La Noche en Blanco

Saturday night was a special evening in Madrid. La Noche en Blanco- a city-wide art festival celebrating the expression of Spanish culture. The festival consisted of over 150 exhibitions, activities, and performances. In addition to the scheduled events, it seemed as though any Spaniard with a unique talent was out on the streets performing for euros.

Musicians, magicians, and every other costumed gimmick (like painted statues, Shrek, and a Billy-the-big-mouthed-bass-Man) lined the streets.

Never before have I been among so many people in the streets of a city (yes indeed, this was larger than the Super Bowl Riots…and much tamer).

On Calle Gran Via, one the largest streets in Madrid, projection light towers spiked out of the center like vertebrae on an overgrown beast. Gran Via’s usually white stone buildings were painted with fluorescent blues, greens, and pinks from the large studio lights.

La Noche en Blanco was truly an event for all ages. For the cultured and mature folks, museums and plazas showcased classical Spanish arts; dance, film, theater, ect. Elderly Spaniards brought their grandchildren around to these classic events, stopping sporadically to take pictures with Winnie the Pooh and Minnie Mouse. Many restaurants offered specials to correspond with La Noche en Blanco as well.

As always, the clubs and discos were raging and open until 6 am. But another event added extra excitement for Madrid’s youths.

At one end of Gran Via, in Plaza de Espana, was one of the coolest outdoor concerts I have ever seen. Red Bull presents: La Batalla de los Gallos, which literally translates to The battle of the roosters (COCK-FIGHT!!!).

And indeed, it was a cock fight. In the middle of the largest plaza in Madrid, was the Spanish National RAP BATTLE championships. Yes, freestyle rap battling, like the movie 8-mile, only on a much bigger scale.

I was so upset that my Spanish comprehension wasn’t strong enough to understand the quick Spanish lashings of the 60 second rap battle each Gallo had in the 1 on 1 competition where the crowd choose the winner. I could certainly understand bits and pieces of the rap, but aside from the smooth rhyming to American instrumental hiphop beats, I felt like I was really missing out on the soul of this show.

What made the event was that after any particularly good freestyle line, the crowd would go nuts, turning to their friends, shouting “OOOOOOHHHHH!!!” It was so exciting, yet made me feel so left out at the same time.

I wish I would have filmed more footage of la Batalla, but after walking many miles trying to find La Almudena earlier in the day, I was just too exhausted, and had to go to sleep around 2:30am. However, La Noche en Blanco continued to rage outside of my hostel window until well past 6am.