What better place is there to buy all your Christmas goodies than at a Christmas market. Madrid’s Christmas market in particular is huge and teeming with arts, crafts, gift ideas and other goodies too. The Madrid Christmas market takes place throughout November and December in the Plaza Mayor in the Spanish capital. There are at least 100 stalls there every year selling everything imaginable to make Christmas go with a bang. It is not to be missed by anyone visiting Madrid in the run up to Christmas.
Far from being a touristy market offering nothing but over priced bric-a-brac, this market is the main fair used by the local Spanish residents in order to get ready for Christmas. The Spanish visit the market to purchase everything they need for Christmas from decorations for the home to presents for the family. It is a very important part of the Christmas calendar and for many in Madrid signals the true start of Christmas. It first opened back in 1860 and is still going strong today. There are ornate statues for sale as well as materials for making a Belén which is a traditional nativity scene often displayed in Spanish homes.
It is not just Christmas materials that are purchased at this market however. Other products you can buy there include fancy dress costumes, wings made out of tinsel and various joke shop items. Why? These are not sold for Christmas necessarily but instead for the Spanish version of April Fools’ Day which takes place on 28 December. The day is known as El Día de los Santos Inocentes and is a time when practical jokes are played on each other. The market is open everyday from 10am to 10pm. It’s an absolute must see for visitors to Madrid over the Christmas period.
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