The Prado Breaks Its Record with 3.2 Million Visitors

The Prado Museum has broken its historical record by registering a total of 3,258,328 visitors compared to the 3,241,263 counted at the end of 2023. The art gallery thus surpasses its annual historical maximum with still three weeks left to close 2024. The previous record, which corresponded to 2023, was surpassed last Saturday, the day that marked the end of the annual program of free visits on the first Saturday night.

Nearly 45% of the visitors accessed the public museum for free: a total of 1,459,026 people, 44.78% of the total. 60% of the visitors were foreigners and 40% were nationals.

The daily average was 9,580 visitors. With this provisional data, until the end of the year, the figure surpasses those recorded in the last five years. In 2023, the daily average was 8,954 people; 6,744 in 2022; 3,192 in 2021, and 3,065 in 2020, the last two under the harmful effects of the pandemic.

The month with the highest number of visits in 2024 was May—with more than 327,000 people—while Saturday, May 18th (coinciding with the Day and Night of the Museums) has become the date with the highest public attendance with a total of 14,497 visitors, also provisional until the end of 2024.

For Miguel Falomir, director of the art gallery, it is especially significant that the record was surpassed on a Saturday with free nighttime opening. "We are not only interested in being attractive by increasing the records, but also in opening the institution to new audiences such as those who come to 'Prado at night'"; Falomir celebrated before the historic record.