Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso
Neo-Baroque theatre on the Paseo del Prado, home of the Cuban National Ballet.
The Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso stands on the Paseo del Prado facing Parque Central, beside the Capitolio. A theatre has occupied the site since 1838, when the Teatro Tacón opened; in the 19th and early 20th centuries it welcomed performers such as Enrico Caruso and Sarah Bernhardt. Between 1907 and 1915 the Centro Gallego, a social club for Galician immigrants, built a grand clubhouse around the old auditorium, and the complex became known as the Palacio del Centro Gallego.
The building was designed by the Belgian architect Paul Belau with the American engineering firm Purdy and Henderson. It is a neo-Baroque design with Renaissance elements, notable for its corner towers and richly carved stone façades. The Italian sculptor Giuseppe Moretti produced marble groups representing charity, education, music and theatre. The principal auditorium, the Sala García Lorca, seats about 1,500 people, and the complex also contains smaller halls, including the Sala Alejo Carpentier and the Sala Lecuona.
The theatre is the main home of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba and the traditional centre of the biennial Havana International Ballet Festival, founded in 1960. After a restoration lasting more than three years it reopened in January 2016, having been renamed in 2015 in honour of the prima ballerina Alicia Alonso; a bronze statue of her stands in the building. Termite and ceiling damage later forced further closures, and in October 2025 work began again on the main hall and other spaces.
Highlights
- Neo-Baroque palace of the Centro Gallego on the Paseo del Prado
- Theatre site in continuous use since the Teatro Tacón opened in 1838
- Home of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, founded by Alicia Alonso
- Marble sculpture groups by Giuseppe Moretti on the façades
- Sala García Lorca, a 1,500-seat auditorium with a crystal chandelier
