Madrid celebrates this Monday, October 12, National Day, with the military parade through the center of the capital and the last day of the Hispanidad festival. Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will preside over the events accompanied by Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, while Santiago Abascal is once again absent from the institutional celebration. The president of the far-right Vox will travel to Ceuta with the leader of the French far-right Jordan Bardella.
The event comes with the housing crisis present in the streets and in the pre-campaign for the general elections on November 29. The encampment in Puerta del Sol, born after the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman who later died in the hospital, has altered the plans of Isabel Díaz Ayuso's Government. The Community has moved ten concerts planned between October 9 and 11 and the dance performances this Monday to Madrid Río. The requests from the regional Executive and the City Council to evict the square have been met with a response from the Government delegate, Francisco Martín, who has called for respect for the right to assembly and solutions to the housing problem.
The festivity also preserves the debate on the conquest and colonization of America, whose beginning recalls the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Although Hispanidad continues to be its popular name and gives its name to the Madrid festival, the 1987 law officially establishes the National Day of Spain and expressly mentions the cultural and political plurality of the country. The study 'The Return of Hispanidad: Critical Views from Anthropology', published in the CSIC journal 'Disparidades', analyzes how an ideological category institutionalized during Francoism has acquired new prominence with the growth of radical right-wing parties.
This dispute has concrete expressions. In March, Ayuso defended that Spain brought to America "the new civilized way of seeing life", after Felipe VI recognized that the conquerors committed "much abuse". The partisan use of the day has also reached the national PP. During the National Day of 2024, Alberto Núñez Feijóo stated that Sánchez "should not be at this party" and demanded explanations for the Koldo case.
The program for this Monday
The main events will begin at 11:00 AM around Neptuno, where the royal stand is installed and the presence of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, is expected. The sequence includes military honors, review of the troops, the flag jump by the Air and Space Army's Parachute Acrobatic Patrol, the raising of the flag, and the tribute to those who gave their lives for Spain. Afterwards, the air and ground parade will follow, with nearly 4,400 participants and 82 aircraft planned. The Kings will then offer a reception at the Royal Palace.
The route will start from the vicinity of the Botanical Garden, next to Atocha, and will continue along Paseo del Prado, Cibeles, and Recoletos up to Colón. The City Council expects about 80,000 attendees and recommends using public transport. The main road closures will extend approximately between 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM, with changes to 48 daytime lines of the Municipal Transport Company and eleven Bicimad stations temporarily out of service. Atocha, Estación del Arte, Banco de España, Retiro, Serrano, and Colón are some of the metro stations near the parade.
In the afternoon, Carlos Baute will perform at 8:00 PM in Plaza de España, preceded by Galdri Pereira and the cast of the musical 'SIX', while Corral de la Morería will host the flamenco event in Plaza Mayor at the same time. The multi-purpose esplanade of Madrid Río will host performances by the Mariemma dance conservatories at 1:00 PM; Carmen Amaya at 5:15 PM, and Fortea at 7:30 PM. These are part of a festival that runs from October 2 to 12, with more than 200 activities and the United States as the guest country.
For those following the events from home, RTVE will offer a special broadcast from 10:00 AM on La 1 and Canal 24 horas, presented by Xabier Fortes and also available on RTVE Play. Radio 5 will begin its broadcast at 10:55 AM, and RTVE Noticias will follow the day's events on its website and social media.
Abascal repeats the snub
The president of the far-right Vox will leave his seat in the authorities' stand empty for the second consecutive year and will also not attend the reception at the Royal Palace. His alternative is a visit to Ceuta accompanied by Jordan Bardella, leader of Rassemblement National and president of the Patriots group in the European Parliament, which includes the Spanish party.
Abascal has justified his decision with a new attack on Sánchez, whom he accuses of leading a "mafia government that has betrayed Spain". He also presents part of the national territory as invaded and maintains that the Executive has abandoned the border. With that argument, he again conditions his participation in a state celebration on his confrontation with the Government.
The choice of Ceuta connects with Vox's offensive on the massive entry of migrants from Morocco at the end of July. The party describes it as an invasion sponsored by Rabat and protected by Sánchez, an accusation from the ultra formation. The visit with Bardella brings that discourse to the National Day while housing occupies a large part of the electoral debate.
In 2025, Abascal already refused to share institutional events with the President of the Government to avoid, he said, "legitimizing him" or "whitewashing him". Then he followed the parade among the public, near Colón square.
