This year Halloween falls on a Saturday, 31 October, and Sunday 1 November is All Saints' Day, a holiday in Spain. That's two days in a row to get out as a family. If your children are 6 to 9, you might want a plan with more mystery than fright: something to look at, talk about and make up together.
Here's a morning in Retiro Park built around Madrid's most "Halloween" statue, with autumn games along the way and a seasonal snack at the end.
Retiro's most Halloween statue: the Fallen Angel
In the south of Retiro Park there's a fountain with a very unusual sculpture: an angel falling from the sky, wings spread, with a serpent coiled around him. It was made by the sculptor Ricardo Bellver, inspired by John Milton's poem Paradise Lost, and it has stood in the park since 1885.
Children love what's underneath: around the pedestal are little devil faces holding creatures and spouting water. A little spooky, but nothing scary.
Where it is: in the Glorieta del Ángel Caído, near the gate of the same name, at the corner of the park between Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo and Paseo de la Reina Cristina. It's a fair walk from the Puerta de Alcalá or the big lake, so if your children tire quickly, come in through that southern gate.
Three challenges at the fountain
- Count the faces. Walk slowly around the pedestal. How many little devil faces can you find? Everyone says a number before you check together.
- Give the angel a voice. Why did he fall? Where was he going? Each person makes up one sentence and the next one carries the story on.
- Strike the angel's pose. Copy his pose for five seconds without laughing. Whoever holds it picks the next game.
An autumn hunt along the way
In late October Retiro is full of coloured leaves. Before you set off, copy this list onto a piece of paper and bring a pencil:
- Three leaves of different colours (green, yellow, red or brown).
- A leaf bigger than your hand.
- A tree with a "face": a knot or crack in the trunk that looks like an eye or a mouth.
- An autumn sound: crunching leaves, a bird, the wind.
- Something round on the ground: a pine cone, a seed, a stone.
The whole team wins if you finish the list before you get back to the gate. Leaves can come home with you; flowers and branches are best left where they are.
Costumes without the fright
If your children want to dress up but monsters aren't their thing, Madrid has characters with plenty of fun in them:
- An angel with cardboard wings, for a photo by the fountain.
- Ratoncito Pérez, Madrid's tooth mouse, with a straw hat, glasses and a red satchel.
- A park explorer, with a magnifying glass, a backpack and a notebook.
Chestnuts, buñuelos and huesos de santo
Halloween and All Saints' Day come with roast chestnut season: around now the chestnut sellers' stalls return to the streets of central Madrid. A warm paper cone of chestnuts makes a perfect snack after the walk.
Bakeries also bring out the traditional All Saints' sweets: buñuelos de viento (little cream puffs) and huesos de santo (marzipan "saint's bones"). It's a nice moment to talk at home about how your family, or the grandparents, mark these days.
Practical tips
- Go in the morning: on 31 October and 1 November Retiro fills up in the afternoon, and it gets dark early at the end of October.
- Warm clothes and comfortable shoes: Retiro's paths are earth, and muddy after rain.
- Halloween listings: if you're looking for children's workshops or activities on those days, check esmadrid.com, which publishes each year's programme.
- A meeting point: with so many people around, agree on an easy spot beforehand, like the fountain itself, in case anyone wanders off.
Another Retiro adventure, with a mystery on paper
If you enjoy Retiro, The Six-Letter Mystery is waiting in the north of the park: an illustrated Paseo y Pista booklet with six missions, clues and a sticker at the end, made for children aged 6 to 9 with a grown-up. It starts at the Puerta de la Independencia and needs no phone or tickets.
It's part of the Madrid pack, with four adventures around the city and a Christmas story, on pre-order for delivery by 24 December. See the Madrid pack, the Retiro adventure or more ideas in Retiro Park with kids.