Faro Santander welcomes more than 30,000 visitors in its first ten days and expands its music and film programme

Today, Tuesday, we are closed

Tickets

09/18/2026

More than 30,000 people have visited Faro Santander since its opening, with 3,150 members joining the +Faro community.
A new gallery dedicated to still life and portraiture opens on 18 September as part of Masterpieces from the Banco Santander Collection, featuring works by Goya, Picasso, Zurbarán, Sorolla and Tàpies, among others.
Faro Santander expands its public programme with new music, film and social events, including Jardin Sonoro, Los Jueves de Faro and Paseos Sonoros.

The façade of Faro Santander. Photo: Dronte Studio and 3Ddrone

Santander, 18 September 2026 – PRESS RELEASE

Faro Santander, the Banco Santander Foundation's new museum, celebrated its opening last weekend with an event open to everyone. The celebration marked a new chapter for a building that has long been part of the city's history. Following a lively first ten days, Faro is already establishing itself as a new meeting place for art, culture and technology in Santander.

More than 30,000 visitors and 3,150 members of the +Faro community

Since its opening on 8 September, more than 30,000 people have visited Faro Santander. All advance tickets for the opening period were booked within 72 hours of release, with further tickets available each day at the museum's ticket office. These figures reflect strong public interest in Faro Santander and its ambition to create a welcoming cultural space connected to the city.

The opening programme has proved equally popular. All talks held to date have been fully booked, and children and families have been particularly well represented, both during the public holiday on 12 September and at the museum's workshops.

Launched alongside the museum, the +Faro community has already attracted 3,150 members. This early response points to an appetite for an ongoing relationship with the museum and marks an important step towards one of its central aims: building an active and diverse community centred on art, culture and technology.

"After our first week open to the public it already feels as though Faro already belongs to the city," said Daniel Vega Perez de Arlucea, Director of Faro Santander. "The response so far shows a real desire to discover, take part in and be part of this project. This is just the beginning: we want Faro to continue to grow alongside the people who visit it and make it their own."

Following the initial period of free admission, Faro Santander moves to its regular opening schedule from 18 September. The museum is open from 10am to 8pm every day except Tuesday.

Tickets are now available via www.farosantander.com and at the ticket office.

Joaquin Sorolla, Dance at the Cafe Novedades in Seville, 1914. Banco Santander Collection

A new gallery completes the exhibition 'Masterpieces from the Banco Santander Collection'

A new gallery opens on Faro Santander's fourth floor on 18 September, completing the exhibition 'Masterpieces from the Banco Santander Collection', curated by Maria Dolores Jiménez-Blanco. Spanning almost five centuries of art history, this second gallery explores two enduring genres: still life and portraiture.

In the section 'Things: Still Lifes', works by Miquel Barcelo and Jose Maria Sicilia are shown alongside those of Luis Melendez, Francisco de Zurbaran and Juan de Arellano. The section 'Portraits, Types, Figures', brings together works by Francisco de Goya and Pablo Picasso, Joaquin Sorolla and Manolo Millares, and Niki de Saint Phalle and Joan Miro, inviting visitors to discover connections across periods and artistic approaches.

Beyond the galleries: music, film and shared experiences

The opening week's 'Dialogues' series brought together the people behind Faro Santander's building, collection, programmes and exhibitions. Now, its public programme extends further into the city with events that invite people to come together, listen and explore, bringing Faro's activities beyond the museum's walls.

Jardin Sonoro - Sound Garden

On Sundays 20 and 27 September, from 1pm to 3pm, the Faro Gardens will host the first two events in Jardin Sonoro, a programme bringing people together through music in an informal, open-air setting. Electronic music sessions by Pablo Bolivar on 20 September and Digues on 27 September will transform the gardens into a space to listen, relax and spend time together.

The musician Digues during a session

Paseo Sonoro - Sound Walk: Tocando Fondo

Tocando Fondo invites participants to explore Leonora Carrington's world through a guided sound walk in Parque de la Vaca, the former site of Dr Morales's sanatorium, where the artist was once a patient.

Taking place on 19 September at 11.30 am and 12.30 pm, and on 17 October at 12.30 pm, the walks connect Faro's exhibition dedicated to Carrington with a place that shaped her life.

Artist duo Iribarren & De la Riva combine storytelling, performance, soundscapes and participatory activities to explore transformation, trauma, hope and imagination. The walks bring the site's history into conversation with the park as it is today.

Postcard of Dr Morales's sanatorium, Santander, 1939. Published by Hauser and Menet, Madrid

Mark Rownd Collection, Capricorn Hill, Sedona

Los Jueves de Faro - Thursdays at Faro

Finally, 'Thursdays at Faro' launches on 24 September with an opening lecture for the Mexican film series The Gaze Sustains History. The development of modern cinematic language in Mexico.

Organised in collaboration with the Mexican Cultural Institute in Spain and the Mario Camus Film Archive of Cantabria, the series explores connections with the Gelman Santander Collection. Jacques Gelman's career as a film producer provides a starting point for examining the relationship between cinema and the collection he assembled.

The programme features nine films showcasing the work of leading figures in Mexican cinema, including Figueroa and Bunuel. Screenings will take place on Thursdays at 7.00 pm in the Faro Auditorium and on Fridays at 7.00 pm at the Mario Camus Film Archive of Cantabria.

Tickets are free and will be available from 30 September through the websites and ticket offices of both institutions.

Still from the film *La perla* (19345), by Gabriel Figueroa

About Faro Santander

Faro Santander is a cultural project by the Banco Santander Foundation. It is the new museum in the city of Santander, where art, culture and technology come together in an open environment accessible to all audiences. Faro Santander is located in the Pereda Building, the former headquarters of Banco Santander and one of the city's most iconic buildings. This historic building has now been given a new lease of life with the aim of becoming an ambitious cultural space that is innovative, inclusive and connected to society and the cultural fabric of Cantabria. The architectural design was entrusted to the English architect David Chipperfield, winner of the Pritzker Prize in 2023. The opening of Faro Santander marked a new milestone for the city, offering a dynamic, stimulating and enjoyable venue where everyone is welcome.

About the Banco Santander Foundation

The Banco Santander Foundation works to help build a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable society. To this end, it develops initiatives grouped into three areas of action: the promotion of culture as a tool for understanding the world around us; social action to facilitate the progress of vulnerable groups; and education and entrepreneurship as drivers of society.

September programme

18 September: Opening of the new Masterpieces Gallery in the Banco Santander Collection

19 September, 12.30 pm, Paseo Sonoro: Tocando Fondo

20 September, 1.00 pm, Jardin Sonoro - Pablo Bolivar

24 September, 6.00 pm, Thursdays at Faro - Mexican Film Series - Opening lecture

27 September, 6.00 pm, Sound Garden - Digues

Faro Santander

Paseo de Pereda 9-12, 39004 Santander (Cantabria), España

Tickets avaliable at www.farosantander.com and at the box office

Further information: www.farosantander.com

Media contact

Faro Santander