La Noche en Blanco

Hemingway once wrote

"Nobody goes to bed in Madrid until they've killed the night".

Locals heartily practise this during White Night in Madrid. The extravaganza of arts and cultural events takes place every September full moon, between sundown and sunrise.

Over 150 activities make up the ten-hour Noche en Blanco. The entire city is taken over by live music, light projections, street theatre and more. Parks, museums and galleries stay open all night for special tours, exhibitions and interactive projects, where the public work with professionals to produce pieces of art like films or collages.The White Night (or Nuit Blanche) phenomenon started in Paris in 2002 and has since spread to other cities across the world. Brussels, Rome, Riga, and Bucharest all make up the European White Night series.

The La Noche En Blanco (The Night In White) took place in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday night September 13, and ran well into the morning of September 14. Free events of the La Noche En Blanco in Madrid, Spain are made up of some 150 free musical, film, photography, art, and theatre performances. La Noche En Blanco Brings Out Thousands and Thousands into Madrid, Spain September 13-14

Festivals are a great way to sample the flavor of a city or region when traveling. More About La Noche En Blanco (The Night In White) In Madrid, tens of thousands of people roam the streets and watch performances. It's so crowded that Metro (the subway line of Madrid, Spain) trains going into the center of town (where many of the performances took place) were jammed like sardine cans. Thankfully though, the nighttime weather was mild with a bit of a breeze.One of the main drags of Madrid, Spain, the Gran Via, was closed off to automobile traffic. It's a surreal scene, because one is so used to seeing zillions of cars on that street, which is quite intimidating. The Gran Via has many retail shops and noticeable advertising, and is a bit like Times Square or Piccadilly Circus. Off this busy avenue, on the side streets many people just hang out and drink and/or eat.

One of the free performances during the La Noche En Blanco was at the Teatro Real (Royal Theatre). Outside this Madrid, Spain tourist attraction, many chairs were set up in the plaza so people could watch the opera Caballeria Rusticana on a giant big screen television that was attached to the theatre. This is usually culturally important for some Americans because this opera is featured in The Godfather, Part III.

As you walk the streets of Madrid, Spain, you'll notice a lot of street performers, some performing music and others dressed up in costumes trying to get reactions from people. The police patrol in cars and on foot en masse for this event. There are some interesting works of art at the CaixaForum that this year included a graffiti-inspired exhibition. Outside this cultural center, various graffiti designs were being displayed on the building while dramatic music played. A constant stream of people was coming and going to and from this exhibition called Graffiti Virtual. Being a part of the La Noche En Blanco in Madrid, Spain is something you will long remember. Festivals really bring the people out, and travelers would take heed to attend these events and get a fuller appreciation of a country's culture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeygmfr_sFM

Personal Experience:

For weeks, I saw huge signs on every corner of Madrid advertising this Noche en Blanco. I asked around my work about what exactly this night was about. I was told that it was a cultural night where all the museums, libraries and stores are open all night. Most of the time, there was no entrance fees; however, the good places like La Biblioteca Nacional (Library), El Prado Museo and La Reina Sofia Museo (Museums) are jammed packed full of people by 10 pm. I was still intrigued but all my friends, having participated in previous Noches en Blanco, weren't too keen on the huge crowds. Well, I went along with their advice and enjoyed the local festivities around my barrio.

I pregramed at my place till around 11pm as I got ready: a customery routine that I kept from the US-- haha. I met up a little later with Devin and one of his friends. We strolled around Malasana doing a mini-botellon while we took in some of the live performances and crowds of people. Then we went to a little 'house party' at one of our friends. A group of about 10 sat around drinking and talking. When it got to be around 1ish, we all left to hit the bars around Malasana. By this time, all of us were pretty well 'hydrated.' There had previously been some tension between Devin's friend and some of the other people which came to a climax on the way to one of the bars. But after a few dramatic moments, everything was settled and we continued our night.

Being the 'White Night,' most of us were dressed in.... well, white. Club promoters were handing out free promtional things like posters and masks in order to draw in the crowds. Lines for most of the good discotecas were insane. The group of us were standing outside one for a good 15 minutes; that was until I felt the 'call of nature.' Luckily, Dev was in the same predictament so we left the line for a few minutes. When we got back, our group of friends had disappeared. So we ventured off to some other bars for awhile until we eventually ran-into the group at another bar. It was a crazy fantastic night. Everyone was just full of excitement and voldka which always makes for a 'interesting' night.

I strolled back to my apartment around 6 am after the last bars closed down. It was one of the best nights I had in Madrid to date. It was one of my first weekends in Madrid so also one of the first times I was really able to socialize with my friends I had made from work. I wish I had done more culturally important things but overall, I had an amazing first Noche en Blanco!