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City Hall in Madrid to Contribute 500,000 Euros to LGBT Tourism Next Year

Saturday, July 4th, 2009

As I stated a couple of days ago, one of Madrid’s great failings, in my mind, has been its failure to promote itself as an LGBT destination.  Many claim that it is because of political and ideological reasons.  The City and the Community (province) of Madrid are fairly conservative politically, and the Popular Party holds the strings of power.  But Madrid should take advantage of its opportunity.  It is perfectly designed to be one of the best destinations in the world.  The night life, the Chueca neighborhood, and its general festive atmosphere make it a great place year round, but especially during the Pride Festival. 

El Pais reports on the week say that most hotels in the Centro are filled and that many are reporting that up to 80% of the visitors are gay.  As the paper says, it may be that the city has finally seen the “vein” of cash.  So in next year’s budget will be some 500,000 euros set aside to promote LGBT tourism.  Here is part of the story in Spanish:

Muchos se quejan de que la Comunidad y el Ayuntamiento nunca han promovido estas fiestas ni el turismo gay por razones ideológicas. Pero debe ser que los políticos madrileños han visto el filón, porque este año Comunidad y Ayuntamiento ambos han firmado un acuerdo de colaboración para que el año que viene haya medio millón de euros de dinero público con el fin de promocionar este tipo de turismo. El presupuesto con el que contaba este año la Asociación de Empresas y Profesionales para Gays y Lesbianas de Madrid, la encargada de este cometido, era solo de 30.000 euros.

También los organismos han colaborado en hacer un hueco a esta asociación en las ferias de turismo de numerosas capitales mundiales, aunque la promoción todavía debe mejorar. Casi todos los extranjeros con los que ha hablado este diario, como Patrick y Allen, una pareja de tortolitos checos, conocen el evento a través de páginas no oficiales de la Red, o a través de amigos, como en el caso de Luc Van Dam, un holandés cuyo ex novio español le mantenía siempre informado.

 

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Everyone is Gay in Madrid This Weekend

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

tour-infinita-2009Madrid’s Gay Pride weekend is well underway following last night’s grand opening.  The opening night festivities were held at 4 different stages in plazas surrounding the general Chueca neighborhood area (the gayest neighborhood in Europe).  The craziest and most crowded part of the festival was the main stage in Plaza Chueca.  You simply couldn’t move.  I was lucky enough to get back stage and have a little breathing room from the crowd, but what a fun time everyone seemed to be having!  I’ve been on main stages in different sorts of festivals before, but what was amazing here was that the crowd actually listened to the speakers and participated with the music, dancing, and general craziness.  Madrid really knows how to throw a party.  One of my ongoing complaints about the city government is what a terrible job they doing letting people know about what a great LGBT destination Madrid is.  

Later we went to Plaza del Rey for the cultural festival portion of the festivities (this is where I finally got to practice my Spanish in front of an audience).  There was a much smaller crowd and a really pleasant atmosphere.  Afterwards, we had dinner with LGBT activists and leaders from around the country at the very nice Jardin restaurant.  

Tonight, the party continues.  The Madonna-directed documentary will be premiering for the first time in Spain and tomorrow comes Mr Gay Spain.  I have back stage passes for both events, so I’ll let you know how it goes.  

There is so much going on all week in the Chueca and surrounding area that you really should check out the official site, or the city’s official information page, available in English.  Find out about the high heel race, the month-long cultural festival, and the chill out planned in the Parque de Buen Retiro.  And if you like diva pop, you should check out Kyle Minogue at Ventas, the bullring not far from the very center of the city.  

Gay or straight, this is all stuff you should not miss as a tourist in Madrid.  It can be argued that Madrid puts on one of the best of these sorts of celebrations anywhere in the world.  Even the National Geographic couldn’t miss the wonder that is Pride Madrid:

It boasts Western Europe’s largest Royal Palace and its most audacious gay pride parade

The amazing this is that it is all done without any money from the city or provincial governments for a relatively small amount of money, around 300,000 euros.  

The big day will be Saturday of course, for the parade and festival.  I’ve not had a chance to spend much time with my friends, but I do hope to get to be with them to watch the parade.  I hope you will be joining us.

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Gay Pride Week in Spain

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

I returned from San Francisco a couple of days ago.  I had a wonderful time with friends (really, they are my family) and loved seeing the city.  I also got to do a little bit of work for this fabulous company I work for that is going to change the world.  It was looking festive and beautiful for Gay Pride Week.  I missed the parade becuase I had to get back here for some work.  But I ran smack dab into another Pride Festival.  You can read about Gay Pride in Madrid in this New York Times article.  The Madrileños do know how to party.

It felt strange being in SF again, like I had never left and like I had been away for years.  I´ve only been gone less than a year, so I suppose that is not a strange feeling, but Madrid does feel like home right now.  Who knows, if my visa is not renewed, I may be back in a few months anyway!

I came back to Madrid to see my friend Stuart Milk, who, as most of you know, is the nephew of Harvey Milk.  Stuart was swinging back to the US after opening gay pride in Istanbul.  Apparently the city had brought out the riot police and street tanks to stop the parade, but it was finally allowed to continue.  Congrats to Stuart on his courage and leadership.  Stuart is being slammed with interview requests from all over Madrid and Europe, so we have done almost no touring, but I am glad I was able to hook him up with the media here.  It´s very important that the message that Harvey carried continues today.

If you can read Spanish, here is the link to the El Pais story on Stuart.  Tonight he will be receiving the Muestra T award and I will be giving my first gay rights speech in Spanish (very short).  I am so used to doing speeches and television, but in another language, it will be interesting to see how it feels.  Barcelona and the rest of the country had their parties last weekend, but Madrid is this week.  It is one of the biggest in the world, with more than 1,000,000 participants (compared to 60,000 in Barcelona).  If you don´t think of Madrid as an LGBT tourist spot, you really should.

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It’s Friday, 100 degrees, Madrid. It’s Gonna a Be a Fun Night

Friday, June 12th, 2009

botellonIt is the first really hot day of the Spring in Madrid today. The weekend will continue the heat wave. And, yes, a dry heat does make a difference.

Madrid is interesting when it is hot. My apartment is actually pretty cool in temperature, I have an interior unit without a lot of sunlight and it just hasn’t heated up that much. So, I, like many in the city who can, will work from home today. Since my day generally includes talking to India in the AM, Spain in afternoon, and the US and Paraguay later in the day, the schlep to the office on a day like this is a nice option. Not sure my boss likes that I take it, but its effing 100 degrees!

So when I went out with the dog to buy the paper and a pack of smokes, the streets were pretty quiet. There is a distinct difference in the shade. But tonight is when the streets will be alive.

I still remember my first time in Madrid about 6 years ago. It was a day like this, and I had arrived late in the afternoon by train from Malaga. I took a nap. The city streets were pretty empty at 7 PM, but when I woke up at 2 AM and looked out the window, the streets had come alive. Like rush hour anywhere else in the world.

Tonight there will be people out all over the streets. There will be botellones in the plazas. Botellones are (illegal) outside drinking parties, mostly youth, who are getting blasted early in the evening so that they can save their money to go to the dance clubs later at night. The clubs really won’t start hopping until about 4 AM. Restaurants will be full from 10 or 11 PM onward, filled with families, including babies and toddlers. The entire city will be out and strolling.

Fuencarral Street, a fashionable and hip street near the gay neighborhood is being turned into a pedestrian only zone and is almost done. So a lot of people will be out there too.

I will be with the crowds. Sweating, walking, bringing the dog, swigging a beer on a terraza and being thankful for a perfect madrid night like this.

Plaza Cheuca, Madrid's Gay Heart

Plaza Cheuca, Madrid's Gay Heart

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A Spanish Film Market for the LGBT Community Will Kick off this Year

Monday, June 8th, 2009

picphpFrom the wonderful people at the LesGaiCineMad International Film Festival, one of the best in the world (disclosure: I am doing some work for them)

LesGaiCineMad Spanish Film Market (SFM) is an event that will take place for the first time as part of Madrid’s 14th International LGBT Film Festival (LesGaiCineMad)

LESGAICINEMAD IS BECOMING A STRONG PRESENCE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY AND IS CATCHING UP WITH THE LEADERS IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET

Organized by Fundación Triángulo, LesGaiCineMad is one of the world’s most important independent film festivals, clearly positioned on the map of international festivals and events related to the 7th Art. With 14 years of professional history, 9 venues, and 120 movies, LesGaiCineMad will for the first time bring together members of the international LGBT film industry in a space of exchange, education, and business that will take place at LesGaiCineMad Spanish Film Market (SFM), coordinated by Spanish director Mariel Macia.

This first edition of Spanish Film Market (SFM) is born with the objective of supporting and promoting the production of independent cinema. “The international industry has been with us,” says Mariel Maciá, head of Industry & Market at LesGaiCineMad, “in each edition for the last 14 years. We believe that acknowledging their presence, haviing independent LGBT cinema professionals mix and network to create new projects and business, and structuring their visit so that they share their experience and knowledge with Spanish directors is the next step that our festival should take.” A logical evolution if we consider that LesGaiCineMad yearly attracts over 20,000 viewers and directors from all over the world; a circumstance that in previous editions made it possible to count on the presence of respected figures such as Pedro Almodóvar, Bruce LaBruce, and Barbara Hammer among others. Following the San Sebastián, Valladolid and Sitges’ film festivals, LesGaiCineMad is one of the cinematographic events with the most media coverage.

Mariel Macia, who has recently joined the festival team to accomplish new objectives, is a movie and theater director, producer, and distributor who has won several awards and international recognition. Since her short film “Flores en el parque” opened at LesGaiCineMad’s 2006 edition obtaining the Best Short Film and Best Spanish Movie Awards, her work has been featured at film festivals around the world, making her one of LGBT cinema’s role models. Later, with the opening of “A domicilio (o incluso también el amor)” and obtaining her second Best Short Film Award at LesGaiCineMad the next year, Mariel has had the opportunity to travel the world through the presentation of her work at LGBT film festivals which has given her the contacts, hope, and ambition to translate her experience into the local market.

For this first edition, LesGaiCineMad Spanish Film Market (SFM) will get important filmmakers, distributors, and programmers together.

1. SFM will provide its participants a selection of Spanish movies produced from 2006 to today, in DVD format with English subtitles. The same movies will also be viewable at SFM Booths – located at the SFM Meeting Point. The films participating in the official selection of the Festival will also be available.
2. SFM will organize debates, seminars and meetings with renowned international professionals dedicated to the production and distribution of LGBT contents.
3. SFM will create a meeting point (SFM Meeting Point) where all participants will meet, organize reunions and see movies at SFM Booths.

All these activities will be presented at Frameline 2009, the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival, to give this project its initial boost.

Independent cinema is growing strongly. Throughout these years it has obtained a privileged place within the national and international scene and also a bigger sector within the actual cinematographic market. The movie industry is transforming and adapting to the new times finding the niches that have been exploited in the international market for a long time. As a response to these challenges, LesGaiCineMad has created this new platform to promote and professionalize the LGBT independent cinema in the framework of its 14th edition.

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Partido Popular (Center-Right) Gains in European Parliament

Monday, June 8th, 2009
Partido Popular leader Mariano Rajoy

Partido Popular leader Mariano Rajoy

Turn out was low by Spanish standards for the European Parliament elections, seen by some as a test of how well the government would fare in a deep recession.  The center right party, Partido Popular (People´s Party) beat the ruling Socialist Party by just under 4%.  The PP gained 1 more seat than before and only 1% higher percentage of the vote from the last EU election.  The PSOE socialists lost 5% and 4 seats.

Center Right parties won all over Europe in an election marked by low turn-out and fought more on national issues than European issues.  For many Europeans the Parliament is distint and misunderstood.

The PP leader Mariano Rajoy needed to do well in this election to continue support for his leadership, and the party is celebrating, though it does not seem to be a particularly impressive win, given the depth of the Spanish recession, whose unemployment is the highest of all the major European economies.

Socialist leader José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero lost nearly 500,000 votes from the last EU election, but does not appear to be fatally wounded by the election results.  It is the first victory for Mariano Rajoy in a national election agains Prime Minister Zapatero since 2000.

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Star Trek Warps Into Madrid

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

So, who knew?  There is a Star Trek Club (Club de Cochrane) in Madrid.  And they are hard at work getting ready for tomorrow’s premiere of the latest addition to the Star Trek franchise, the 11th movie, simply called “Star Trek.”  They will be decorating the Yelmo Cines Ideal, near Plaza Mayor in Madrid in a Star Trek theme, complete with merchandise and fan fun.  The reboot of the series is getting rave reviews from around the world.  The Yelmo shows movies in their original voices (i.e., English this time) and should be a great time.  The special event is taking place all weekend, so check out the schedule and maybe I’ll see you there.

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A Night of Zarzuela

Friday, April 24th, 2009

I had the wonderful chance to see the last rehearsal of Una Noche de Zarzuela last night, and recommend you go if you enjoy operetta.

According to Wikipedia

Zarzuela (pronounced [θarˈθwela] in Spain, [sarˈswela] in Latin America), is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance. The name derives from a Royal hunting lodge, the Palacio de la Zarzuela near Madrid, where this type of entertainment was first presented to the court.

There are two main forms of zarzuela: Baroque zarzuela (c.1630–1750), the earliest style, and Romantic zarzuela (c.1850–1950), which can be further divided into two. main sub-genres of género grande and género chico although other sub-divisions exist.

¡Una noche de Zarzuela…! (Operetta night!) (click for ticket sales) is a lyric dream in two acts with songs by the greatest composers in the history of Spanish operetta. Some of them are Asenjo Barbieri, T. Bretón, R. Chapí, F. Chueca, Fernández Caballero, G. Giménez, J. Guerrero, P. Luna, V. Lleó, Moreno Torroba.

With Luis Olmos as scene director and singers like Carlos Bergasa, Susana Cordón, Manuel de Diego, Vicente Díez, and the actress Esperanza Roy, this penultimate production of the season at Teatro de la Zarzuela includes a libretto by Olmos and Bernardo Sánchez.

The plot of ¡Una noche de Zarzuela…! (Operetta night!) takes place in 1941, during the Spanish post-war period, when a company of operetta singers led by Úrsula Caravia struggles to stage an operetta show: an anthology of famous songs by well-known Spanish composers. An adventure in which the protagonists try to survive and please a Maecenas whose decisions will outline their future.

The theater is beautiful and the only theater in the world specially designed for Zarzuela.  The dancing is not to be missed.  And you will recognize some of the music.  It´s a pretty good time.

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Easter in Madrid

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

While less known than its southern neighbor, Sevilla, for its processions and events surrounding Holy Week (Santa Semana), it is a terrific time to be in Madrid.  Many of the Madrileños will have left as part of Operacíon Salida (Operation Exit) as they head for the beaches for the holiday.  Many are taking the entire week of from work.  Most offices in Madrid are closed Thursday and Friday.

Here are some of the things to watch for this weekend:

Jueves Santo (Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday)

Perhaps one of the most spectacular moments of Easter weeks occurs on Holy Thursday. This takes place at Calle Toledo, 37, at around 7.30 to 8pm at the Colegiata de San Isidro. The religious images of the Virgin Maria Santísima de la Esperanza and Jesús del Gran Poder are brought out of the church by the “costaleros” and through the main door. To do this, they have to get down almost on their knees to slowly make their way through, an immense effort which is noisily rewarded with much applause and shouts of encouragement from the watching crowds.

The processions of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, El Pobre, and María Santísima del Dulce Nombre leave Church of San Pedro in Calle Nuncio at around 7pm, and the image “El Divino Cautivo” is paraded from the Colegio Calasancio in Calle General Díaz Porlier, 58.

Viernes Santo (Good Friday)

Good Friday brings perhaps the most emblematic religious procession for Madrid, that of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, which leaves the Basílica del Cristo de Medinaceli in the Plaza de Jesús at around 7pm and parades central streets including the Puerta de Sol and Plaza Cibeles.

The “Procesión del Silencio” or Procession of Silence starts from the Church of Santísimo Cristo de la Fé in Calle Atocha 87 and the Ayuntamiento or City Hall organises its own procession called the Santo Entierro which leaves the Parish Church of Santa Cruz in Atocha, 6 with the image of Lignum Crucis.

Sábado Santo (Holy Saturday)

The procession of “Nuestra Señora de la Soledad” leaves the Corpus Christi Monastery at around 4:30pm.

Domingo Santo (Easter Sunday)

The main event on Easter Sunday takes place at mid-day in the Plaza Mayor. This is the “Tamborada del Domingo de Resurección“, whereby whichever Brotherhood has been chosen for the year, assembles dozens of drums of all shapes and sizes and beats out a constant rhythm which almost shakes the timbers of the nearby houses. This represents the earth tremors that were supposed to have occurred when Christ died on the cross.Jesus el Pobre, Madrid

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Carmen in Madrid

Friday, March 20th, 2009

The famous story of Carmen is retold through the flamenco dancing style of Cadiz-born Sara Baras in this production in Madrid,

which exudes truth and passion and which sees a very different character to the one created by Bizet or Mérimée: a much braver and resolute woman, who expresses herself in the profound language only flamenco speaks. At Teatro Lope de Vega, starting on February 13.

The famous dancer is also the director.  Take a look:

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