LGTBIQA+ Pride celebrations

From late June, Madrid gradually changes its usual rhythm: flags appear on balconies, squares become stages, and music and night-time parades fill the city centre until well into the night. This is how MADO, Madrid Pride, begins; in 2026 it will be held from 25 June to 5 July.

For ten days, the city becomes a space where concerts, political demonstrations, drag shows, human-rights debates and street parties coexist. MADO's programme covers almost the entire city centre: stages appear in the main squares and Chueca once again becomes one of the liveliest parts of Madrid in summer.

An important part of the festival remains the Madrid Summit, an international conference on the rights of the LGTBIQA+ community, as well as the cultural projects Muestra T, La Culta and La Oculta, which bring together exhibitions, theatre, music and independent urban initiatives.

The main event will take place on the first Saturday of July, when a huge demonstration will travel along Paseo del Prado to Plaza de Colón. Political expression and urban celebration coexist here: floats, music, slogans and people arriving from all over Spain fill one of the city's main arteries.

At night, the festival moves to open-air stages, with concerts, dance sessions and drag performances that continue well past midnight. Among MADO's most emblematic events, the Pelayo Street high-heel race and the Mr Gay España contest will once again stand out, having formed part of Madrid's summer for years.