"En casa del herrero, cuchillo de palo."
In the blacksmith's house, a wooden knife — the shoemaker's children go barefoot.
A blazing Trinity Sunday greets Madrid with clear skies and a high of 34°C — no yellow alert for the capital itself today, but the UV index sits at 8 and the city's pulse is racing nonetheless. Four columns of demonstrators will converge on Cibeles at midday to defend public healthcare, while across town the Riyadh Air Metropolitano still echoes from last night's Bad Bunny opener. At Las Ventas, the final Sunday of the San Isidro bullfighting season brings a packed ruedo and a terna of toreros who promise to seal the month with bravura. May ends as it lived — in full, unapologetic Madrid motion.
Madrid's streets are flooded again this Sunday with citizens demanding a halt to what they call the 'privatisation' of the region's health system. Organised by the Plataforma Vecinas y Vecinos de los Barrios y Pueblos de Madrid, four columns are marching from Atocha, Colón, Sevilla, and Plaza Felipe II, converging on Plaza de Cibeles at 12:00. Under the slogan 'Salvar la Sanidad Pública es Salvarnos a Tod@s', protesters are denouncing surgical waiting lists of 107,208 people (average 46.7 days) and outpatient delays of 61.2 days. They are calling for 25% of the health budget to be ring-fenced for Primary Care, reinstatement of the 35-hour working week, and an end to what organisers call the 'silent expulsion' of citizens towards private insurers. The march comes as specialists from 44 services across 15 public hospitals prepare to stop evening overtime shifts from 1 June, a move that is expected to lengthen waiting lists further. Healthcare spending per capita in Madrid stands at €1,424 — nearly €900 less than Asturias, according to the organisers.
Puerto Rican megastar Bad Bunny kicked off his ten-date Madrid residency at a sold-out Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Saturday night, marking his first performance in the Spanish capital since July 2018. Over two and a half hours, he ran through hits from Debí Tirar Más Fotos and his back catalogue — 'La Mudanza', 'Callaíta', 'Tití Me Preguntó', 'Me Porto Bonito', and 'Dákiti' — while a crowd of 70,000 sang every word. The night's surprise came when Myke Towers joined him for 'Adivino' and stayed for a medley. Bad Bunny's 'La Casita' second stage brought fans up close, and among those spotted in the audience were actresses Esther Expósito, María León, and influencer Chiara Ferragni. The residency continues through mid-June, with the Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour having already surpassed $200 million in revenue.
The Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas hosts its final Sunday of the San Isidro 2026 festival today, with bulls from the historic Adolfo Martín ranch for a terna of Antonio Ferrera, Manuel Escribano, and Paco Ureña. The corrida begins at 19:00 and is already sold out for the main categories, with more than 23,000 aficionados expected. San Isidro 2026 runs from 8 May to 14 June, encompassing 28 festejos including 23 corridas, 2 rejones, and 3 novilladas. Tickets range from €48 to €244, and the corrida will be broadcast live on Telemadrid's TLMad platform. For those who cannot attend in person, the broadcast remains available on demand for seven days.
On this day in 1906, King Alfonso XIII married Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg at the Basilica of San Jerónimo el Real in Madrid. The wedding procession was jubilant — until the royal carriage reached Calle Mayor, where anarchist Mateu Morral hurled a bomb wrapped in flowers from a balcony. The blast killed 23 bystanders and wounded more than 100, though the king and queen escaped unharmed. The attack, the second bloodiest in Madrid's history, cast a long shadow over the young monarchy and remains one of the most dramatic events in the city's modern chronicle. A plaque on the corner of Calle Mayor and Calle de la Encarnación marks the spot today.