Friday, March 29

Madrid makes cash on the first night of Halloween without restrictions


Witches, demons or thieves in red jumpsuits and Dalí masks. The people of Madrid are increasingly used to seeing the costume parade through the streets of the city every October 31. Those who have participated in the Halloween celebrations on Monday night have had plenty of options to choose from: there was no disco, bar or venue in the center of the capital that they did not take advantage of to raise cash. “I have all the tables reserved for a week. It has been spectacular. A panacea at this time of crisis”, celebrates Julián Martín, owner of a Chueca club.

The first Halloween night without restrictions of the pandemic has been a success for the hoteliers of the capital. A study prepared by the association Noche Madrid anticipated that turnover on Halloween would be 16.8% higher than that of 2019, more than three points above the national average, which stands at 13.5%. “The nearly 1,500 nightlife establishments in Madrid will celebrate Halloween”, in such a way that the party “exceeds New Year’s Eve and Christmas company dinners for the first time”, says the association.

Even the bars of La Latina – which normally remain closed on Mondays after Rastro Sunday – have preferred to take advantage of the third consecutive day of festivities. “Saturday and Sunday have been huge. And although on Monday not as many people came as we expected, we have worked much harder than on any other weekend of the year,” says Rafael García, a merchant on Cava Baja street, later adding that the collection has doubled that of a regular monday.

For many the night began in smaller downtown bars and clubs, where there was no need to queue to get in. Ana Abistur and her friends have come from Navarra to participate in the parties that they have only seen in movies and television series. Dressed as cheerleaders from the movie High School Musical, intend to move from La Latina to Malasaña to finish the night. “It is the first time that we celebrate it as God intended. In our town Halloween does not exist. There is nothing like the parties in Madrid”, says the student, who came to the capital with a group of friends to take advantage of the All Saints bridge.

On Calle de Espoz y Mina, the epicenter of noisy tourist bars, there is no place that doesn’t have customers waiting. Even the doormen are dressed up, and prices remain affordable despite being a block from Puerta del Sol. Elena Sánchez and Ainhoa ​​Pérez paid 18 euros to enter a club, with two drinks and a shot included. “We live by Plaza Elíptica, but there wasn’t much to do there today. Halloween is celebrated above all in the center”, they explain while taking a breath of fresh air in the street.

Even families with children have stayed out late to take advantage of the party atmosphere. Juanjo, Cristina and their daughter Marisol walk along Gran Vía dressed as members of the Addams Family, a Halloween classic that has become popular again this year. “The girl loves the movie. She wants to take a photo with all the people dressed as Wednesday, ”says the mother. They went out in the afternoon to do Trick or Treating around the neighborhood, and before returning home they decided to take a walk through the center to enjoy the costumes of the people on the street.

40 euros for Halloween night in Kapital

Between the previews at home, the tours of bars and the early risers in clubs, the first Halloween celebration without restrictions has not left anyone at home. Simone Garonna, an Italian student who is in Madrid for Erasmus, has paid almost 40 euros for Halloween night at the Teatro Kapital nightclub. “There are people in our group who have been left out. They tried to buy the tickets a couple of hours after us, but they were already gone, ”he laments. They have preferred to separate the group before giving up “the craziest party of the year” in their favorite nightclub in Madrid.

People who have opted for more ambitious plans had to organize weeks in advance, or alternatively pay a fortune to get into a nightclub. In front of the door of the Teatro Barceló nightclub, for example, the queue to enter began to form an hour before opening. Only those who had bought tickets online could access, which in fact had been completely sold out for a week.

Alba González waits with her friends and hundreds of other young people, while enduring the shouts of the nightclub’s security personnel, who encourage them to move quickly towards the door. She acknowledges that this year it has been impossible to improvise, and that in fact they have had to pay 40 euros instead of 30 for tickets, without any additional benefit. “We bought them two weeks ago. Very expensive, but it was the only alternative to enter the party”. The hope of having a great time is the only thing that keeps him patient. “It’s been two years since we participated in a real Halloween party. It is not the same to be at home with friends to dance the night away in disguise”, concludes González.



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