«Take Refuge in Culture» Experience

The «Take Refuge in Culture» project will once again turn the city’s museums and cultural spaces into places where, during the hottest hours of the day, people can rest, listen to music, watch a play or discover new exhibitions.

Until 31 August, Madrid residents and visitors will be able to attend cultural activities between 15:00 and 18:30, the time of day when the summer heat is felt most intensely. The programme for the initiative’s third edition includes concerts, flamenco, theatre, cinema, readings and creative gatherings in emblematic spaces across the city.

The main new feature this year will be the «Classics for Refuge» series, a set of micro-theatre performances inspired by literature from the Spanish Golden Age. These short offerings will combine theatre, music, poetry, improvisation and audience participation, as well as recovering texts written by women playwrights of that period.

Flamenco will occupy a prominent place in the programme: Madrid’s museums will become stages for performances by musicians, singers and flamenco dancers. The SO-LA-NA project will offer the opportunity to learn more about the history and evolution of this art, recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Museo del Prado, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Galería de las Colecciones Reales, Museo de Historia de Madrid, Museo de San Isidro, CentroCentro and other cultural spaces will join the initiative.

«Take Refuge in Culture» programme

Classics for Refuge

From 14 July to 26 August.

Museo de Historia de Madrid and Museo de San Isidro.

Short shows lasting around 20 minutes that combine theatre, music, poetry and improvisation.

Flamenco in the museums

July and August.

44 performances of flamenco music, singing and dance in different cultural spaces across the city.

SO-LA-NA project programme, devoted to the history and evolution of the genre.

Other spaces in the programme

Matadero Madrid: cultural activities and gatherings.

Círculo de Bellas Artes: special activities.

Municipal libraries, cultural centres and cinemas: spaces for reading, learning and discovery.