About this place
Teatre Auditori Camp de Mart is an open-air theatre in Tarragona, Catalonia, built into the hillside directly beneath the city's Roman walls. Seating faces the ancient fortifications, and the venue now anchors much of Tarragona's outdoor summer culture calendar.
Where does the name "Camp de Mart" come from?
Long before it became a theatre, the site served as a military parade ground, formally inaugurated in 1871 under King Amadeo I. The name echoes Mars, the Roman god of war, a naming pattern used for drill grounds in several European cities. The army kept control of the ground for decades, until the site passed to municipal management in the 1960s.
How did a parade ground turn into a theatre?
Even before any permanent structure existed, Camp de Mart had a long history as an entertainment space, hosting travelling circus tents and temporary fairground rigs on the flat ground below the walls. In 1955, Tarragona's city council launched a summer festival on the site, installing removable stands for roughly 2,400 spectators facing the Roman walls, just below the medieval Archbishop's Tower and the Archaeological Promenade. The permanent theatre-auditorium building followed only in 1970, designed by municipal architect Manuel Lamich Fontanet.
What happened after the 1970 opening?
In its very first season, the venue hosted Festivales de España, a nationwide cultural program staged across several Spanish cities at the time. Acts on the Camp de Mart stage included the Spanish drama company led by Miguel Narros, a lyric company specializing in zarzuela, young soloists from Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet, and Montserrat Carulla's comedy troupe. That opening lineup signaled ambitions well beyond a purely local stage from the very start.
What runs there today?
The theatre remains one of Tarragona's principal open-air venues. It now hosts programming such as ETC (Estiu de Cultura Tarragona), the Tarragona Summer Festival covering music, theatre and dance, and, in spring, the Greek-Latin Theatre Festival. The combination of an open-air structure and a direct view of the Roman walls gives the venue a historical backdrop that few other stages in the region can match, adding to the experience regardless of what is actually on the program.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly is the theatre located? On the western edge of Tarragona's old town, directly below the Roman walls, near the Archbishop's Tower and the Archaeological Promenade.
When was the current building constructed? The permanent theatre opened in 1970, designed by architect Manuel Lamich Fontanet, though the site had already hosted a summer festival since 1955.
What was Camp de Mart before the theatre existed? A military parade ground, formally inaugurated in 1871 under King Amadeo I. It passed from military to municipal control in the 1960s.
How many spectators did the original seating hold? The removable stands installed in 1955 held around 2,400 people.
What festivals take place there now? ETC (Estiu de Cultura Tarragona), the Tarragona Summer Festival, and the spring Greek-Latin Theatre Festival.
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