Merry Christmas! Real Madrid Turns Bernabeu into a Winter Wonderland

JAKARTA - After a difficult first half of the season in LaLiga and the Champions League for Real Madrid, a Christmas atmosphere is much needed at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The stadium will be filled with excitement this holiday season as it hosts "Mavidad" - a play on the Spanish word for Christmas, "Navidad".

This winter wonderland-style attraction, which opens from December 23-31, 2025, has transformed the Bernabeu pitch into a snow-covered village, full of activities.

Event organizer Somos Experiences describes Mavidad as a unique experience, a place where magic resides.

Unfortunately, many Real Madrid players have already gone on Christmas vacation after the victory over Sevilla on Saturday, December 20, 2025.

For example, Vinicius Junior has already posted about his trip to Dubai on social media. Then, Kylian Mbappe shared a birthday photo from his private jet.

If any of their teammates are staying home for Christmas and want to visit Mavidad, they have to ask the club to put them on the guest list. Tickets for the event sold out just hours after going on sale.

The event map shows nine different rides and activities spread across the Bernabeu pitch.

The Magic River will invite visitors to put on their ice skates to explore an exciting arena surrounding a majestic tree.

The frozen lake looks like a dodgem cars (bumper cars) arena made of ice. Drivers ride bumper cars to collide with each other.

There's a merry-go-round, a food market, and perhaps most exciting of all, a giant slide that carries riders hurtling over a "doughnut" from the Bernabeu stands down onto the pitch below.

"Bernabeu is preparing for its most special Christmas," said a statement from the newspaper Marca, which uploaded a video of the stadium's exterior, illuminated with festive images for the event, including the Three Wise Men.

Local TV channel Telemadrid described the event as the most spectacular and family-friendly Christmas plan this season. They also highlighted the presence of what is claimed to be the world's largest snow globe.

Mavidad is the latest example of Real Madrid's efforts to make the Bernabeu a year-round entertainment destination since a 1.3 billion euro renovation, which hosts more than just football matches.

With the almost completed redevelopment of the stadium, a number of projects have opened in recent months, including the Bernabeu Market - a gastronomic space featuring 17 food stalls with dishes from some of the city's best restaurants.

Only plans to hold a concert had to be postponed - Taylor Swift praised the venue when she performed there in May 2024 - after noise complaints from local residents forced a change of plans.

According to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, the club is currently completing efforts to effectively dampen the stadium's sound. It is not yet clear whether the sound of the Mavidad Christmas bells will be a problem.

Meanwhile, the Bernabeu is not the first sports stadium to be filled with Christmas magic. In Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium held a Holiday Festival in 2021. In Chicago, Wrigley Field hosts Winterland every holiday season.

Back in Europe, Paris Saint-Germain's Parc des Princes hosted a smaller-scale event with an ice-skating rink, food stalls and the chance to meet Santa.

Then still in Madrid, there is a fast skating arena at Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium.

However, Real Madrid always wants to have something that is the biggest and the best. The Mavidad has been prepared with time to spare. Real Madrid players must leave the field after their last match in 2025 at around 11 pm on Saturday, December 20, 2025, ahead of the opening of the Mavidad on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.

"We have 48 hours to create this world," said Margarita Calvo, Mavidad's director, to Telemadrid, adding that there was no room for error - a sentiment that Real Madrid coaches have been accustomed to expressing for years.