Spain’s best-known televised New Year’s Eve grape countdown takes place at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol.
The square is famous for the clock on the Real Casa de Correos, whose midnight chimes guide the eating of Spain’s 12 lucky grapes. Large crowds gather in the square, while television broadcasts bring the clock and countdown to viewers across the country.
Puerta del Sol is also one of Madrid’s most recognizable civic spaces. It contains the Kilometre Zero plaque, traditionally used as the reference point for Spain’s radial road network, and the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, a symbol of Madrid.
The square’s role in the countdown does not mean every Spanish celebration occurs there. Families and friends throughout Spain follow local clocks or television broadcasts, but Puerta del Sol provides the nationally recognized setting.