2. Dos de Mayo

The Buzz -- This traditional public holiday commemorates the day in 1808 when the oppressed people of Madrid rose against the invading Napoleonic troops in the War of Independence. As Goya's famous paintings of the event depict, the townspeople were slaughtered wholesale. Appropriately enough, the main events occur in the Malasaña neighborhood – named after the uprising's teenage heroine – in the very plaza where the madrileño resistance fighters gathered at the Monteleón barracks. Here and in various other politically significant venues – such as the Plaza Comendadores, Las Vistillas Park and the Plaza Lealtad – are live music concerts, flamenco, speeches, picnicking local families, food stalls and children's entertainment.