Malaga's mayor pushes for Palacio de la Ópera tender despite funding gaps

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Francisco de la Torre targets a two-month deadline to launch the €209 million project, the most expensive and ambitious infrastructure of his current term

Paco Griñán

Málaga

Thursday, 5 March 2026, 16:17

Mayor of Malaga Francisco de la Torre is actively promoting the biggest project of his term in office: the music auditorium Palacio de la Ópera.

Francisco de la Torre has staked his legacy on this €209 million music auditorium, announcing an aggressive timeline to launch the construction tender within the next 60 days.

While the project promises to be visually stunning - a 40-metre-high structure featuring shifting shades of cobalt and pale blue - the financial architecture remains precarious.

What is De la Torre's plan to build the Malaga opera house?

His strategy relies on a "start now, solve later" approach:

• Short-term solvency: The City Council, the Junta de Andalucía, and the Provincial Authority have pooled enough resources to cover the initial years of work.

• The "Wow" Factor: The project is being marketed not just as a theatre, but as a "modern urban hub" that blends culture with Artificial Intelligence and digital connectivity, aimed at attracting private sponsors.

• Flexible Design: With a main hall seating 1,900 and a secondary 500-seat space, the building is designed for maximum versatility, from grand opera to business summits.

The Ministry of Culture’s withdrawal has left a hole in the budget, yet the Mayor remains undeterred.

The mayor said that everything is in place to tender the start of the work. "We have the plot, we have the project and we have the money for this year and next year with what the city council, the regional government and the provincial authority are contributing," he said.

According to De la Torre, the city council can keep its promise to launch the tender in two months, as long as "the administrative procedures don't slow it down".

Rising 40 metres above street level, Palacio de la Ópera will feature facades that change in form depending on the viewpoint, wrapped in ceramic pieces in three shades of blue, from cobalt to pale blue.

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