The Arriaga Theatre is a beautiful late 19th-century neo-Baroque building inspired by the Paris Opera House, the work of municipal architect Joaquín Rucoba. Opened in 1890, it was renamed the Arriaga Theatre in 1902 in honor of the town's musician, Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, who has been called the "Spanish Mozart."
It is one of Bilbao's main theaters and also one of the city's most notable buildings. It has suffered various vicissitudes that have required its reconstruction and renovation, from the fire of 1914 to the floods of 1983.
Today, the Arriaga regularly hosts the city's theater and music program.
Facing the Arriaga Theater are the Arenal Gardens, an area of parks and gardens that hosts numerous events throughout the year. It is so named because it once formed a sandy area, a kind of inland beach where boats would be beached. In Arenal Park, three walking areas are distinguished: the central one and those on the sides. These areas once distinguished the social classes. The wealthiest walked in the center, leaving the side areas for servants and other less well-off classes. In this large park, there is a kiosk that is the regular venue for concerts by the city's brass band.
Opposite is the Church of San Nicolás, a Baroque-style Catholic church. Just above the entrance gate, we can see a large coat of arms bearing the symbol of Bilbao, supported by two lions.
https://www.teatroarriaga.eus/
*Four images show different areas of the Arenal, including the kiosk in the middle of it and a view, from the other side of the estuary, of the side of the Arriaga Theatre.