See for yourself how the Madrilenos celebrate New Year. On New Year's Eve the square at Puerta del Sol fills with people. The tradition, known as Las Uvas de la Suerte or the grapes of happiness, dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. Everybody has twelve grapes and at midnight, as the clock strikes, eats their grapes one by one. One grape for each clock stroke. Each grape symbolizes a month in the coming year and is supposed to bring happiness and prosperity. The clock at Puerta del Sol is shown on television and all of Spain sits glued to the screen. The New Year is toasted with Cava, Spanish chanpagne. [Read more]

If you're an art lover, especially of modern art, then Estampa will appeal to you. This annual international fair takes place in Madrid's IFEMA centre, now for the 11th time. The fair owes its spacious layout to the centre's abundant proportions. Visitors are treated to a wealth of sketches, etchings, water colours and lithographs, and there are also digital prints, videos and photos to admire. Copies of the prints can be made at very reasonable prices. Tentaciones (Temptations), an exhibition which showcases the work of young artists, will be at Estampa again this year. [Read more]

Madrid's Prado museum is currently presenting a major exhibition of European Renaissance portraits from the 15th and 16th centuries. The exhibition traces the development of portraiture in Northern and Southern Europe. All the big Renaissance names are here, from Pisanello to Rubens. The exhibition comprises some 70 paintings. There are also sculptures, drawings and engravings on display. The most important concepts include: likeness, memory, identity, friendship, marriage and the self portrait. [Read more]