Gran Teatro Falla

The Grand Theatre Falla, in Cadix

The Grand Theatre Falla is one of the most emblematic cultural places of Cadix, recognisable by its red brick façade and its great horseshoe arches of neo-Mudejar style. The Cadix audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this unique theatre, named after the Gaditan composer Manuel de Falla, that becomes each February the beating heart of the famous carnival of the town.

The neo-Mudejar palace of the carnival

In front of you stands the Grand Theatre Falla, one of the most emblematic cultural places of Cadix. With its red brick façade and its great horseshoe arches, you immediately recognise the neo-Mudejar style, an architectural current inspired by the Andalusian and Moorish heritage. It is a building unique of its kind, built between 1884 and 1905 to replace the former wooden theatre destroyed by a fire. After several interruptions and changes of architects, it was finally inaugurated in 1910, then took in 1926 the name of Manuel de Falla, the famous Gaditan composer. Advance a little to observe its façade: three great doors in horseshoe arches, red and white voussoirs, decorative windows, you would almost say an oriental palace set in the middle of the Mentidero district. Inside, the hall can host more than one thousand two hundred spectators, organised in horseshoe, with a vast vestibule and a ceiling magnificently painted by the artist Felipe Abarzuza. But the Grand Theatre Falla is not only a monument: it is a living symbol of Gaditan culture. Each year in February, it becomes the beating heart of the carnival of Cadix, hosting the great official contest of the chirigotas, comparsas and other troupes, where humour and satire are kings. A neo-Mudejar theatre and a temple of the carnival, the Grand Theatre Falla is a fine stop of the discovery of Cadix.

What to see

Here you admire one of the most emblematic cultural places of Cadix, a neo-Mudejar theatre with a red brick façade and great horseshoe arches, built between 1884 and 1905 and named in 1926 after the Gaditan composer Manuel de Falla; its horseshoe hall of more than one thousand two hundred seats, with a ceiling painted by Felipe Abarzuza, hosts each February the carnival contest. The Grand Theatre Falla is the temple of the carnival of Cadix. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Grand Theatre Falla stands on the Mentidero square, in the heart of Cadix, reachable on foot. You admire its façade from the square; for shows or tours, it is best to enquire about the programme and the conditions of access, which vary, especially during the February carnival. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

Why is the Grand Theatre of Cadix called Falla?

Because it took in 1926 the name of Manuel de Falla, the famous composer native of Cadix; built between 1884 and 1905 in a neo-Mudejar style recognisable by its red brick façade and its horseshoe arches, it hosts each February the great contest of the carnival of the town, with its chirigotas and comparsas.

Where is the Grand Theatre Falla in Cadix?

On the Mentidero square, in the heart of Cadix, in Spain.