All About Mad Cool Festival

Madrid, Spain

Open-air

XXL – 50k+

Rock, Pop, Indie

$$$

International

+3 Days

Mad Cool is one of the hottest new music festivals that has made a mark in the European music festival scene thanks to its enviable lineups.

In its first editions, the music festival celebrated pop, rock, and indie artists. In its 2022 version, the protracted fiesta will beckon fans of many more genres such as alternative, electronic, and R&B.

Boasting one of the most diverse line-ups in the world, Mad Cool is a guaranteed entertainer worth booking flight tickets to Madrid. 

Here’s everything you need to know about Mad Cool festival.

The biggest draw is the line-up

What sky-rocketed Mad Cool’s popularity high enough to earn its place amongst top music festivals in Europe is its elite list of performers.

Talking about diversity, the festival features more than 100 artists every year.

From classic giants like The Who, Massive Attack, and Alice in Chains, to modern sensations Post Malone, Twenty One Pilots, and Imagine Dragons, the festival has had an enviable listing drawing crowds from all over the world.

Music by night, exploration in the day

Mad Cool operates in the evenings every day. Since the real deal when it comes to music starts at 6 PM, you have time to explore the beautiful city of Madrid before heading to the event. 

Spread over five days, the festival comes disguised as a perfect vacation to discover Madrid. Known for being a hub for its vibrant social life thanks to its buzzing café culture, Madrid has a lot of activities and fun for visitors. 

Sipping on sangria while cherishing the sight of Renaissance buildings sounds like an ineffable duo.

It is an award winner

IN 2019, NME magazine awarded Mad Cool festival the festival award for the ‘Best Line-Up’. The category included bigwigs such as Primavera, Parklife, and All Points East. 

The festival also became the first Spanish festival nominated for the Best Music Festival in the World category at the same awards in 2020. It shared the nomination among league titans such as Coachella, Glastonbury, and Wireless.

Mad Cool is imbued with a community concept

Mad Cool festival took birth from the concept of regeneration. The idea behind it was to provide an alternative content and form by representing a community-driven by change, value, and adaptability. 

It extends beyond the bounds of typical music festivals and upholds the belief of communal enjoyment, reinforced by the collaboration of the city and the environment.

Music is the main focus

Music festivals nowadays have become more of a carnival. They have entertainment acts, props, fashion and other elements jostling to present a holistic amusement for all kinds of crowds. 

But Mad Cool maintains its spotlight on pure music. The music is continuous at the different stages at the venue. There were seven stages in its last edition, with The Loop being the main platform.

Mad Cool features a convenient and accessible location

Mad Cool takes place on a 500-hectare clear area, called Espacio Mad Cool in the Valdebebas – unlike some music festivals known for their off-beat locations. 

The place connects major roadways and has plenty of hotels, cafes, and restaurants around. The festival site has plenty of parking space but also features ridesharing and car hire services.

The fest is top ranked among Spanish festivals

Within a few years, Mad Cool has become one of the best music festivals in Spain. It ranks alongside the likes of Primavera Sound, Sonar, and DGTL Barcelona.

Touted as a refreshing entrant on the music scene, it gives prominence to Spain-born talent like Rosalía, Fusa Nocta, and Delaporte.

Expanded genres

Mad Cool festival began with a line-up of artists and bands that mainly focused on rock, indie, and pop. Jane’s Addiction, Bastille, and Lucy Rose were some of the roaring names from the line-ups that premiered in the first few years.

In the upcoming edition, music fanatics can now enjoy a range of genres including electronic, R&B, and alternative.

Stormzy, Mura Masa, and Alfie Templeman are some of the new music heroes that will rock the festival’s stages.

Mad Cool festival had its share of hiccups

In its short stint so far, the festival has had its fair share of difficulties. Massive Attack pulled out at the last minute due to a scheduling clash with Franz Ferdinand in 2018.

In another instance from the same year, Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand called out the security for not letting the non-VIP ticket-holders flood the scanty front rows during their gig. 

There was also an increased capacity of attendees to 80,000 per day the same year.

This resulted in the organizers struggling with infrastructure in terms of seating and long queues. But the festival went on to improve upon and deliver on its shortcomings the following year.

It featured a fifth anniversary gala

Mad Cool festival will be making a comeback in 2022 after a two-year hiatus, following the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. 

The festival, which boasted of crowd turnouts to the tune of 240,000, with 80,000 a day in its previous editions, will see a reduced capacity of 60,000 per day for the 2022 edition under COVID-19 protocols.

Along with the tickets, the festival attendees will also get anniversary patches as memorabilia.

Without further ado, now that you have your inside scoop on this A-list festival, there is only one piece of advice to give. Be prepared – both physically and mentally – because you’re not ready for the electrifying experience that Mad Cool is about to pull up this year.