Gran Teatro Falla
To speak of Gran Teatro Falla is to speak of the artistic and cultural panorama of Cádiz. From an architectural point of view, it is a neo-Mudejar style building, inside and out. At first glance, the colour of the red brick façade, the large windows with arched arches and the many details in the Spanish-Arabic style are very striking. The works began in 1885, on the ashes of the old Great Theatre, which was totally destroyed in a fire in 1881 and completed in 1905. Those responsible for the project are the architects Adolfo Morales de los Ríos and Adolfo del Castillo Escribano. The theatre opened on January 12, 1910 with a symphonic performance by Barbieri. Until 1926, the theatre was called Gran Teatro de Cádiz, but its name was changed to Gran Teatro Falla in honour of the famous Cadiz musician Manuel de Falla, an honorary citizen of the city.
At the Gran Teatro Falla, a variety of works related to the performing arts are presented throughout the year, including theatre, film, music and dance. However, its climax comes in February, when the theatre hosts the official contest of the COAC (Official Contest of Cadiz Carnival Groups), one of the most popular and important activities in the city, where groups of different carnival modalities express all their art through its verses.