2 May 2005. One of the highlights of the year on the Madrid calendar is the Dos de Mayo festival, when the native Madrileos, celebrate a great battle against the forces of Frances Napoleonic army on 2 May 1808. The festival is a celebration of the citys free spirit and independence from French rule and is the official holiday of the Madrid region. With even more music and dance than the norm, Dos de Mayo is the first of the each summers several street fiestas throughout the city and starts off the season with a rousing bang. Taking place on the Plaza Dos de Mayo, which lies at the centre of the Malasana district, Spanish resistance to the French was at its greatest here. You can still see the gate to the army barracks where the Spanish fighters held off the invaders.