With very overcast skies and 100% chance of rainwhich jeopardizes the celebration of the air show, Madrid hosts this Saturday, October 12, the traditional military parade for National Holiday Day 2024, which will tour the districts of Chamberí, Salamanca, Centro and Retiro between 11:00 and 14:00 and which is expected to be attended by 100,000 people, including Salvador Illa, who will become the first Catalan president to attend the party in 14 years. 4,092 members of the Armed Forces – 473 women -, 85 aircraft, 266 motorized vehicles and 210 horses will participate in the military parade.
More information
The military parade will take place between 11:00 and 14:00, but the land parade will be shorter, between 12:00 and 1:30 p.m. It will travel 1,540 meters between the Emperor Charles V roundabout, Paseo del Prado, Plaza de Cibeles, Paseo de Recoletos and Plaza de Colón. Upon arrival at the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo, where the Royal Tribune will be, the kings will receive military honors and Felipe VI will review the Honors Battalion. Princess Leonor, in the uniform of a midshipman, will accompany Don Felipe and Doña Sofía, but not Infanta Sofía, who is studying in Wales.
This route will result in inevitable traffic cuts and mobility problems both on foot and by transportation in the center. The City Council, which has prepared a special planrecommends public transport, avoiding driving in the vicinity of areas affected by cuts and/or restrictions and using the M-30 and M-40 if it is necessary to take the car for long trips. The City Council indicates that they will try to keep the pedestrian crossings open on the route until 8:00, except those to the north and south of Cibeles, which will be open until 10:45 so that the public can cross the road.
traffic cuts
From 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. they will be completely closed:
- Emperor Charles V Square
- Prado Walk
- Cánovas del Castillo Square
- Cibeles Square
- Recoletos Walk
- Columbus Square
- Loyalty Square
- Antonio Maura, from the Plaza de la Lealtad to its confluence with Alfonso XII
- Ruiz de Alarcón, from its confluence with Montalbán to Academia
- Felipe IV, from the Paseo del Prado to Moreto
- Alfonso XII: left lanes and incorporation of the street between Espalter and Antonio Maura
- Side of Paseo del Prado between Plaza de la Lealtad and Plaza de Cibeles (in the direction of Plaza de Cibeles) in front of the Naval Museum and the Madrid City Hall
- Murillo Square
- Espalter
From 7.30 to 15.00:
- Santa María de la Cabeza from the roundabout of Emperor Charles V to Batalla del Salado
- Atocha from San Eugenio to the roundabout of Emperor Charles V
- Paseo de la Reina Cristina, from the Jimena Quirós gardens to the Mariano de Cavia square
- Serrano, from the crossing with the Spanish Navy to Marqués de Villamagna
- Génova in the direction of Plaza Colón, from said plaza to the intersection with Zurbano
- Side of Paseo de la Castellana between Goya and Ayala
- Spanish Navy, between Plaza de Colón and Serrano
- Goya, between Paseo de la Castellana and Serrano
- Hermosilla, between Paseo de la Castellana and Serrano
- Ayala, between Paseo de la Castellana and Serrano
- Serrano, from Spanish Navy to Ayala
- Paseo de la Castellana lanes that allow the turn towards Alcalá Galiano, this last street and Monte Esquinza
- Paseo de la Infanta Isabel
- Paseo de la Castellana from Plaza de Colón to Plaza de Emilio Castelar (central lanes of Paseo de la Castellana from Plaza Gregorio Marañón to Plaza San Juan de la Cruz)
- Ruiz de Alarcón from Felipe IV to Academia and the terrace in front of the Church of San Jerónimo el Real
The City Council warns that these schedules and cuts are indicative and that they can be extended as they go if necessary. On the contrary, it will try to keep it enabled for traffic:
- Access to Atocha station through Méndez Álvaro.
- The roundabout of the monument to the victims of 11-M for access to the Atocha, Alfonso XII and City of Barcelona station.
- The transversal passage from General Martínez Campos towards Serrano and the side of La Castellana. The roundabout and the Doctor Marañón roundabout will be left free, allowing cross passage and access to the uphill side of Paseo de Castellana.
- The circulation under the tunnel from the City of Barcelona to the Atocha ring road and vice versa.
Public transport
- Metro: lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10. Nearest stations: Atocha, Estación del Arte, Banco de España, Retiro, Serrano and Colón. The Antón Martín, Gran Vía, Callao, Sol, Ópera, Chueca, Velázquez and Alonso Martínez stations are also nearby.
- Municipal Transport Company (EMT) buses: 44 lines of the daytime network will be affected by traffic cuts during the parade: 001, 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 24, 26, 27, 32, 34, 36, 37, 41, 45, 47, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 59, 74, 85, 86, 102, 119, 141, 146, 150, 247, C1, C2, C03, E1 and Express Airport. There will also be deviations to 10 lines of the night network: N9, N10, N11, N12, N13, N14, N15, N17, N25 and N26. The changes can be consulted in the website from the EMT.
- Cercanías: the closest stations to the event are Recoletos and Atocha.
- BiciMAD: from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., stations 67 (Calle de Almadén), 81 (Cuesta de Claudio Moyano), 86 (Plaza de Cibeles) and 94 (Paseo de Recoletos-Biblioteca Nacional) will close.
- Taxi: the stops located in the surrounding areas and the parade route will not operate during the event. They are located in the Plaza del Emperador Carlos IV, Calle de Atocha, Cánovas del Castillo, Felipe IV, Plaza de la Lealtad, Paseo del Prado, Génova (corner of Plaza de Colón), Goya (corner of Plaza de Colón), Paseo de la Castellana (corner of Hermosilla), Hermosilla (corner of Paseo de la Castellana) and Serrano (corner of Goya, Hermosilla and Ayala). You can check the location of taxi ranks in the Geoportal of the Madrid City Council.
Municipal car parks
From 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the traffic cuts that will be recorded on nearby roads will affect the entrances and exits of these car parks:
Central District
Withdrawal
Salamanca
Municipal tow truck service
Be careful because due to traffic cuts it is expected to be disabled the Columbus base of the crane depot between 7:30 and 2:00 p.m.
time
The Madrid delegation of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has issued a local prediction very technical for this event, especially because 85 aircraft participate, including Eurofighter, F-18, Harrier, fire extinguishers, 29 helicopters from the Army, Navy and Civil Guard and two from the DGT. The organizers warn, in fact, that bad weather may force the air show to be suspended. Precisely, the event must begin with the jump of the Acrobatic Parachuting Patrol with the flag of the 10th anniversary of the proclamation of Felipe VI, which will be followed by the planes of the Eagle Patrol, which will fly over painting the skies with the colors of the flag.
But the report indicates that between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. there will be “very cloudy or overcast” skies, with “cloud ceilings from 500 to 2,000 feet and layers above between 2,500 and 6,000 feet.” Regarding visibility, “mists with reduced horizontal visibility between 1,500 meters and 5,000” are expected from early in the morning until 12:00.
If you go to see it, bring an umbrella, as the chance of precipitation is high, with drizzle and rain throughout parade hours. The rains can also be occasionally heavy and accompanied by a storm and will cease throughout the afternoon. It is estimated that around 14 liters per square meter will be collected. South wind, light (5KTS) on the surface, increasing to 15 kt at an altitude of 3,000 feet is expected. On the thermometers, 16 degrees minimum and 21 maximum.
