Plaza de la Feria

Plaza de la Feria takes its name from the livestock fairs and festive events that were held there during the second half of the 19th century. Among them were the celebrations to inaugurate the city’s electric lighting in 1899, following the opening of the fábrica de la luz (power plant) at one end of the square, on the site where the Government Delegation now stands.

At the centre of Plaza de la Feria rises the Monument to Benito Pérez Galdós, created by the Aragonese sculptor Pablo Serrano, who redesigned the entire square in 1970 together with the Uruguayan landscape architect Leandro Silva. The bronze sculpture is accompanied by a wall bearing an excerpt from the speech delivered by the Gran Canaria writer upon his admission to the Real Academia Española.

At the opposite end of the square, facing the sea, stands the Comandancia de Marina. This neoclassical-style building, dating from 1918, was the first major structure to be built in the Arenales district.