The Campus Corner: Madrid Goes Green, Glows Bright & Flirts Back 🍀💘

Meet Alelí

Born and raised in Asunción, Paraguay, Alelí’s journey at IE started when she joined the summer program in 2022, followed by a Master’s in Strategic Marketing and Communication in 2023. Today, she’s Associate Director of TDHR, MDBI April and ESMC, a role that allows her to combine her two greatest passions: communication and education.

Proud of her roots, Alelí enjoys sharing her culture, whether it’s a few words in Guaraní (Paraguay’s native language) or snacks like alfajores, chipitas, or a refreshing tereré. Though Paraguay will always be home, Madrid has captured her heart. She and her husband love spending weekends exploring local cafés (Clima Cafecito in Chamberí is a must!). 😉

What was it like growing up as the youngest child?
I come from a very big family, I'm the youngest of eight children! Some of my best memories are from our family trips, from beach holidays in Brazil to skiing adventures in Argentina. Life with so many siblings was never boring. We used to fight over the remote control or the front seat of the car. Now, they’re my daily inspiration and my best friends.

What's your favorite season and why?
Spring!🌸(And it’s right around the corner.) There’s something about seeing flowers bloom that instantly lifts my mood — even just spending time in a garden makes me happy. Fun fact: I’m named after a flower, and all of my sisters are too, so my love for flowers definitely comes from my mom.

What activity instantly calms you?
Coloring mandalas. I have several mandala books (and obviously, plenty of colors!). It’s my favorite way to reset and unplug. What makes it even more special is that it’s something I share with my nieces, we love doing it together.

How do you like to spend your birthday?
I LOVE birthdays—especially mine! I usually celebrate for a whole week! My dream birthday includes my aunt’s homemade chocolate cake, flowers, balloons, music, colors everywhere, and the people I love most.

If you ever want to learn a word in Guaraní or color a mandala during lunch, you know where to find me!

🍀 Fifty Shades of Green

You don’t need Irish roots, just something green in your closet.
From March 10–17, Madrid celebrates Semana de Irlanda, but circle this: 

Madrid’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade
🗓 Saturday, March 14 · 17:00
📍 Gran Vía (Metrópolis → Plaza de España)

Over 600 bagpipers, dance groups, and a full shamrock takeover. There’s even a “Green Vía” at Gran Vía Metro all week with live Celtic music. Casual.

Start with the parade. Continue with a pub. End… responsibly-ish.

🍲 Cocido Madrileño: The Full Experience

Cold days call for serious comfort. All around the city (and beyond), restaurants are serving their best version of Madrid’s most iconic dish: cocido. Chickpeas, slow-cooked meats, veggies, broth served in stages — it’s a full experience, not just a meal.

It’s warm, it’s dramatic, it lasts for hours. The kind of lunch that cancels your evening plans (in the best way).

Go hungry. Go with friends. Debate which one is “the best.”
You have until 31 March. Check out all participating restaurants here.

🧺 Mercado de Productores: Planetario 

Sunday. Open sky. Local producers bringing cheese, bread, olive oil, pastries, wine — the kind of things you say you’ll “just look at” and then somehow carry home in a tote bag. It’s all about seasonal, small-scale, straight-from-the-source goodness. Best part is it happens twice a month: next time, March 15th.

Set next to the Planetario, it’s the perfect excuse to cross the river, get some sun, and romanticize your grocery shopping a little.

Go hungry. Bring cash. Stay longer than planned.

Vermut-ing 🎨🍸

If March is starting to get to you, it's time to change that!
Paint & Vermouth is happening one Friday a month (Feb–July), and it’s exactly what it sounds like: a brush in one hand, a vermouth in the other. No pressure, no grades, no skills required.

For €35, you get all materials, snacks, your vermouth… and a canvas you’ll actually take home. Guided by Madrid-based artist... you can relax, let go, and surprise yourself a little. ✨ 

If coffee runs through your veins: Café Guayacán

This is a hidden gem for serious coffee lovers, tucked in the heart of Chamberí. This micro-roastery and café brings Latin American soul to Madrid’s specialty coffee scene, with beans sourced from Colombia, Costa Rica, and beyond, many directly from small producers.

Walk in and you’ll be greeted by Enrique and Reina, along with the warm aroma of their freshly roasted coffee (yes, they roast in-house). You can tell they have a deep respect for the craft in every step.

Recommendation: I had the single best cup of cold brew here on a summer evening—served with a slice of lemon and a sprig of rosemary. As unusual as it sounds, it was truly delicious.

They also offer cuppings and coffee workshops, so keep an eye on their socials if you're curious to learn more.

From Canvas to Chemistry 🎨💘

You’ve been to our wine tastings.
You’ve flirted with the idea of those paint-and-sip nights.
Now imagine both… but your canvas flirts back.

At ICÓNICA Wine&Art, speed dating gets the artsy treatment. Ten minutes per round. One shared canvas. A drink in hand. 

🗓 Select March & April dates
🕖 19:00–21:30
💸 €25 (drink + materials included)
👥 Ages 28–38

Best part? They send you your match after. No awkward number-asking. Just modern romance, Madrid edition. ✨

Because if we’re going to romanticize our master’s year… we might as well do it with good lighting and acrylics.

✨ It’s Back, and It Glows: Festival de la Luz 

Plot twist: last year it disappeared.

This year? It’s back. And brighter. 💥

From 12 to 14 March, Madrid switches into night mode with Festival de la Luz — three evenings where the city turns into a living light show. Buildings glow, façades move, streets feel cinematic. It’s giving open-air art gallery meets main character energy. 🌙

Landmarks you walk past every day? Suddenly dramatic.
Quiet corners? Now part of the show.

The move:
Dinner. Layer up. Night stroll with no rush. Let the lights guide you. 📸

Because when Madrid comes back glowing, you show up.

Winefulness: Sip, Breathe, Repeat 🍷

Midterms, group projects, LinkedIn coffee chats… if your nervous system needs a reset, Winefulness might be your kind of plan. Not a typical wine tasting, but wine enjoyed slowly, shared silence, and a cozy space to come back to your body. If “mindful merlot” sounds like your vibe, this is your sign. ✨

📍 Bar de Libros · Chamberí
🗓 Friday, March 14
🕖 19:00–21:00

More info & sign up here: https://numma.es/winefulness/

🎨 ARCO Madrid: Where Contemporary Art Takes Over the City

Madrid’s biggest international contemporary art fair lands at IFEMA and suddenly everyone has opinions about installations. Galleries from around the world, bold pieces, big names, emerging artists — it’s inspiring, confusing, and cool all at once.

Even if you’re not “an art person,” go. Walk slowly. Pretend you understand. Take one photo that looks intellectual. Then debate it over wine after.

It’s creative energy, global crowd, main-character-in-a-blazer vibes.

Your New Study Spot in Lavapiés ☀️📚

A new study spot to add to your rotation — and it’s a good one. Biblioteca Escuelas Pías - UNED, free entry, free WiFi, huge tables, and a glass dome that floods the space with natural light. It’s set inside the restored ruins of an old church, so the vibe is historic walls meets clean, modern design.

It feels serious. Focused. Slightly cinematic.
The kind of place where your group project suddenly gets done.

Lavapiés energy, but make it productive.

🥞 Mafrens: All-Day Brunch in La Latina

For the mornings that start at noon. Mafrens is your cozy-but-cool brunch fix with pancakes, eggs, good coffee, and that relaxed La Latina energy that makes you stay longer than planned. Sweet, savory, second coffee... no one’s judging.

It’s easy. It’s unfussy. It’s the kind of spot you text the group chat about with “tomorrow??” and actually mean it.

🎨 Andy Warhol: Posters at Fundación Canal 

Bright. Bold. Instantly recognizable. The Andy Warhol poster exhibition at Fundación Canal brings iconic pop art energy to Madrid: Marilyn, vibrant colors, graphic statements, and that effortless cool that still feels modern decades later.

It’s visual, it’s punchy, and it’s the kind of exhibit where every wall feels like a photo moment (but tasteful).

Campus Bites 😋 Ronda 14

Ronda 14 is one of those rare finds that’s cool enough for your friends, impressive enough for your parents, and cozy enough for a date (without making your bank account cry too much).

It’s a beautiful, slightly wild mix of Peru, Asturias, and Japan. Yes, really. It shouldn't make sense, but it really does.

When to go:
• That group dinner you’ve been “meaning to plan” for weeks
• When your family visits and asks for “something local but different”
• Third dates (or fourth, or five-year anniversaries, you get the vibe)
• When you need a reason to wear something that isn’t sneakers

• Recommendation: The gyozas de anticucho (spicy, smoky, and gone in two bites), go fresh with the tiradito in creamy ají amarillo, and go bold with the gunkan de huevo trufado, it's a tiny umami bomb.

Bake Me Irish ☘️🧁

St. Patrick’s Day, but in a baking class that leans all the way into indulgence: rich chocolate cake, silky ganache, and a cloud-like frosting on top. Decadent and dangerously delicious.

📅 March 17 | 6:30 PM
📍 Pastelle Kitchen, Madrid

If your idea of celebration involves rolling up your sleeves and leaving with a box of homemade cupcakes… say no more. 🥂

Art in the Aisles 🖼️✨

Until March 15th, FLECHA 2026 turns Arturo Soria Plaza into a contemporary art hub with 500+ works by over 50 artists, all in a shopping center setting. Yes, really. It’s free, easy to visit, and a simple way to see something different without crossing the whole city.

📍 Arturo Soria Plaza
🚇 Metro: Arturo Soria (L4)