Micaelense Colosseum

The largest theater house of the Autonomous Region of the Azores was inaugurated on May 10, 1917, in Ponta Delgada, on the initiative of a group of Azoreans presided over by José Maria Raposo do Amaral. It was then called Coliseu Avenida and had in Pedro de Lima Araújo one of its most persistent enthusiasts. In 1950 it was acquired by the Azorean Shipping Company, led by Francisco Luís Tavares, who had just built the new theater in Ponta Delgada. It was then named the Micaelense Coliseum and later became part of the Cinaçor Company of the Botelho Foundation, being managed by António dos Santos Figueira for about four decades. From the eighties on, it was progressively deactivated, keeping only the traditional Grand Carnival Balls, until it was completely closed due to the immense degradation of its facilities.

Finally, in 2002, the City Council of Ponta Delgada, on the initiative of its President Berta Cabral, acquired the building and promoted the largest restoration work in its nine-decade history, which took place essentially during 2004. The Reopening Gala of the Coliseu Micaelense, held on January 30, 2005, marked the official inauguration of this venue, which was followed by the recovery of its traditional Grand Carnival Dancing Balls and the first spectacle of the inaugural program with the Moscow Classical Ballet.

With a seating capacity of around 1,300 spectators, the Coliseu Micaelense is prepared to meet the requirements of all socio-cultural events, and can operate on a conventional basis, for shows as diverse as ballet, theater, opera and rock, or in a system of open lane, for circuses, balls and fashion, banquets and coffee-concerts, exhibitions and congresses. Its size and its characteristics make the Coliseu Micaelense the best-covered space for the largest events in the Autonomous Region of the Azores.