Historic Car Parade for San Isidro
- The Polytechnic University of Madrid and partner automotive groups held a historic-vehicle parade on May 15 as part of Madrid’s San Isidro festivities. - More than 100 vehicles, including cars, motorcycles and industrial vehicles, were scheduled to parade from the ETSII-UPM area to Plaza de Cibeles. - Madrid’s official San Isidro programming ran through May 17, with broader district activities in Centro continuing through May 28.
Madrid folded a parade of historic vehicles into its San Isidro festivities on May 15, adding an automotive event to a program otherwise dominated by concerts, verbenas and neighborhood celebrations. The route centered on the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, with vehicles moving through Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz and Plaza de Cibeles before returning to the university area. Organizers said more than 100 historic vehicles were due to take part, including automobiles, motorcycles and industrial vehicles. The event was free to attend, according to listings circulated by organizers and local event guides. ### Which institutions put the parade together? The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid said the event was organized by its Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales and the Instituto Universitario de Investigación del Automóvil, known as INSIA. The university said the lineup of co-organizers also included the Asociación Española de Profesionales de Automoción, the Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Industriales de Madrid and the Federación Española de Vehículos Antiguos. (upm.es) The May 8 university notice described the parade as a live survey of automotive history and its link to industrial engineering. A promotional program tied the event to anniversaries for industrial engineering in Spain and for the Madrid engineers’ college, placing the display in a broader institutional celebration as well as in the city’s San Isidro calendar. (upm.es) ### What did people actually see on the route? More than 100 historic vehicles were slated to appear in the parade and exhibition, according to the university and the event program. Organizers said the mix included automobiles, motorcycles and industrial vehicles, rather than only passenger cars, giving the display a wider view of transport and engineering history. (upm.es) The program placed the exhibition and participant reception near ETSII-UPM at Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, in Madrid. From there, the parade route was listed as ETSII-UPM, Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz, Plaza de Cibeles and back to ETSII-UPM, with three laps scheduled during the main parade window. ### When did the parade run during San Isidro? (upm.es) The event program scheduled arrivals and an exhibition from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on May 15, followed by the parade from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. A cocktail for participants and continued exhibition time were listed from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Russpain, citing Madrid’s free San Isidro and museum-week activities, separately listed the same event with a 9:30 a.m. start for the day and the main parade between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. (industriales.upm.es) That listing said the nearest metro station for visitors was Gregorio Marañón. ### How did it fit into the wider San Isidro program? Madrid’s official San Isidro 2026 program ran from May 7 to May 17, according to city releases and the municipal culture site. (industriales.upm.es) The city’s published schedule included concerts, traditional street processions, workshops and district-level programming across venues such as the Pradera de San Isidro, Plaza Mayor, Matadero and the Jardines de las Vistillas. (russpain.com) The Centro district’s own San Isidro page said free neighborhood programming extended from early May through May 28. That meant the historic-vehicle parade sat inside a broader set of municipal and district events that stretched beyond the main holiday weekend. (madrid.es) ### Where could visitors check the official details? Madrid’s city government said the full San Isidro 2026 program was available through its official festival information channels and municipal event pages. The university also published its own event notice and program for the historic-vehicle parade, including organizers, location and route details. (madrid.es) The city’s district programming pages remained the reference point for follow-on San Isidro events after May 15, while the UPM materials provided the specific timetable for the automotive parade. Madrid’s Centro district page said activities there continued through May 28. (madrid.es) (diario.madrid.es)
