Between 8 and 17 September, entry to Faro Santander will be free for all visitors.
The opening programme will include the Dialogos Faro talk series, live music and family workshops.
The programme will culminate on Saturday 12 September with a public event in the Pereda Gardens and around Faro, featuring family activities, a light show, and live performances by the Reina Soffa School of Music.
Faro's dining offer will also open on 8 September, with Los Jardines de Faro and Lumen restaurant offering views across Santander and the bay.
+Faro is Faro Santander's new membership programme, offering members priority access, invitations, special offers and exclusive activities.
Santander, 28 August 2026.
Faro Santander, the new art centre launched by the Banco Santander Foundation, will open to the public on 8 September, bringing together art, culture and technology in the historic Pereda Building in the centre of Santander. It will open with a comprehensive public programme of talks, family workshops, live music and performances. To mark the opening, admission to the venue will be free from 8 to 17 September, with the centre open from 10am to 7pm. From today, tickets for this period can be booked from today through the Faro Santander website www.farosantander.com. A limited number of tickets will also be available at the box office each day.
The opening days will feature a programme with a wide variety of activities including family workshops, concerts and the ‘Diálogos Faro’ series of talks. “Faro Santander is a project designed for the public, and with these open days and this festive programme, we aim to ensure that people’s first experience of the centre is welcoming, shared and participatory. The light show, family workshops and live music reflect the essence of what we want to be: a vibrant, accessible and inclusive meeting place in Santander,” says Daniel Vega Pérez de Arlucea, director of Faro Santander.
Diálogos Faro: discover Faro Santander through the eyes of its key figures
From Tuesday 8 to Thursday 17 September, Faro Santander will host a series of conversations with some of the people who helped shape the centre, from its architecture and collections to its exhibitions and gardens. The Diálogos Faro talks will take place in the auditorium at 6pm and will be free to attend. The series begins with a conversation between Ana Botín, Chair of Banco Santander, and architect David Chipperfield, who led the transformation of the Pereda Building.
The series will continue over the following days, exploring the key themes of the inaugural programme: the Banco Santander Collection with María Dolores Jiménez-Blanco, curator of the exhibition ‘Masterpieces from the Banco Santander Collection’, and María Beguiristain, director of the Collection (9 September); ‘Llamita’ with Sara San Gregorio, curator of the exhibition, and Juan Bordes, sculptor, architect and historian (10 September); the history of Banco Santander with José Antonio Gutiérrez Sebares, head of the Bank’s historical archive, and Miguel Ángel Bringas, professor at the University of Cantabria (11 September); the Gelman Santander Collection with Marisol Argüelles, director of the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico and curator of the exhibition ‘Modern Mexico in the Gelman Santander Collection’, and Estrella de Diego, professor of Art History at the Complutense University of Madrid (17 September); The Faro Gardens with interior designer Javier Mariátegui and architect Juan Luis Líbano (15 September); Leonora Carrington’s relationship with the city of Santander with Vanessa Boni, curator of the exhibition ‘The Symptomatic Surreal: Leonora Carrington’, and Carolina Erdocia, exhibitions director at Faro Santander (16 September).
‘Diálogos Faro’ will also extend its programme to Madrid on 14 September. In collaboration with the Casa de México Foundation in Spain, the Foundation will host a conversation about the exhibition Modern Mexico in the Gelman Santander Collection, with Marisol Argüelles, director of the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico and curator of the exhibition, and Estrella de Diego, professor of Art History at the Complutense University of Madrid.
Faro Santander’s opening programme continues
The Llamita creative space will host the Parafernalia family workshops on 9, 10 and 11 September from 4pm to 7pm. Children and adults will be able to make objects, accessories and decorations to use at the event on Saturday 12 September.
From 8 to 11 September, students from the Reina Sofía School of Music will also perform short pieces in different areas of the centre.
12 September: Faro lights up
On Saturday 12 September, the celebrations will move outdoors with a free event open to all ages. It will feature a diverse programme of performances blending classical music with contemporary sounds and traditional Cantabrian folk music, culminating in a light show.
From 5pm, the Pereda Gardens will host games, art workshops and activities for families and visitors of all ages. The programme is organised by Sara San Gregorio and Fábrica de Texturas.
The evening will begin with the premiere of the Faro collaborative symphony, the first participatory project created in collaboration with the emerging community of Faro and organised by the Albéniz Foundation. The symphony will be performed by the Ensemble of the Reina Sofía School of Music, which will then perform Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons’.
At 9.00 pm, the collective celebration will continue with a concert led by the Cantabrian group Casapalma —comprising Irene Atienza and Yoel Molina—, ccompanied by the Brañaflor dance collective in a live performance that fuses mountain folklore with electronic music. The musical finale will be provided by the distinctive sound of Repion, the Cantabrian duo comprising sisters Marina and Teresa Iñesta, whose music blends alternative rock, grunge and pop melodies.
The evening will end with a light show designed by Pedro Chamizo, illuminating the façade of the Pereda Building and marking the opening of Faro Santander.
Dining at Faro Santander
From 8 September, Faro Santander will also open its dining spaces on the top two floors of the building, led by chef Nacho del Corral.
Los Jardines de Faro is a terrace offering drinks and informal dining, with views across Santander and the bay, with extended hours beyond museum opening times on select evenings.
The Lumen restaurant brings together art and fine dining with a menu based on local and seasonal produce. Bookings are available through @lumenfarosantander and will soon be available on its website.
The Faro Museum shop
The Faro Store, located in the centre’s foyer, will offer books, publications and products linked to Faro’s exhibitions and cultural programme. The range will include design and homeware, accessories, stationery and textiles.
Opening hours, tickets and access
Following the open-day period, from 18 September onwards, Faro Santander will be open continuously from 10.00 am to 8.00 pm every day, except on Tuesdays (excluding public holidays), when it will be closed. The standard admission fee is 14 euros and the reduced rate is 7 euros, which applies to residents of Cantabria, students aged 18 to 25, those aged 65 and over, the unemployed and Banco Santander customers. Admission will be free for under-18s and Banco Santander staff. On certain days throughout the year, such as International Museum Day or Faro’s anniversary, admission will be free for all visitors.
Faro provides the public with free audio guides, accessible via their own mobile phones, for all exhibitions, as well as an introduction to the building itself and its history. With these, any visitor can explore the space at their own pace, delving deeper into both the artworks and the architecture of the Pereda Building.
From 18 September, Faro will offer guided tours as part of its outreach programme. The programme will vary each day, ranging from introductory tours of the project as a whole to more in-depth tours of the various exhibitions. There will be daily tours at 5.00 pm and, at weekends and on public holidays, also at 11.00 am.
Tickets for all days of the opening events can now be booked on the website www.farosantander.com and will be available in person at the box office from 8 September.
For visits from 18 September onwards, bookings will be available from 8 September on the same website and at the centre’s ticket office.
+Faro: the way to experience the museum more closely and become part of its community
Available from 28 August, +Faro is Faro Santander’s individual membership programme, which offers a range of benefits throughout the year.
Members will have priority and unlimited access to Faro, priority booking for activities and events, and special offers in the shop and dining areas. The programme will also include activities and events reserved for +Faro members
A reduced rate of €15 a year is available to residents of Cantabria. Other groups eligible for the reduced-rate membership include students aged 18 to 25, people aged 65 and over, the unemployed, and Banco Santander customers.
About Faro Santander
Faro Santander is a cultural project run by the Banco Santander Foundation. It is the city of Santander’s new arts centre, where art, culture and technology come together in an open setting accessible to all. Faro Santander is housed in the Pereda Building, the former headquarters of Banco Santander and one of the city’s most iconic buildings. This historic building is now being given a new lease of life with the aim of becoming an ambitious, innovative and inclusive cultural space, connected to society and the cultural fabric of Cantabria.
The centre’s architectural design has been entrusted to the English architect David Chipperfield, winner of the Pritzker Prize in 2023. The opening of Faro Santander will mark a new milestone for the city, offering a dynamic, stimulating and fun 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 carries out initiatives grouped into three areas of action: promoting culture as a tool for understanding the world around us; social action to support the progress of vulnerable groups; and education and entrepreneurship as drivers of society.
FARO SANTANDER
PROGRAMME PREVIEW
Masterpieces from the Banco Santander Collection
Dates: 8 September 2026 – February 2027
Modern Mexico in the Gelman Santander Collection
Dates: 8 September 2026 – 10 January 2027
The Symptomatic Surreal: Leonora Carrington
Dates: 8 September 2026 – 31 January 2027
Cubo: Before Faro Santander
8 September 2026 – April 2027
Marisma: Faro Santander Creation Grants
8 September 2026 – May 2027
Faro Dialogues
8 September: David Chipperfield and Ana Botín
9 September: Lola Jiménez and María Beguiristain
10 September: Sara San Gregorio and Juan Bordes
11 September: José Antonio Gutiérrez Sebares and Miguel Ángel Bringas
15 September: Javier Mariátegui and Juan Luis Líbano
16 September: Vanessa Boni and Carolina Erdocia 17 September: Marisol Argüelles and Estrella de Diego
Llamita: Parafernalia. Family workshops
9, 10 and 11 September from 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm
Faro Lights Up
12 September from 5.00 pm to 11.00 pm
Pereda Gardens and Promenade, 9–12
5.00 pm Games festival
8.30 pm Concert by the Reina Sofía Higher School of Music Ensemble
9.00 pm Casapalma concert
10.00 pm Repion concert
11.00 pm End of the festival – Symphony of Light
Faro Santander
Paseo de Pereda 9–12, 39004 Santander (Cantabria), Spain
Opening: 8 September 2026
Tickets available at www.farosantander.com and at the box office
Standard ticket: 14 euros
Concession: 7 euros
+Faro: 30 euros
+Faro (concession): 15 euros
Further information: www.farosantander.com
Follow us on social media at @santanderfaro