Merry Xmaƨ Everyone
Basics
Until December 29 from 1200/1300 daily.
Location
On the net
On the net in English
#LaNavideña
Per Person
Free to enter. Food and drink from €1 for a mini empanada upwards.
In Short
Hopes?
A taste of...just about everywhere.
Reality?
Expectations pretty much met.
First Impressions?
55 sheds of great expectation.
A USP?
Madrid's best free Christmas event.
The food in three words?
From all over.
Can they get the staff?
Loads of really helpful people, and blue-bobbled hatted Navideña elves.
Service with a smile?
Everyone, except one country a notable and sad exception, had a big welcoming smile.
Would you take your friends?
Thoroughly recommended.
Rating for a dating?
Yep, it'd work a treat.
Change one thing?
It looks like there's no mulled wine!
Going back?
Probably before the week is out.
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
Simply great festive fun. Sixty-odd stalls selling all manner of crafts, food and, of course, trying to do good PR for their respective nations. It's a good-natured game of which embassy can outdo its neighbours.
Some, like Cyprus and Israel, haven't quite grasped the spirit of things, so some poor soul from the tourism office has to spend all day giving out leaflets, or, in one case, frowning at passers by who seemed noticeably reluctant to stop anyway. Which? Well, suffice it to say, elsewhere the Palestine stall was doing noticeably good business. Others, like Ghana, Egypt and Qatar, are mostly offering crafts. Some are adding a bit of culture; Japan are up for some origami and martial arts and India are doing yoga classes.
The vast majority are offering at least some samples of food and drink. A few have even gone the whole hog and contracted out their stalls, or parts of them, to restaurants to do their bit. We stopped at a few countries on our first visit but - look, skip this if you like, just Go.
So, for the completists (and Merry Christmas to you both);
Portugal
Lots of stuff on offer, including some chunks of proper strong cheese for €3 and Tartas de Nata at €1 a go. We didn't say no. And we got one for free. ¡Obrigado, Portugal!
Lithuania
Did you know Lithuania makes cheese? Well of course you do. So do I. But I'd never thought about it before. They make cheese. And it's pink. Really. And jolly good. We bought some. It's like a mild parmesan. Delcicious!
Hungary
We missed the free goulasch session. Boo. But we got a big wodge of strudel for just €2. And it looks excellent. Someone find me some custard.
Vietnam
We generally don't do Streetfood, but a nice fresh pair of Nems, with spicy sauces, plus Saigon beer for just over €5 the lot? We'll do that. Beer really needed to be colder, but the Nems are crunchy but not explosively so and very fresh.
Elsewhere...
There are empanadas from all over the planet. Brasil have got a churasqueria in. Nicaragua have an eye-opening selection of dishes. Iraq and Palestine too have arrays of dishes that look like the entire diplomatic staff have been cooking for days. Chile have loads of wine and spectacular cakes on offer and Belgium's got the beer covered. The Phillipines were doing take-away pork and rice that looked amazing. Argentina have got a barbecue food truck. China have full menus on offer and a towering steamer.
And finally..
There's live entertainment on constant rotation too. Last year we saw kids from Ukraine doing a sun dance and some brave Peruvians braving a very cold night to ballroom dance in off-the-shoulder numbers.
This year we arrived in time to see the Galapagar Irish Dancers doing their thing, followed by the band giving it some on the penny whistle and bhodrán with, inevitably, a tune with a local flavour.
And we know you'll agree. Everyone should spend a December Saturday morning watching an Irishman in a christmas pudding jumper lead a multinational crowd singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
So, as they say in County Sligo, Nollaig shona dhaoibh ó go hionraic:madrid!
Basics
Until December 29 from 1200/1300 daily.
Location
On the net
On the net in English
#LaNavideña
Per Person
Free to enter. Food and drink from €1 for a mini empanada upwards.
In Short
Hopes?
A taste of...just about everywhere.
Reality?
Expectations pretty much met.
First Impressions?
55 sheds of great expectation.
A USP?
Madrid's best free Christmas event.
The food in three words?
From all over.
Can they get the staff?
Loads of really helpful people, and blue-bobbled hatted Navideña elves.
Service with a smile?
Everyone, except one country a notable and sad exception, had a big welcoming smile.
Would you take your friends?
Thoroughly recommended.
Rating for a dating?
Yep, it'd work a treat.
Change one thing?
It looks like there's no mulled wine!
Going back?
Probably before the week is out.
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
Simply great festive fun. Sixty-odd stalls selling all manner of crafts, food and, of course, trying to do good PR for their respective nations. It's a good-natured game of which embassy can outdo its neighbours.
Some, like Cyprus and Israel, haven't quite grasped the spirit of things, so some poor soul from the tourism office has to spend all day giving out leaflets, or, in one case, frowning at passers by who seemed noticeably reluctant to stop anyway. Which? Well, suffice it to say, elsewhere the Palestine stall was doing noticeably good business. Others, like Ghana, Egypt and Qatar, are mostly offering crafts. Some are adding a bit of culture; Japan are up for some origami and martial arts and India are doing yoga classes.
The vast majority are offering at least some samples of food and drink. A few have even gone the whole hog and contracted out their stalls, or parts of them, to restaurants to do their bit. We stopped at a few countries on our first visit but - look, skip this if you like, just Go.
So, for the completists (and Merry Christmas to you both);
Portugal
Lots of stuff on offer, including some chunks of proper strong cheese for €3 and Tartas de Nata at €1 a go. We didn't say no. And we got one for free. ¡Obrigado, Portugal!
Lithuania
Did you know Lithuania makes cheese? Well of course you do. So do I. But I'd never thought about it before. They make cheese. And it's pink. Really. And jolly good. We bought some. It's like a mild parmesan. Delcicious!
Hungary
We missed the free goulasch session. Boo. But we got a big wodge of strudel for just €2. And it looks excellent. Someone find me some custard.
Vietnam
We generally don't do Streetfood, but a nice fresh pair of Nems, with spicy sauces, plus Saigon beer for just over €5 the lot? We'll do that. Beer really needed to be colder, but the Nems are crunchy but not explosively so and very fresh.
Elsewhere...
There are empanadas from all over the planet. Brasil have got a churasqueria in. Nicaragua have an eye-opening selection of dishes. Iraq and Palestine too have arrays of dishes that look like the entire diplomatic staff have been cooking for days. Chile have loads of wine and spectacular cakes on offer and Belgium's got the beer covered. The Phillipines were doing take-away pork and rice that looked amazing. Argentina have got a barbecue food truck. China have full menus on offer and a towering steamer.
And finally..
There's live entertainment on constant rotation too. Last year we saw kids from Ukraine doing a sun dance and some brave Peruvians braving a very cold night to ballroom dance in off-the-shoulder numbers.
This year we arrived in time to see the Galapagar Irish Dancers doing their thing, followed by the band giving it some on the penny whistle and bhodrán with, inevitably, a tune with a local flavour.
And we know you'll agree. Everyone should spend a December Saturday morning watching an Irishman in a christmas pudding jumper lead a multinational crowd singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
So, as they say in County Sligo, Nollaig shona dhaoibh ó go hionraic:madrid!