From 21st January until 5th February, the eighth edition of the Gastrofestival is coming to Madrid – if you’re in Madrid during these dates it would be silly not to get involved and immerse yourself into the Spanish culture by learning about its food, history and art! More than 400 establishments participate in this festival with the aim of promoting some of the main attractions in this incredible city – its gastronomy, culture, art and history. A large proportion of the millions of people that come to Madrid each year come for these reasons and this festival is a celebration of these attractions! Throu ghout the festival restaurants, shops, museums and cultural centres will all be taking part to showcase what Madrid has to offer.

Make sure to check out the Conde Duque culture centre, the hub of the Gastrofestival, as it is set to have a lively atmosphere with constant activities throughout the entire duration of the festival including; film screenings, live music and food and wine tasting. As well as this, throughout this year’s festival, there will be an exhibition entitled The Newspaper Archive Lays the Table illustrating numerous recipes from the Spanish magazine Pictoral Review, put on by the Madrid Municipal Newspaper Archive.

Restaurants will be providing special menus, cookery courses and tapas and wine tasting by world-renowned chefs who have gathered in Madrid to celebrate its gastronomy. What’s more, for the first time, the 2017 Gastrofestival will include specific gluten free menus in order to reach out to an even wider audience. As one of the six main themes of the festival, our highlights of the Gastronomic Madrid section include; Desgustatapas tasting, Rioja Wine in our Favourite Bars and Dinner Four Hands by MasterCard Priceless Cities. It’s not only Madrid’s restaurants that are participating – this year Madrid’s markets are also playing an active role in the festival – offering classes, tastings and talks. In the Mercado de San Anton, there will be a fun and interactive cookery workshop for people to attend.

Museums will be getting involved by offering extensive activities and guided tours based on some of the pieces in their respective museums. The Museum of Contemporary Art will be presenting a talk on the culinary likes and dislikes of Ramón Gómez de la Serna on both 21st January and 5th February. Other things to watch out for include; the exhibition in the Garment Museum entitled Fashionable Vegetables. Design from the Calahorra City of Vegetables Catwalk which showcases 15 outfits made from vegetables grown in the Spanish region of La Rioja and includes designs by many internationally recognised designers.

Don’t miss out on this is amazing opportunity to learn more about Spain and Madrid in a fun and entertaining way!