The Region of Madrid has transformed the Ópera station into a theatre to celebrate Halloween with a tribute to The Phantom of the Opera, where a tenor and a soprano will perform the main song from this famous musical. The Deputy Regional Minister for Housing, Transport and Infrastructure, José María García, and the Deputy Regional Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport, Luis Fernando Martín, attended the first performance of this show, which runs from today until Sunday 2 November in this emblematic setting that celebrates its centenary this year. 

The 2,320 free tickets, which were made available to the public last Monday and sold out in just five hours, will also allow guests to enjoy an exclusive Candlelight concert, the first of its kind to be held on the Madrid underground. The recital will take place on the first floor of the venue itself, where the Caños del Peral Museum is located, and a string quartet will perform the most famous horror film soundtracks. 

In total there will be 15 daily performances of about 15 minutes, for very small groups, in the morning, afternoon and evening. Ópera station will also be decorated to recreate the theatrical and phantasmagorical atmosphere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's legendary musical. An arch of black and orange roses, pumpkins and candelabras will be installed at each entrance, and a large white mask, like the one worn by the main character in the famous play, will be placed in the diamond-shaped entrance portico of Plaza de Isabel II. 

José María García highlighted the great reception of this initiative which "seeks to bring culture closer to travellers in a surprising way, while at the same time encouraging user participation by transforming the station into a real stage in movement". 

Along the same lines, Luis Fernando Martín emphasised that "this project contributes to raising awareness of the more festive and cultural Madrid that citizens and visitors can enjoy anywhere, with the best shows such as this internationally famous musical performed in the emblematic and centrally located Ópera station, one of the city's corners where culture is the protagonist". 

The immersive activities that the metropolitan company organises every year for Halloween have already become a success that attracts more and more people. Since 2018, the so-called Ghost Station of Chamberí has been the chosen venue for this annual event that attracts almost 2,000 visitors every season, except for this year, as it is currently undergoing restoration work. 

Until 2021, characterised actors were in charge of scaring travellers, but new proposals were chosen from 2022 onwards, such as Count Dracula's castle, commemorating the 125th anniversary of the publication of the novel; the story of the last traveller, trapped on the platform since 1966, or a Mexican Day of the Dead.