For the twelve Shakira concerts at the Iberdrola Music venue in Villaverde, Madrid will provide free shuttle buses, extra metro service and traffic controls. Thousands of fans are expected in the southern district, where the city has announced a detailed mobility plan.
The concerts are set for September 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 and October 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11. Daily attendance is expected to reach around 57,000 people, information from official city estimates. The Villaverde Alto-Casco Histórico area, already known to festival-goers from past Madcool events, will have its basic pedestrian entrance on Laguna Dalga street. There are also 52 adapted parking spaces and reserved viewing platforms for people with reduced mobility.
To manage traffic and control access, the venue’s general gates will open at noon, but fans can enter the basic floor and stands only from 8:00 p.m. Concerts will run from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., followed by a phased exit. The site will close at 1:00 a.m. Moving large crowds out of Villaverde late at night is a basic focus of the city’s plan.
The city’s transport company, EMT, will run eight free electric shuttle buses from 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., with departures every 7 to 15 minutes. The buses will pick up passengers on Gran Vía de Villaverde, near San Jenaro street, and drop them at Legazpi square and the Atocha transport hub. Metro de Madrid will add extra trains on lines 3 and 12 between midnight and 1:30 a.m., with Villaverde Alto and Los Espartales as the closest stations. Renfe Cercanías will maintain regular service at Villaverde Alto (lines C-4a, C-4b, C-5) and San Cristóbal Industrial (line C-3) until 11:45 p.m.
For drivers, the city has set up a taxi waiting area on San Eustaquio street, a VTC pick-up point on Valle de Tobalina, and a Kiss & Ride quick-stop zone on La Acebeda. From 3:00 p.m. onwards, traffic restrictions will apply on several basic streets, including Laguna Dalga, Laguna de Cameros, San Eustaquio, Resina, Real de Pinto avenue and Valle de Tobalina. Some access roads, including connections with the M-45 and Real de Pinto, will be closed, and parking will be banned on several streets from 3:00 p.m. until the end of each concert day, information from reports in leading Spanish media. Access from the M-45 roundabout between Villaverde and Getafe will also be closed. Drivers are urged to avoid the area and use the M-30 or M-40 for longer trips.
Some urban and interurban bus lines nearby may be rerouted because of the closures, but two BiciMad stations on Domingo Párraga and Transversal Sexta will remain open for cyclists. The city’s approach is similar to crowd management at other large events, as reported earlier in Madrid’s central districts during busy summer periods.
Residents and visitors should plan ahead for changes to normal traffic and transit, and leave the car at home.
