El Matadero de Madrid – Amazing avant-garde centre

Image by Andrés de Gabriel

“Matadero Madrid is a lively, constantly changing space at the service of creative processes, participatory artistic training and dialog between the arts”, as they well define themselves.

El Matadero is an impressive reinterpretation of several buildings that were used as a slaughterhouse and meat market in the past. The architects have respected the industrial spirit, keeping the walls and the big pipes, and mixed it with materials like plastic or crystals and original decorative elements give it an absolutely avant-garde aspect.

Matadero’s figures can scare you. The Madrid Council has 148.350 m2 dedicated to art, design and performances… In 2009 alone Matadero organized more than 200 activities. Most of them for free!

I have visited especially “las Naves del Español”, a great theatre inside one of the buildings. They usually program big and surprising performances for about 25 euro.

At the entrance, there is a nice bar to have a beer or something to eat before or after the performance. In the different buildings and in the patio you can assist in design expos, concerts and video art shows… it’s a training place and meeting point for creators, institutions, programmers, cultural managers, critics, and synthesizing, professionals of design and art. Matadero opens for professionals from Tuesday to Friday, from 11:00 to 14:00.

El Matadero is in the South (more south than Lavapies) but it’s relatively close to the city center if you go by underground.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
El Matadero de Madrid | Art & culture, Theaters, Festivals & events | Free
Paseo de la Chopera 14 | Lavapies & Latina | +34915177309
Tue – Fri 16:00 – 22:00. Sat – Sun 11:00 – 22:00