The Virgen de La Paloma Fest, from the 12th to 15th of August

one of Madrid's most famous, is the high point of the season, both in terms of the number of people it attracts and the area it occupies. The festival takes over Plaza de la Paja and the surrounding streets, the whole of Calle Toledo up to Plaza de las Vistillas, plus the streets running round the parish church of Virgen de la Paloma in the square named after her.