Do we need a lottery ticket to go in?

No. Entry to the hall is free for anyone, ticket or not. Seats go to whoever arrives first once the doors open at 8am, so the earlier the better.

Will kids follow it without Spanish?

The numbers are sung in Spanish, but the spinning drums, the rolling wooden balls and the kids' sing-song chant are easy to enjoy without it. When a big prize comes out, the whole room reacts.

Who are the San Ildefonso kids?

Pupils of the Colegio de San Ildefonso, a Madrid school whose children have sung the lottery numbers since the draw began in 1812.

Upcoming

UpcomingPerformance

Christmas Lottery Draw: San Ildefonso Kids Sing the Numbers

Name: Christmas Lottery Draw: San Ildefonso Kids Sing the Numbers
Start: 2026-12-22
End: 2026-12-22
Location: Teatro Real

When: Tue Dec 22
Ages: All ages
Price: Free, first come

Christmas Lottery Draw: San Ildefonso Kids Sing the Numbers photo 1

Christmas Lottery Draw: San Ildefonso Kids Sing the Numbers photo 2

Christmas Lottery Draw: San Ildefonso Kids Sing the Numbers photo 3

Christmas Lottery Draw: San Ildefonso Kids Sing the Numbers photo 4

PerformanceCentro

Where

Centro, Teatro Real

Ages

All ages

Setting

Indoors

Plan for

An hour or two

Music

San Ildefonso pupils sing the numbers and prizes

Original title

Sorteo Extraordinario de la Lotería de Navidad

Seating

Free, about 600 seats last year, first come

Backup

Shown live on TV and in cafés

What you need to know

Doors open at 8am, and seats go in order of arrival (about 600 last year)
The chant is the show: pupils sing every number and prize, so an hour gives kids the full effect
On TV across Spain, so a café screen nearby is a fine backup if the hall fills

About

Every Christmas, Spain stops to watch the lottery draw for El Gordo. Pupils from the San Ildefonso school pull wooden balls from two giant drums and sing each number and prize in a chant every Spaniard knows. The draw has been held at Teatro Real since 2012, and anyone can watch from the hall for free. It suits school-age kids who like a big live moment.

Free, first come

Tue, Dec 22

8:00 AM

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Where it is

Teatro Real

Plaza de Isabel II, s/n, 28013 Madrid

Nearby playgrounds

Resources

Common questions

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