Which city hosts the annual New Year's Eve countdown at Madrid's Puerta del Sol clock?

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Madrid hosts the famous New Year's Eve countdown at the Puerta del Sol clock.

At midnight, crowds and television viewers follow twelve clock chimes and eat one grape with each chime. The twelve grapes represent the twelve months of the coming year, and completing them is traditionally associated with good fortune.

The custom became strongly established in Spain in the early twentieth century. Madrid’s clock at the Casa de Correos is the best-known national reference point, although people across Spain follow the chimes at home or in local squares.

The celebration is sometimes confused with a general Spanish street festival, but the iconic televised countdown specifically centers on Puerta del Sol in Madrid.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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