The shows, festivals, workshops and outdoor events running this Saturday and Sunday, refreshed every week so the list is always the coming weekend.
A hands-on family workshop on how archaeologists work, run by the Museo de San Isidro for Madrid's Science Week. Kids follow the research process step by step: digging a site, treating what comes out of the ground, then sorting and reading the remains.
The museum's own galleries hold real finds from Madrid, from prehistory to the Middle Ages, so kids can see where the lab work leads.
O’Magicadabra is a magic show for children at Pipo Velasco, a youth leisure center in Usera listed on Madrid's city agenda.
It suits families in Usera and nearby neighborhoods looking for an easy outing close to home.
Three musicians from the Madrid clown company 3 Notas sit down for an ordinary rehearsal, and nothing goes to plan. The music stands, sheet music and instruments seem to work against them, and every try at playing together turns into a new mix-up.
It is contemporary clowning with no spoken words, told through music, gesture and physical comedy. Under the slapstick, it is about working as a team.
Two clowns in bowler hats, suspenders and bright socks walk on stage with an old suitcase full of surprises and one job: making everyone laugh. It's classic clowning, built on slapstick, tumbles and silly games that turn the audience into partners in the fun. The show is pitched at grown-ups and kids laughing together.
La Maga is a children's show by Ainhoa Limón that tells stories with magic tricks, puppets, songs and soap bubbles.
It suits preschoolers and early primary kids who can follow a story in Spanish. The puppets and bubbles give younger siblings plenty to watch even when the words go over their heads.
A puppet show for toddlers and preschoolers at a public library in Latina, built around puppets and the little noises of its Spanish title, "Títeres y ruiditos".
It suits small kids. Older siblings may find it pitched young.
Vamos al recreo ("Let's go to recess") is a teatro-cuento by the company Trémola Teatro: a story told as a stage show, part storytelling and part theater. Its subject is the school playground, so kids in preschool and primary school will recognize the world on stage straight away.
Mona gets lost in the jungle, and Koko the gorilla protects her and keeps her company. When she goes back to the city, the big question is whether she can be happy away from the jungle.
La Maquiné tells the story with objects, masks and live music. It suits kids who enjoy animal stories and can sit with a gentle, visual show.
A live concert of Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals, the suite where each short piece paints a creature in sound: a lumbering elephant, a gliding swan, hopping kangaroos, rattling fossils. It invites kids to become musical explorers, listening for the animal hidden in each piece.
It suits kids who can sit through a full classical concert, and makes a gentle first one for families new to them.
Papanatas is a family comedy by Emiliano Dionisi, inspired by a Molière play. It brings back the spirit of commedia dell'arte, with circus, street theater and musical comedy mixed in.
Sincere, naive Leilo falls for Celia, who serves the miserly old Trufaldino. The tricky servant Silvestre schemes to help him, but Leilo's impatience keeps spoiling the attempts and the mix-ups pile up.
A scatterbrained clown arrives to put on his show and gets swept up in a fast spiral of music, magic tricks, juggling and balancing acts that look impossible.
It suits kids who like slapstick and noise more than a quiet story.
A puppet version of Little Red Riding Hood from Marimba Marionetas. It starts as the story kids know: a basket of food, a walk through the woods, a crafty wolf. Then a mysterious elf and a surprising witch burst in, and the tale turns into an adventure full of magic and mix-ups.
It's a story about friendship and kindness, a good fit for kids who already know the original.
A poetry workshop in English at Parenthesis, a bilingual bookshop in Lavapiés. Kids read poems built on made-up words, invent some of their own through collage, then stretch them into verses for one long nonsense poem the whole group writes together.
No poetry experience needed. It suits kids who enjoy playing with words and can follow English at an intermediate level. Diego Bernalte leads it.
El Cantacuentos de Martina is a storytelling session for children at the Meseta de Orcasitas cultural center in Usera.
The stories are told in Spanish, so it suits kids who follow spoken Spanish and enjoy sitting and listening to a story told out loud.
The Comunidad de Madrid's yearly party for children's rights fills Plaza Matadero with free stations run by local charities, scout groups and youth clubs. Kids get their faces painted, twist balloon animals, make badges, masks and photo keyrings, try giant wooden games and sack races, and code a robot to paint.
Younger kids get the most out of it; older ones have an escape room and a radio workshop.
La Circoteca is a children's show that mixes storytelling with circus, so kids get a story to follow and circus to watch.
It is performed in Spanish at Centro Cultural Nicolás Salmerón, a neighborhood cultural center in Chamartín. It suits families nearby whose kids can follow a story in Spanish.
A certified organic family farm in the Jarama valley where kids push a wheelbarrow into the field and pick their own pumpkin. Between rounds there's a hay maze, a slide and hay-bale photo spots, plus a shop terrace where parents can sit. On workshop days a booked session adds a tractor ride, farm animals and hollowing out and decorating a pumpkin. Works well for toddlers and younger school kids.
Hábitat Madrid is the city's season of nature activities, run from environmental centers in three big parks. Kids plant in a family vegetable garden, track animal prints, build bird feeders and join bird walks, all led by environmental educators. Each session has a set age range and needs booking, so it suits families who plan a few weeks ahead.
Every fall the Botánico's gardeners set out about 30 kinds of pumpkin from the garden's vegetable plot, outside the Santiago Castroviejo greenhouse. Kids spot giant Big Max pumpkins, sponge gourds and the bottle-shaped pilgrim's gourd that children nickname the "canteen". It's look, don't touch, so it suits a curious kid more than one who wants to pick a pumpkin. The plot where they grew is a short walk away.
Cirque du Soleil brings KURIOS to Madrid for the first time, under its Big Top. A scientist opens the door to an invisible world, and a cast of strange characters bursts into his cabinet of curiosities: acrobatics mixed with poetry and humor, in a steampunk setting.
The organizer pitches it as a family show, but it has loud noises, some dark scenes and flashing lights, so sensitive kids may struggle.
Circlassica is a family circus show from Productores de Sonrisas, the company behind Circo Mágico and Navidad Circo Price. This year's production, Extraordinarios, follows Isa, a dreamy whiteface clown who travels the world gathering one-of-a-kind performers.
More than 30 international artists perform high wire, aerial silks, unicycles and acrobatics, with the Circlassica Orchestra playing live throughout. It suits kids who can sit through a long show with one break.
Royal Guard sentries in gala uniform, two on foot and two on horseback, swap posts to a fife and drum outside the Royal Palace. Once a month the full ceremony fills the Plaza de la Armería with lancers, halberdiers and cannon. Kids who like horses and marching bands will enjoy it.
Circo Alegría's first Madrid production turns a big top into an underwater world. International acrobats perform around synchronized dancing fountains, with 3D effects, mermaids, pirates, sharks and storms. Giant kinetic whales float over the audience. A story about caring for the oceans runs through it, with plenty of humor and music.
A long-running neighborhood jazz festival in Ciudad Lineal, with a different band on stage at the district cultural center for each concert. The lineup moves between a blues band, quartets, a trio and other jazz groups.
Good for kids who already enjoy live music and can sit through a whole concert. Restless toddlers who need to move around may find it long.
Senescencia turns a room at Matadero into an autumn garden of large wooden flowers. Petals, stems and leaves come apart and fit back together, so kids and parents build, take apart and rebuild the garden side by side.
Each group picks up where the last one stopped, so the garden never looks the same twice. Designer Alicia Gutiérrez of Ephimera Play, who makes play spaces and toys, created it.
Guided walks on the Segovia side of the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, around the pine forests and rivers of Valsaín. Saturday walks go with a nature guide, and some Sundays bring themed outings led by specialists, from old drove roads to river wildlife.
Groups are small. Routes range from easy riverside strolls to longer hikes, so pick by distance and difficulty.
The city's puppet theater sits inside El Retiro park: an outdoor stage with bleachers and floor space for kids up front. Each weekend a different company plays, from Madrid to Argentina, with marionettes, hand puppets and music. The Halloween weekend brings a variety show with a dancing skeleton and a skateboarding witch. Shows are short and in Spanish.
More than 40 stalls of toys old and new: Playmobil, LEGO, Star Wars figures, Scalextric, model trains, Nancy dolls and the Madelman and Geyperman figures Spanish parents grew up with.
Most buyers are collectors, so it suits a kid with a favorite set or saga in mind, or a parent hunting a childhood toy. Kids who are not into toys will tire fast.
A hip-hop musical take on Dodie Smith's story, told by Cruella de Vil as a social media influencer fighting to keep her crown after Anita and her dalmatians go viral. Expect big dance numbers, life-size dog puppets, urban remixes of familiar songs and a party finale that gets the audience up and dancing. The plot leans on fame and followers, so older kids follow it best.
Actors in period costume meet you at Atocha station and ride the Renfe tourist train with you to Alcalá de Henares, the birthplace of Cervantes. In town they guide you through the old university quarter, squares and cathedral, acting out scenes from Don Quixote. The evening train brings you back. Best for kids who like dress-up and stories.
Baby Rock is a theater show for babies and young kids, set to original music with a rock and pop edge. It follows two endearing friends who could not be more different, and who find common ground through tolerance and play.
Along the way, the show invites kids to explore all five senses. Carlos De Matteis wrote the music and directs, and three performers carry it on stage.
A comedy magic show for kids, the latest one created by Isaac, with new tricks. An experienced magician tries to teach an eager helper, the Cleaning Man, who wants to be a magician too and doesn't follow a single instruction.
It's a spoken comedy in Spanish, so it suits kids who follow the language and enjoy watching a plan fall apart on stage.
A stage musical of El Pollo Pepe, the picture book by Nick Denchfield with illustrations by Ant Parker. Pepe travels through stories to find his missing mother, joined by Clea the pig, Ramona the frog and López the dog.
The characters are life-size puppets, set against scenery that recreates Pepe's world. It's made for the youngest fans of the book, with grown-ups in mind too.
A big evening Christmas park near Madrid, with a lake ice rink, a giant Ferris wheel, a life-size nativity walk, a Christmas market, lantern paths and fireworks. Some experiences come with the ticket and others cost extra. Best for kids who can stay up past dark and handle crowds.
A morning in the woods of the Sierra Norte with a mycologist. It starts with a short talk on how to tell mushrooms apart and which ones to be careful with. Then the group walks the forest looking for fungi, and ends by sorting and naming what it found.
Run by the Asociación de Amigos de la Casa de Campo. Suits curious kids who are happy on a long walk.
A musical puppet show based on the well-known picture book. The animals all want to know if the moon tastes sweet or salty, so a turtle, an elephant, a giraffe and five friends climb onto each other's backs to reach it.
One actress plays and moves every puppet, with songs and simple choreography the audience joins in. It suits first-time theatergoers and preschoolers.
Mina is a determined girl who sets off to learn the secret of life. She tries being an apprentice astronomer, gardener, museum worker and magician, then meets Miguel, a boy hunting for stories to keep the Island of Macadamia from sinking into the ocean.
The play is about growing up and, like a swallow, always finding the way home. It suits kids who enjoy a quest with odd characters.
Eneko Gutiérrez's family magic show mixes laughs, surprise and a bit of chaos. No two shows run the same: the situations change with how the audience reacts, so moments turn up that nobody expects.
Expect participation tricks, surprise games and comic scenes. It's performed in Spanish and leans on talk and jokes, so it lands best with kids who follow spoken Spanish.
Spin Oz is a new sequel to The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy is now a teenager, tired of being treated like a child, when another tornado sweeps her back to Oz, where the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion need her help.
Two actors tell the story, backed by video projections and original music. Its themes of growing up, friendship and accepting yourself suit school-age kids and tweens.
A walking show through the inside of Teatro Circo Price, Madrid's historic circus theater. Two clowns, Adoquín and Pasmarote, and a clown musician playing live take a group of "clown trainees" through the building and its 150-year story: how the circus started, who made it possible and how it came to Madrid.
It suits kids who like clowns and exploring a building more than ones expecting a big-top show.
The shows, festivals, workshops and outdoor events running this Saturday and Sunday, refreshed every week so the list is always the coming weekend.
A hands-on family workshop on how archaeologists work, run by the Museo de San Isidro for Madrid's Science Week. Kids follow the research process step by step: digging a site, treating what comes out of the ground, then sorting and reading the remains.
The museum's own galleries hold real finds from Madrid, from prehistory to the Middle Ages, so kids can see where the lab work leads.
O’Magicadabra is a magic show for children at Pipo Velasco, a youth leisure center in Usera listed on Madrid's city agenda.
It suits families in Usera and nearby neighborhoods looking for an easy outing close to home.
Three musicians from the Madrid clown company 3 Notas sit down for an ordinary rehearsal, and nothing goes to plan. The music stands, sheet music and instruments seem to work against them, and every try at playing together turns into a new mix-up.
It is contemporary clowning with no spoken words, told through music, gesture and physical comedy. Under the slapstick, it is about working as a team.
Two clowns in bowler hats, suspenders and bright socks walk on stage with an old suitcase full of surprises and one job: making everyone laugh. It's classic clowning, built on slapstick, tumbles and silly games that turn the audience into partners in the fun. The show is pitched at grown-ups and kids laughing together.
La Maga is a children's show by Ainhoa Limón that tells stories with magic tricks, puppets, songs and soap bubbles.
It suits preschoolers and early primary kids who can follow a story in Spanish. The puppets and bubbles give younger siblings plenty to watch even when the words go over their heads.
A puppet show for toddlers and preschoolers at a public library in Latina, built around puppets and the little noises of its Spanish title, "Títeres y ruiditos".
It suits small kids. Older siblings may find it pitched young.
Vamos al recreo ("Let's go to recess") is a teatro-cuento by the company Trémola Teatro: a story told as a stage show, part storytelling and part theater. Its subject is the school playground, so kids in preschool and primary school will recognize the world on stage straight away.
Mona gets lost in the jungle, and Koko the gorilla protects her and keeps her company. When she goes back to the city, the big question is whether she can be happy away from the jungle.
La Maquiné tells the story with objects, masks and live music. It suits kids who enjoy animal stories and can sit with a gentle, visual show.
A live concert of Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals, the suite where each short piece paints a creature in sound: a lumbering elephant, a gliding swan, hopping kangaroos, rattling fossils. It invites kids to become musical explorers, listening for the animal hidden in each piece.
It suits kids who can sit through a full classical concert, and makes a gentle first one for families new to them.
Papanatas is a family comedy by Emiliano Dionisi, inspired by a Molière play. It brings back the spirit of commedia dell'arte, with circus, street theater and musical comedy mixed in.
Sincere, naive Leilo falls for Celia, who serves the miserly old Trufaldino. The tricky servant Silvestre schemes to help him, but Leilo's impatience keeps spoiling the attempts and the mix-ups pile up.
A scatterbrained clown arrives to put on his show and gets swept up in a fast spiral of music, magic tricks, juggling and balancing acts that look impossible.
It suits kids who like slapstick and noise more than a quiet story.
A puppet version of Little Red Riding Hood from Marimba Marionetas. It starts as the story kids know: a basket of food, a walk through the woods, a crafty wolf. Then a mysterious elf and a surprising witch burst in, and the tale turns into an adventure full of magic and mix-ups.
It's a story about friendship and kindness, a good fit for kids who already know the original.
A poetry workshop in English at Parenthesis, a bilingual bookshop in Lavapiés. Kids read poems built on made-up words, invent some of their own through collage, then stretch them into verses for one long nonsense poem the whole group writes together.
No poetry experience needed. It suits kids who enjoy playing with words and can follow English at an intermediate level. Diego Bernalte leads it.
El Cantacuentos de Martina is a storytelling session for children at the Meseta de Orcasitas cultural center in Usera.
The stories are told in Spanish, so it suits kids who follow spoken Spanish and enjoy sitting and listening to a story told out loud.
The Comunidad de Madrid's yearly party for children's rights fills Plaza Matadero with free stations run by local charities, scout groups and youth clubs. Kids get their faces painted, twist balloon animals, make badges, masks and photo keyrings, try giant wooden games and sack races, and code a robot to paint.
Younger kids get the most out of it; older ones have an escape room and a radio workshop.
La Circoteca is a children's show that mixes storytelling with circus, so kids get a story to follow and circus to watch.
It is performed in Spanish at Centro Cultural Nicolás Salmerón, a neighborhood cultural center in Chamartín. It suits families nearby whose kids can follow a story in Spanish.
A certified organic family farm in the Jarama valley where kids push a wheelbarrow into the field and pick their own pumpkin. Between rounds there's a hay maze, a slide and hay-bale photo spots, plus a shop terrace where parents can sit. On workshop days a booked session adds a tractor ride, farm animals and hollowing out and decorating a pumpkin. Works well for toddlers and younger school kids.
Hábitat Madrid is the city's season of nature activities, run from environmental centers in three big parks. Kids plant in a family vegetable garden, track animal prints, build bird feeders and join bird walks, all led by environmental educators. Each session has a set age range and needs booking, so it suits families who plan a few weeks ahead.
Every fall the Botánico's gardeners set out about 30 kinds of pumpkin from the garden's vegetable plot, outside the Santiago Castroviejo greenhouse. Kids spot giant Big Max pumpkins, sponge gourds and the bottle-shaped pilgrim's gourd that children nickname the "canteen". It's look, don't touch, so it suits a curious kid more than one who wants to pick a pumpkin. The plot where they grew is a short walk away.
Cirque du Soleil brings KURIOS to Madrid for the first time, under its Big Top. A scientist opens the door to an invisible world, and a cast of strange characters bursts into his cabinet of curiosities: acrobatics mixed with poetry and humor, in a steampunk setting.
The organizer pitches it as a family show, but it has loud noises, some dark scenes and flashing lights, so sensitive kids may struggle.
Circlassica is a family circus show from Productores de Sonrisas, the company behind Circo Mágico and Navidad Circo Price. This year's production, Extraordinarios, follows Isa, a dreamy whiteface clown who travels the world gathering one-of-a-kind performers.
More than 30 international artists perform high wire, aerial silks, unicycles and acrobatics, with the Circlassica Orchestra playing live throughout. It suits kids who can sit through a long show with one break.
Royal Guard sentries in gala uniform, two on foot and two on horseback, swap posts to a fife and drum outside the Royal Palace. Once a month the full ceremony fills the Plaza de la Armería with lancers, halberdiers and cannon. Kids who like horses and marching bands will enjoy it.
Circo Alegría's first Madrid production turns a big top into an underwater world. International acrobats perform around synchronized dancing fountains, with 3D effects, mermaids, pirates, sharks and storms. Giant kinetic whales float over the audience. A story about caring for the oceans runs through it, with plenty of humor and music.
A long-running neighborhood jazz festival in Ciudad Lineal, with a different band on stage at the district cultural center for each concert. The lineup moves between a blues band, quartets, a trio and other jazz groups.
Good for kids who already enjoy live music and can sit through a whole concert. Restless toddlers who need to move around may find it long.
Senescencia turns a room at Matadero into an autumn garden of large wooden flowers. Petals, stems and leaves come apart and fit back together, so kids and parents build, take apart and rebuild the garden side by side.
Each group picks up where the last one stopped, so the garden never looks the same twice. Designer Alicia Gutiérrez of Ephimera Play, who makes play spaces and toys, created it.
Guided walks on the Segovia side of the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, around the pine forests and rivers of Valsaín. Saturday walks go with a nature guide, and some Sundays bring themed outings led by specialists, from old drove roads to river wildlife.
Groups are small. Routes range from easy riverside strolls to longer hikes, so pick by distance and difficulty.
The city's puppet theater sits inside El Retiro park: an outdoor stage with bleachers and floor space for kids up front. Each weekend a different company plays, from Madrid to Argentina, with marionettes, hand puppets and music. The Halloween weekend brings a variety show with a dancing skeleton and a skateboarding witch. Shows are short and in Spanish.
More than 40 stalls of toys old and new: Playmobil, LEGO, Star Wars figures, Scalextric, model trains, Nancy dolls and the Madelman and Geyperman figures Spanish parents grew up with.
Most buyers are collectors, so it suits a kid with a favorite set or saga in mind, or a parent hunting a childhood toy. Kids who are not into toys will tire fast.
A hip-hop musical take on Dodie Smith's story, told by Cruella de Vil as a social media influencer fighting to keep her crown after Anita and her dalmatians go viral. Expect big dance numbers, life-size dog puppets, urban remixes of familiar songs and a party finale that gets the audience up and dancing. The plot leans on fame and followers, so older kids follow it best.
Actors in period costume meet you at Atocha station and ride the Renfe tourist train with you to Alcalá de Henares, the birthplace of Cervantes. In town they guide you through the old university quarter, squares and cathedral, acting out scenes from Don Quixote. The evening train brings you back. Best for kids who like dress-up and stories.
Baby Rock is a theater show for babies and young kids, set to original music with a rock and pop edge. It follows two endearing friends who could not be more different, and who find common ground through tolerance and play.
Along the way, the show invites kids to explore all five senses. Carlos De Matteis wrote the music and directs, and three performers carry it on stage.
A comedy magic show for kids, the latest one created by Isaac, with new tricks. An experienced magician tries to teach an eager helper, the Cleaning Man, who wants to be a magician too and doesn't follow a single instruction.
It's a spoken comedy in Spanish, so it suits kids who follow the language and enjoy watching a plan fall apart on stage.
A stage musical of El Pollo Pepe, the picture book by Nick Denchfield with illustrations by Ant Parker. Pepe travels through stories to find his missing mother, joined by Clea the pig, Ramona the frog and López the dog.
The characters are life-size puppets, set against scenery that recreates Pepe's world. It's made for the youngest fans of the book, with grown-ups in mind too.
A big evening Christmas park near Madrid, with a lake ice rink, a giant Ferris wheel, a life-size nativity walk, a Christmas market, lantern paths and fireworks. Some experiences come with the ticket and others cost extra. Best for kids who can stay up past dark and handle crowds.
A morning in the woods of the Sierra Norte with a mycologist. It starts with a short talk on how to tell mushrooms apart and which ones to be careful with. Then the group walks the forest looking for fungi, and ends by sorting and naming what it found.
Run by the Asociación de Amigos de la Casa de Campo. Suits curious kids who are happy on a long walk.
A musical puppet show based on the well-known picture book. The animals all want to know if the moon tastes sweet or salty, so a turtle, an elephant, a giraffe and five friends climb onto each other's backs to reach it.
One actress plays and moves every puppet, with songs and simple choreography the audience joins in. It suits first-time theatergoers and preschoolers.
Mina is a determined girl who sets off to learn the secret of life. She tries being an apprentice astronomer, gardener, museum worker and magician, then meets Miguel, a boy hunting for stories to keep the Island of Macadamia from sinking into the ocean.
The play is about growing up and, like a swallow, always finding the way home. It suits kids who enjoy a quest with odd characters.
Eneko Gutiérrez's family magic show mixes laughs, surprise and a bit of chaos. No two shows run the same: the situations change with how the audience reacts, so moments turn up that nobody expects.
Expect participation tricks, surprise games and comic scenes. It's performed in Spanish and leans on talk and jokes, so it lands best with kids who follow spoken Spanish.
Spin Oz is a new sequel to The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy is now a teenager, tired of being treated like a child, when another tornado sweeps her back to Oz, where the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion need her help.
Two actors tell the story, backed by video projections and original music. Its themes of growing up, friendship and accepting yourself suit school-age kids and tweens.
A walking show through the inside of Teatro Circo Price, Madrid's historic circus theater. Two clowns, Adoquín and Pasmarote, and a clown musician playing live take a group of "clown trainees" through the building and its 150-year story: how the circus started, who made it possible and how it came to Madrid.
It suits kids who like clowns and exploring a building more than ones expecting a big-top show.
