After a tough first half of the season in LaLiga and the Champions League for Real Madrid, some Christmas cheer was badly needed at the Bernabéu.
Thankfully, the stadium will be filled with the joys of the festive season this week, as it hosts "Mavidad" -- a pun on the Spanish word for Christmas, Navidad.
The winter wonderland-style attraction, open from Dec. 23-31, has transformed the Bernabéu pitch into a snow-covered village, packed with activities. Event organisers Somos Experiences describe Mavidad as "a unique experience, in the place where magic lives."
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Sadly, many of Real's players are already away on their Christmas holidays following Saturday's win over Sevilla, with Vinícius Júnior already posting about a trip to Dubai on social media and Kylian Mbappé sharing a birthday photo from his private jet.
If any of their teammates are staying at home for Christmas and want to check out Mavidad, they'll have to ask the club to get on the guest list. Tickets for the event sold out just hours after going on sale.
A map of the event shows nine different rides and activities laid out across the Bernabéu pitch. "The Magic River" will see visitors put on their ice skates to navigate "an exciting ice rink, surrounding a majestic tree." "The Frozen Lake" looks like an ice-bound version of bumper cars or dodgems, with riders taking to "ice bumpers" to crash into one another. There's a carrousel, a food market, and, perhaps most excitingly, a giant slide which takes riders sliding on "donuts" from the Bernabéu stands, down to the field below.
"The Bernabéu is getting ready for its most special Christmas," the newspaper Marca declared, posting video of the stadium's exterior, illuminated with festive images for the occasion, including the Three Wise Men. Local TV channel Telemadrid described the event as "the most spectacular, family-friendly Christmas plan of the season," and highlighted the presence of what is claimed to be "the world's largest snowball."
Mavidad is the latest example of Real Madrid's bid to make the Bernabéu a year-round entertainment destination since its €1.3 billion renovation, hosting much more than just football matches. With the stadium's redevelopment nearing its completion, a number of projects have opened in recent months, including "Bernabéu Market," a gastronomic space featuring 17 food stalls with dishes from some of the city's top restaurants.
Only plans to hold concerts had to be put on hold -- Taylor Swift sung the venue's praises when she played there in May 2024 -- after noise complaints from local residents forced a rethink. The club is currently finalising efforts to effectively sound-proof the stadium, according to president Florentino Pérez. It's not yet clear if the sound of Mavidad's jingle bells will be an issue.
The Bernabéu isn't the first sports stadium to be filled with Christmas magic. In Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium held a Holiday Festival in 2021, while in Chicago, Wrigley Field hosts Winterland every festive season.
Back in Europe, Paris Saint-Germain's Parc des Princes is home to a smaller-scale event with an ice rink, food chalets and the chance to meet Santa, while across town from the Bernabéu there is a speed skating rink at Atlético Madrid's Metropolitano stadium.
But this is Real Madrid, where only the biggest and best is enough, and the Bernabéu edition has been set up in a race against the clock, with Real's players leaving the field after their last game of 2025 at around 11 p.m. on Saturday, ahead of Tuesday's opening.
"We've had 48 hours to create this world," Margarita Calvo, Mavidad's director, told Telemadrid, adding "there's no margin for error" -- a familiar sentiment for Real Madrid's coaches over the years.