Spain’s largest National Day parade will take place in Madrid on 12 October, with 4,380 members of the armed forces, security bodies and civil institutions taking part. It opens at 11:00 with a parachutist over central Madrid, ahead of the ground procession.
The route covers 1.5 kilometres along the Paseo del Prado and Paseo de Recoletos, between the Glorieta del Emperador Carlos V and Plaza de Colón. The public will see aircraft and military vehicles up close, while horses and troops make up the rest of the basic display. Infobae estimates around 80,000 spectators will attend.
The contingent includes 3,850 men and 530 women. It will also bring 286 horses and five dogs along the route. The motorised section features 144 tactical and armoured vehicles, plus 39 motorcycles.
Spain’s new 8×8 Dragón wheeled armoured vehicles will appear at the parade for the first time, EFE reports.
The aerial section will feature 34 fighter and training aircraft, 16 transport planes and 32 helicopters. Those categories add up to 82 aircraft, although earlier reports rounded the total to around 80. One transport aircraft will support the parachute jump planned for the opening sequence.
For the third consecutive year, the parade will begin near the basic entrance to the Royal Botanical Garden. It will follow the Paseo del Prado and Paseo de Recoletos, ending at Plaza de Colón. The authorities’ tribune will be at Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo, beside the Neptune Fountain. More than 20 Spanish defence companies are helping prepare the parade, supplying vehicles and aviation platforms, along with electronic systems and sensors. Demócrata names Urovesa, the Tess Defence consortium and Santa Bárbara Sistemas, General Dynamics’ Spanish subsidiary.
Felipe VI and doña Letizia will lead the event with Leonor, the princess of Asturias. RTVE’s announcement also lists Infanta Sofía among the royal family members expected to attend.
The royal family will receive military honours at Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo. They will then preside over the parade alongside Pedro Sánchez, Margarita Robles and the chief of the Defence Staff, admiral general Teodoro Esteban López Calderón.
The official programme opens with the king and queen’s arrival, followed by military honours and an inspection. The PAPEA parachute jump comes next. The programme then moves to a tribute to those who gave their lives for Spain, the Mirlo Formation flypast, the wider aerial display and the ground procession.
The ceremony closes with the royal family’s departure and the lowering of the national flag. The ground column will include the goat of the Legion’s 3rd Tercio Don Juan de Austria. Mounted units and canine teams will also take part.
Women make up 530 of the 4,380 participants, or approximately 12.1%. Local reporting puts the comparable share in 2025 at 13.6%, though the published material does not explain the change. The figures show a different gender composition from the previous year.
RTVE’s television coverage starts at 10:00 on La 1 and Canal 24 horas. The live parade begins at 11:00 peninsular time and will also be available on RTVE Play and RTVE Noticias. The corporation’s information networks will carry the broadcast too.
Xabier Fortes will present the broadcast with Alejandro Riego. Yolanda Ferrer and Air Force captain Manuel Cuenca will join the presentation team as well.
Radio coverage starts at 10:55 on Radio 5 and RNE Audio, presented by Carlos Navarro. Alejandro Merino will provide protocol analysis alongside Mar Lupión, RNE’s defence correspondent. Commander Gonzalo Bernal will also take part.
RTVE Noticias will publish minute-by-minute updates, reports and analysis on its website and social networks. YouTube and X are among the named channels; coverage will also appear on Instagram, TikTok and Instagram.
RTVE’s digital coverage will stay available after the live transmission, as it did for earlier political coverage. Recordings of the special programmes will remain on RTVE Play after the broadcast ends.
The public route runs through basic Madrid, while television, radio and streaming will carry the full ceremony nationwide. Infobae expects major traffic restrictions, including changes to 48 EMT bus lines. The basic road closures are scheduled for approximately 07:00 to 15:00.
