Has the whole site stopped?

No. Only parts of the work in the old building are suspended. The newer part is still being worked on where it is not affected.

Since when has work been suspended?

Formally since 24 July 2026. The council agreed it on 21 September; the contractor consented on 14 September.

When will the theatre reopen?

That is open. Before the discovery, 2028 was the target; there is no new date.

Which termite species is it?

The council has not said. Tenerife has four species, including the drywood termite and the American subterranean termite.

Where are shows held now?

According to the council, the Espacio R in the Recova Vieja next to the theatre is the designated venue.

Termites halt part of Teatro Guimerá restoration

Termites halt part of the €8.15 million Teatro Guimerá restoration

The restoration of the Teatro Guimerá in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the oldest theatre in the Canary Islands, has been partly suspended. When builders opened up ceilings, floors and panelling, they found termite damage that, according to the city council, is more serious than could be established when the project was drawn up. On Monday 21 September 2026 the council's governing board agreed to suspend work in the historic building for now, backdated to 24 July. The council has given no new reopening date.

22 September 2026 · By Julia Roca Bethencourt · 5 min. · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

What stops and what carries on

The suspension covers only certain parts of the work in the so-called old building, made up of the façade block and the auditorium block. In the newer part, with dressing rooms, stage, lifts and basement, work may continue under the original project as long as those areas are not affected. The decision "no supone la paralización de las obras del Teatro Guimerá en su conjunto" (does not mean halting the works as a whole), Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez stressed, according to Diario de Avisos. Work to protect and stabilise the damaged elements also continues. A new phase of test openings, trials and inspections is to establish what can be kept, what must be reinforced and what must be replaced.

Where the termites have been eating

According to Diario de Avisos, the damage is in the timber of the corridors and boxes, which may need replacing entirely. Where beams meet the box parapets, dismantling may be needed. The roof trusses are also heavily affected, especially at their heads, brackets and bearings, as is the timber of the false ceiling. The problem is not new: when work began in December 2025, removing termites was already part of the plan, and the architect Javier Déniz said then that some parts were "bastante dañadas" (quite damaged). What is new is the scale. Any intervention must be coordinated with the heritage authorities, according to public works councillor Javier Rivero.

Contract and timetable

The EU portal TED names the contractor as the joint venture of VVO Construcciones and Víctor Rodríguez e Hijos. The award was decided on 22 September 2025 and the contract signed on 24 October 2025. The award value was €7,483,494.31, which TED usually lists before tax; the €8.15 million reported by Atlántico Hoy is the tender budget. The work is funded by the city council, the Cabildo and the Canary Islands government. With 24 months from 24 November 2025, the works would have finished in November 2027; politicians spoke of reopening in 2028. How long the suspension will last is unknown, according to Atlántico Hoy; the council gives no new deadlines or costs. We found no statement from the contractor or from the opposition.

Which termites live on Tenerife

The council has not said which species is attacking the theatre; it refers to wood-boring pests, "fundamentalmente termitas" (mainly termites). Tenerife has four species, according to the termite project run by the Cabildo and Tragsatec: two endemic, Bifiditermes rogierae and Kalotermes dispar, and two introduced. The drywood termite Cryptotermes brevis lives in houses in low-lying areas; the American subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes nests in the soil. The latter is the plague of Tacoronte and La Laguna: according to Tacoronte council, it was first noticed there in 2005, and the authorities learned of its spread in 2017. In 2022 the Cabildo reported 523 infestations eliminated, 279 in Tacoronte and 204 in La Laguna. In April 2025 Diario de Avisos reported two new ones in the two municipalities.

A theatre from 1851

According to the council, the architect Manuel de Oraá designed the building in 1848 on the grounds of a former Dominican convent, which became public property after the confiscation of church lands. It opened on 25 July 1851. It has carried the name of the Santa Cruz-born playwright Ángel Guimerá since his death in 1924. It has been protected as a monument since 1983, and its last major refurbishment was in 1991. The theatre closed on 31 March 2025. Its programme was to move, according to the council, to the Espacio R in the neighbouring Recova Vieja; there are no performances in the theatre itself while the works last.