Madrid on May Day (May 1)

You do not say what you are concerned about. The likelihood is probably anything you as a tourist might be interested in (where someone is employed) will be closed as it is a national holiday, apart from bars, cafes, etc. Refer to your guide book. You can see many a monument or park. Delays - no, a reduced service if you are talking of transport.
Strikes - little point when a great many are not in work. Strikes require weeks of notice when essential services are concerned, no one would know at present.

Thanks Neil,
To clarify, I am concerned that there will be strikes and protests that will limit our ability to get around. I am also concerned that because of the economic situation, there will be a greater chance of protests. I do understand that it is a national holiday and there will be closures associated with the holiday.

I was in Madrid in May. The economy was the same then as it is now. I saw one small, "polite" demonstration which disrupted absolutely nothing. Plenty of police presence. There were also stationary protestors across from government buildings in a couple of places. No problems at all.

The question was specific to May 1, which is Labor Day in Spain. People who were there later in May would not have experienced the May 1 demonstrations and marches. Here is a description of what usually occurs on Labor Day, from the TimeOut Madrid website: "The largest May Day march, attracting upwards of 60,000 people, is called jointly by the communist-led CCOO and the socialist UGT unions, which converge on Sol. Smaller in scale but quite animated is the anarcho-syndicalist CGT's march from Atocha to Plaza Jacinto Benavente. The anarchist purists CNT/AIT, meanwhile, march up C/Bravo Murillo from Cuatro Caminos. Many of the participants then head to the Casa de Campo where the UGT organises a lively party with stalls run by the casas regionales, clubs representing Spain's regions." And here is a link to photos from the May 1 2012 demonstrations: http://www.demotix.com/news/1185596/thousands-people-demonstrate-labor-day-2012-madrid#media-1185239 That particular photo shows thousands of people demonstrating in front of the palace. It sounds exciting and festive rather than dangerous, but it is definitely not "business as usual" at the tourist sites on that day. .

Thanks Nancy, last follow up: did you have a hard time finding restaurants or grocery stores that were open?

Robin, please read my post above. You need information specific to May 1, Labor Day, not any other time in May. We were in Madrid in May 2011, a week before the huge 15 May demonstrations, and everything was calm then too, and everything was open (shops, restaurants, etc.) We also pased through Madrid on April 30 on our way to Toledo and it seemed normal. But it was very different on May 1, and also on May 15 that year. Only information from someone who was actually there on May 1 is going to help you with your questions about what may be open and how much transpport disruption might occur. The protest movement is still very much alive in Spain. If you are concerned about protests on May 1 you might consider staying in Toledo instead.

May 2 is also a holiday in Madrid itself. As I understand it, it is actually a bigger day in the city than the Labor Day observations. It commemorates an uprising against the French in 1808 that resulted in Madrid becoming an autonomous community. I arrived on May 3, and there were still numerous visible signs of the day before - wreaths laid at the historical monuments, etc.

Sasha,
I did not see your post till after I replied to Nancysorry for the confusion on this. You are correct, in that I do need information on what to expect on May 1, May Day and, on May 2 for that matter, since we are planning on leaving Madrid on the 2nd and heading to Granada/Seville. From your comment, it sounds like things may be a bit tricky on the 1st and we should plan on laying lowboth because few destinations will be open and because demonstrations may make local travel tricky. Is that a fair assessment? We will look at staying in Toledo instead. Thank you for that suggestion.

Robin, since I wasn't there personally on last May 1, I can't say if that is a "fair assessment", but judging from the photos of demonstrations that were posted on that one website, things can be pretty disrupted that day. I did follow what happened in Madrid in the May 15 demonstrations (which lasted a long time and were similar to "occupy whatever" protests that took place in lots of places). I was interrested because we had just been there a week before. And I read reports on Tripadvisor from travelers who were there. Banks and hotels and stores in the areas of teh demonstrations were closed, and security guards were posted. It sounded pretty exciting (to see history being made) but one couple whose report I read found it very scary.