The WiZink Center —officially the Movistar Arena— publishes its entry rules, and they are more specific than people tend to assume. Here is what they say, translated into what matters while you are packing your bag.
The limit is 25 litres, not centimetres
The venue’s rule is not about centimetres, it is about capacity: you may bring in small backpacks or bags of up to 25 litres.
Twenty-five litres is an ordinary day bag. What will not get in is the hiking backpack, the holdall and anything that looks like luggage.
Watch out for the specific event
The venue reserves the right to apply stricter limits depending on the event. The 25 litres is the general house rule; if the artist imposes something tighter, it is announced on the concert page. Checking the day before costs you a minute.
Drinks: plastic, no cap, half a litre
This is the detail that catches most people out. You can bring a drink in, but only in a plastic container, with no cap and no larger than 50 cl. No alcohol.
Having your cap taken is not the security guard being difficult: it is literally the rule. If you turn up with a sealed bottle, either you open it and throw the cap away or it does not come in.
Food: yes, with conditions
Packaged food that does not need cutlery is allowed. What does not get in is glass containers and food with shells —sunflower seeds, peanuts and the like— because they end up on the floor of the arena.
Prohibited items
The official list of what does not clear security:
- DSLR and professional cameras (your phone is fine)
- Selfie sticks
- Tablets and iPads
- Motorcycle helmets
- Non-folding umbrellas — a small folding one does get in
- Food with shells: sunflower seeds, peanuts
- Glass containers and alcoholic drinks
- Banners larger than A3
There is a cloakroom (and hardly anyone knows)
Contrary to what gets repeated online, the WiZink Center has a cloakroom:
- €2 per garment or item, cash or card
- Opens half an hour before doors
- It is in the Felipe II area, next to the box office, and on Calle Fuente del Berro
The distinction that matters
It is a cloakroom, not left luggage. It works for your coat, your umbrella or the bag that turned out too big. Do not count on leaving a cabin suitcase there.
If you are coming from out of town with a suitcase
If you arrive in Madrid on the day of the concert, do not drag your suitcase up to Goya only to find out at the door that it will not go in. Drop it first: at your accommodation if you have already checked in, or at a left-luggage office in the centre —the Atocha area is the handiest if you arrive by high-speed train— and carry on to the venue with nothing.
Check your own case
Tick what you are carrying and we will tell you what happens at the security check:
¿Te dejarán pasar con eso?
Marca lo que llevas y te decimos qué pasa en el control de Movistar Arena.
Este recinto tiene guardarropa
Guardarropa a 2 € por prenda o bulto, en efectivo o tarjeta. Abre media hora antes de la apertura de puertas, en la zona de Felipe II (junto a taquillas) y en la calle Fuente del Berro. Es guardarropa, no consigna de maletas.
In short, if you read one thing
A bag of 25 litres or less, a capless half-litre plastic bottle, no glass and no shells. And if something has to stay outside, there is a cloakroom at €2.
Sigue por
Hoteles y alojamiento