Date confirmed for reopening of Vélez-Málaga theatre after 40 years of closure

Zoom

The Lope de Vega will open its doors once again to audiences on 20 March with 908 seats, renewed technology and a programme that seeks to revitalise the town

Eugenio Cabezas

Friday, 27 February 2026, 15:49

The curtain of the historic Lope de Vega theatre in Vélez-Málaga on the eastern Costa del Sol will go up once again on 20 March after 40 years of closure. It will not only be the reopening of a refurbished building, but the return of a symbol that for decades was the cultural heart of Vélez-Málaga.

The following day, on 21 March, the theatre will host the official presentation of Semana Santa (Holy week) in Vélez-Málaga which will also be attended by this year's poster designer, the artist Israel Cornejo.

But if there is one detail that sums up the spirit of this new stage, it is the logo chosen for the theatre, which young Vélez designer Nacho Herrera Conde has created based on the sound wave of a real applause recorded at the Lope de Vega before its closure four decades ago The applause, captured in graphic form, will now become a permanent symbol of the space.

The Lope de Vega is not just a theatre: it is a place associated with family memories, with first school performances, with zarzuela, flamenco or cinema evenings, with encounters that marked generations. For decades it was the great cultural reference point for the Axarquía before its closure.

The second with the second largest capacity in Malaga province

The comprehensive refurbishment, completed after an investment of more than 6.7 million euros, co-financed with European funds, has restored the building', adapting it to current requirements without erasing its identity. The theatre now has 908 seats and six seats for people with reduced mobility, making it the second largest in the province after the Cervantes Theatre in Malaga city.

The Lope de Vega was acquired by the town hall in 2014 and has gone through years of paperwork, projects, delays and unforeseen technical problems before reaching this moment. When the curtains go up on 20 March, it will not only be an official inauguration. For many, it will be the return of a part of their own history.

The reopening of the Lope de Vega comes at a time of ongoing uncertainty about the failed San Francisco foodie market, located next to the theatre and which was presented years ago as a pioneering project to revitalise the historic centre but was forced to close at around the time of the COVID 19 pandemic, having never been as successful as the town hall had hoped.