pradera, the meadow Goya painted in 1788 in "The Meadow of San Isidro", now in the Prado Museum. Madrileños come dressed as chulapos and chulapas, the traditional outfit (flat cap and waistcoat for men, polka-dot dress, carnation and Manila shawl for women), to picnic, dance and taste the saint's rosquillas.
Highlights
The romería at the pradera de San Isidro
San Isidro park draws the crowds on 15 May: families on the grass, rosquilla stalls, a "castizo" stage with chotis, pasodobles and the election of the chulapo and chulapa, and a large concert stage. In 2026 the pradera hosted concerts from 8 to 17 May, including Las Ketchup and Los Chunguitos on the 15th and Fangoria on the 16th, plus the fireworks on 15 May at 11:59pm.
The hermitage and the saint's spring
On the edge of the pradera, the San Isidro hermitage, rebuilt in 1725, guards the spring the saint is said to have made flow to quench the thirsty. Tradition says you should drink its water on the feast day. In 2026 the spring was open on 15 May from 8am to 10pm without a break, and the hermitage from 7am to 10pm, with the open-air mass at 1pm on the nearby esplanade.
The saint's rosquillas
These small ring-shaped pastries are the festival's sweet treat, sold in bakeries and at stalls. Tontas ("silly") are plain, listas ("clever") are covered in a sugar glaze; there are also Santa Clara rosquillas, topped with dry meringue, and francesas, with almonds.
Plaza Mayor, Las Vistillas and the centre
The festival opens with the pregón, the opening speech, given from the Plaza de la Villa (on 7 May 2026 at 8pm), followed by a parade of giants and big-heads. The Plaza Mayor hosts big concerts and the Madrid dance festival, while the Las Vistillas gardens stage concerts and folk dances. On 15 May at 7pm, the procession of San Isidro and Santa María de la Cabeza leaves the Collegiate Church of San Isidro, on Calle de Toledo, and winds through old Madrid.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Almost all activities are free, with no booking needed. The city council publishes the full programme each spring, shortly before the festival: check it for dates, times and venues, which change from year to year. To reach the pradera, take the metro rather than a car, and keep your belongings close in the crowd. For rosquillas, the municipal markets hand them out or offer tastings during the festival.
How to get there
Pradera and hermitage of San Isidro, Paseo de la Ermita del Santo, 72-74, 28019 Madrid: Metro Marqués de Vadillo (line 5), Urgel (line 5), Carpetana (line 6) Plaza Mayor: Metro Sol (lines 1, 2, 3); Las Vistillas gardens: Metro Puerta de Toledo (line 5)
Opening hours
Nearby
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