Fiesta, fiesta, fiesta

This Friday, the 12th October, is a national holiday in Spain: El “Día de la Fiesta Nacional de España”. Despite being originally intended to commemorate Christopher Columbus’s discovery of South America in 1492, in recent years the Spanish government has been eager to replace the festival’s links to colonialism with a sense of national and military pride. Shop doors will close (Inhispania's too, don't forget!), the people of Madrid will grab their cameras and the city will make way for an impressive military parade.


If you’re going to be in Madrid on the 12th October, I’ve heard this sight is one worth seeing. The parade sets off from Plaza de Carlos V (Atocha) at 10.30am, but try to get there for 10 if you’re keen to secure a good spot. Planes, tanks and various other army vehicles will join the parade leading up to Plaza Colón, where it will stop at 11.50am. At roughly 12pm, the King and Queen of Spain will round off the ceremony from a stage which will be installed in Plaza de Neptuno.
Together with the city’s royal palaces and gardens, ten of Madrid’s most famous museums will open their doors for free to celebrate this day of national pride: el Prado, el Reina Sofía and el Thyssen-Bornemisza will all be offering ‘visitas gratuistas’. There will also be a number of music concerts going on throughout the day and the National Library will be open to the public free of charge.

So, even if a military parade doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, at least make the most of free entry into some of Madrid’s most famous tourist attractions! (If all else fails just enjoy your lie-in!)

foto vía: http://www.elcorreogallego.es/fotos/ecg/dia-fiesta-nacional/idGaleria-2304/