No "Noche en Blanco" in 2012

During my first fall in Madrid (2009), one of my favorite events was  La Noche en Blanco.  The Spanish phrase "noche en blanco" literally means white night, but its actual meaning is a night without sleeping, an all-nighter.  Madrid's Noche en Blanco was a city-wide late-night cultural event that took place in many of the main streets downtown that were closed-off to cars that night.  There were bike tours, exhibits, dancing, live music, performances, etc. in the streets and throughout the city.  Many museums were open into the early hours of the morning, with free admission.  I remember that the metro was open until 3am just for that night, rather than its usual 1:30am closing time.

Noche en Blanco, 2009 (Madrid)

Needless to say, I was very much looking forward to this event when I returned to Madrid fall of 2011.  Much to my disappointment, I found out that due to budget cuts and the economical crisis, the event had become a biannual event.  No Noche en Blanco for me that year.

But perhaps I could have attended Noche en Blanco 2012 before my surprise return to the states this fall.  Nope.  Not even a chance.  Turns out that in May of this year, Madrid announced that the city would go another year without Noche en Blanco.   Looks like we'll just have to cross our fingers and wait to see if there will ever be enough money for the event to return.