Spain: Great success for ice rink at Metropolitano and return of butterflies

source: StadiumDB.com; author: Jakub Ducki

Spain: Great success for ice rink at Metropolitano and return of butterflies Madrid On Ice attracted more than 100,000 visitors, turning the Riyadh Air Metropolitano into a winter wonderland. At the same time, there are plans for the return of... butterflies and a botanical park around the stadium.

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Magical ice rink at Metropolitano stadium has exceeded expectations

Madrid On Ice, the giant 4,760 m² ice rink, completed its 2024-2025 edition, leaving indelible memories with more than 100,000 visitors. From December 23 to January 5, Riyadh Air Metropolitano was transformed into a winter wonderland, offering ice skating but also live musical performances by DJs, world shows and ice shows.

Never before in Spain has a football stadium hosted such an impressive skating installation. Madrid On Ice has become a tourist attraction in the capital, attracting locals and tourists from all over the country. The organisers thank all the participants and announce that the project will return in December 2025.

Butterfly oasis in San Blas-Canillejas

Madrid On Ice is not the only activity at the Metropolitano over the winter break, work is underway in the immediate vicinity of the stadium to recover a unique oasis of butterflies, buried by developments in the area of the Ciudad del Deporte del Atlético de Madrid. Madrid City Council, in collaboration with the association Zerynthia, is preparing a project that will restore the 55,000 m² nature site.

The butterfly oasis, before it was buried, attracted 50 species of these insects for 2 years and provided a home for local flora. To restore this habitat, agricultural engineers together with activists have catalogued plant and insect species to recreate the natural habitat. The plan is to create a large meadow on site VB-02, enriched with plantings of native plants conducive to butterflies.

Cívitas Metropolitano© Grzegorz Kaliciak 

Challenges in habitat restoration

Jesús, a member of Zerynthia, stresses that any project of this type requires consideration of local conditions. It is necessary to go from plot to plot, checking which potential butterflies are in the area, which individuals can migrate and form populations there, which species are already breeding and on which plants - he explains. One of the key activities is taking soil from the original oasis area and developing a mix of native seeds that support local species.

The new oasis will also be an educational space. Ground floor displays with information boards and butterfly-attracting plants will be installed. All this is designed to engage visitors, especially children, in learning about nature.

Cívitas Metropolitano© Grzegorz Kaliciak 

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