Tabakalera in San Sebastian

Tabakalera in San Sebastian is one of the most famous and visited buildings, not only by its inhabitants but by the thousands of people a year who access it to enjoy some of its services and facilities.

History of Tabakalera

Tabakalera was the city’s cigarrette factory for 90 years, when its production was carried out directly by the State.

More than a thousand people came to work in it, reaching 250 million packs of tobacco produced in 1 year. With the privatization of tobacco production, Tabakalera passed into different hands, and closed permanently in 2003.

This was not the end of the building, since it was then that the city council decided to acquire it to turn it into an icon of culture and art.

This building was built on one of the largest and best lots in the city, which is why it continues to maintain its essence today due to its location and style.

Today it is the Tabakalera International Center for Contemporary Culture, where some exhibitions are held and serves as the creative epicenter of the city of San Sebastian.

Services of Tabakalera in San Sebastian

Tabakalera is undoubtedly a building that has an infinite number of service alternatives, as well as different themes that enrich its philosophy and essence.

Medialab: your place of development

Tabakalera is committed to learning and meeting all the arts and culture in the same space, therefore, with the creation of this space, open for experimentation, it is intended to provide means, space and knowledge to all the people and projects that need it. .

2deo, audiovisual laboratory

This space offers the possibility of training, advising and providing resources and knowledge for those audiovisual projects that register in the 2deo initiative.

Accommodation and catering

To develop creativity, moments of disconnection are also needed, which is why Tabakalera also has a restaurant area, where great ideas will surely emerge. In addition, for those people who come to Tabakalera in San Sebastian to develop professionally, they can also request accommodation.

Facility rental

As we mentioned at the beginning, Tabakalera stands out for its geographical location, which is only 1 minute from the train station, making it an ideal place to celebrate all kinds of events.

Tabakalera in San Sebastian has more than 10 spaces for rent, varying in terms of the needs of the event such as capacity, resources, etc.

Themes of Tabakalera in San Sebastian

The topics on which you will be able to find both information, training and development are multiple. Some of them are:

• Contemporary art: an attempt is made to make contemporary art known and see it from different perspectives and contexts.
• Cinema and audiovisuals: the cinematographic world is one of the strong points of the city, with the San Sebastian Film Festival itself. For this reason, from Tabakalera they are committed to the development, training and research in the audiovisual field.
• Thought: creatives must be in continuous development, which is why different meetings and conferences are held at Tabakalera.
• Mediation: committing to learning based on experimentation is one of the main mottos of Tabakalera, which is why you can find different workshops to exploit it.
• Photography: exhibitions such as workshops to improve different photography techniques.
• Live music and arts: you can see different performances and live shows, which you can check on their website.

What audience is Tabakalera for?

The reality is that Tabakalera, although it mainly focuses its essence on artists and creators, as well as cultural professionals, also offers different services and options for the educational community, as well as families and children who can enjoy exhibitions and conferences full of culture and learning.

Location and Hours of Tabakalera in San Sebastian

The cultural center of Tabakalera is very close to the Cristina Enea Park, the historic center and the Donostia train station and bus station.

How to get to San Sebastian by train

It also has very long hours, Monday being the only day closed. The schedule of Tabakalera is as follows:

• Monday closed
• From Tuesday to Thursday: 10:00 – 21:00
• Friday and Saturday: 10:00 – 22:00
• Sundays and holidays: 10:00 – 21:00

If you want to enjoy Tabakalera in San Sebastian and other of the great buildings and stories of the city, do not hesitate to take a tour of this incredible city that you will end up falling in love with. We are waiting for you!