From Pantoja's restaurant to municipal centre: this is how Cantora Kopas in Fuengirola has changed

The old Cantora Kopas space in Fuengirola is currently undergoing major renovations in order to become a public centre for young people and leisure activities. Once it is finished, this 550-square-metre space will be open to anybody who wants to enjoy its multiple functions: restaurant area, concert space, meetings room, exhibitions area, 'gaming' room, as well as board game and robotics spaces. The new building will also have a huge terrace, which will be used as an outdoor theatre for performances and film screenings.

Work on the premises has been under way for a few months now, financed by the town hall with an investment of 1.5 million euros. It is expected that construction will finish in approximately two months.

The building is located in what the municipality calls Área Libre Fuengirola or, in other words, the area next to the mouth of the river that is currently dedicated to a series of facilities designed for young people.

More than two decades ago, this space was a nightclub - the Cantora Kopas. It was widely known because it was run by singer Isabel Pantoja's family. It was in 2001 when the artist first opened her restaurant Cantora, which became an immediate hit. Soon after, her son Kiko Rivera opened another establishment nearby: Cantora Kopas.

Both premises were awarded by the town hall to companies linked to the popular family, through a 25-year non-extendable concession.

The problem came when the Cantora businesses gradually lost attraction and closed down. From 2005 to 2023, an Asian food chain moved into what had been Cantora Kopas. The premises have remained abandoned and have been ransacked on several occasions since the closure.

For this reason, the town hall began the process of reclaiming the concessions for both premises - something it ultimately succeeded in doing. That strategic step was decisive in ensuring that what was once the Cantora Kopas became one of the major municipal projects for this term of office, which now faces the final stretch of its works, preparing to become a reality.