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The season’s shape
The lights switch on in late November — Gran Vía’s canopy and Calle de Alcalá’s angels are the headliners — and the Plaza Mayor market fills with figurines and wigs (the wigs are for December 28th, Spain’s April Fools). December 22nd stops the country for the El Gordo lottery draw, sung by schoolchildren for hours. New Year’s Eve packs Sol for the twelve grapes at midnight — one per bell strike, rehearsals the nights before. And the true finale is January 5th: the Cabalgata de Reyes, when the Three Kings parade camels and candy through the city, because Spanish children get their presents on the 6th.
Costs and crowds
Central hotels price up for the lights weekends and NYE (€90+ where €55 stood in November) but nothing like Pride levels, and the January 7th cliff is instant — the cheapest fortnight of the year starts the morning after the Kings. The sierra stays calm and cheap all season: a Buitrago or Cercedilla night pairs beautifully with the city’s glitter.
The food ritual
December is cocido and roast season; Christmas Eve dinner is the family event (book restaurants well ahead — many close); and the roscón de Reyes — the crowned brioche ring hiding a figurine and a dried bean — rules the season’s end. Whoever finds the bean pays for next year’s roscón. Buy yours from a proper pastelería on the 5th and join the argument about candied fruit.
Questions, answered
Hotels in Madrid
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