Huelva celebrates many different types of meetings throughout the year, preferably in the streets. These meetings encompass a wide range of themes, such as economics – the Feria de la Tapa (‘Tapas Fair’) for eating tapas and the Feria de la Boda (‘Wedding Fair’) for the buying and selling of wedding articles –, literature – the Feria del Libro (‘Book Fair’) for the selling of books –, or cinema – the Festival de Cine Iberoamericano (‘Festival of Latin-American Films’). Nevertheless, there are also other traditional events, such as the Holy Week, together with the rest of popular fairs. Meetings take place in Huelva inside two main places – the Casa Colón and the Great Theatre of Huelva.
The Casa Colón
The former Hotel Colón is a complex consisting of several buildings which were designed by architect José Pérez de Santamaría in 1881. One of them is a modern Palacio de Congresos (‘Congress Centre’) in the city centre which serves as a complement to the other pavilions. The Casa Colón has a multipurpose room (the Teatro Salón, ‘Theatre Room’) which is used for both conferential – conferences, meetings, and conventions – and cultural activities – concerts, recitals, and other cultural activities. The Teatro Salón, which can seat 822 people, has PA amplifiers, projectors, cinema equipments, simultaneous interpreting equipments, air conditioners, and an underground parking. The complex is complemented by the facilities of the Casa Colón – the Pabellón de Levante (‘East Pavilion’), the Pabellón de Poniente (‘West Pavilion’), and the Casa Grande (‘Great House’). The Pabellón de Levante has a Library, a Historical Archive, and an Exhibition Room. The Pabellón de Poniente has meeting and seminar rooms which can seat more than 300 people. Finally, the Casa Grande building has a great reception room and some supplementary facilities for the Palacio de Congresos. The complex was acquired by the City Hall of Huelva for official events and other cultural activities, such as the yearly Festival de Cine Iberoamericano. The buildings of the Casa Colón have been adequately converted so that today the city enjoys a splendid place which remained unused for years in the past.
The Great Theatre of Huelva
The Great Theatre was opened under the name of Real Teatro in 1923 and is still today the main theatre of Huelva, which has belonged to both the Diputación Provincial of Huelva and the City Hall of Huelva since recently. The Great Theatre has traditionally held the main, cultural and academic events of the city for endless years. The Theatre is a product from the eclecticism of the age – a neoclassical building with the typical proportions of the Spanish theatres from the first half of the 19th century. Its construction was due to the economic and urban development of Huelva at the end of the 19th century – a thriving period because of the presence of foreign capital in the city and the prosperity of the mines of Riotinto. All of this favoured the appearance of an influent bourgeoisie. The Theatre has suffered some recent modifications which have notably improved its specific functions and facilities. Consequently, the cultural purposes of the building are completely fulfilled.