La Fabrica

From tartaric acid to master dancefloor

On the remains of a tartaric acid factory, Reus built a venue that has lasted longer than almost any other in the city. The first attempt opened in 1985, driven by Josep Maria Tintorer and his partners; the business did not fully take off, and in 1989 Tintorer took control. That is the date the house has turned into its origin: in October 2019 it celebrated its 30th anniversary and in 2023 the management was already speaking of 34 years of activity. Among the young public, the venue is la Fabri, and Saturday is summarized in a dancefloor motto: Go Fabri.

Five spaces, one single complex

The key is not a single booth, but a multi-space. The venue articulates five environments: the main room, with commercial hits for the younger public; the elephant room, set in British colonial India, with a sculptural elephant that has become a hallmark of the club and a more adult public; the couples dance room; a karaoke; and a terrace with sofas and a bar. House, classics from the 70s, 80s and 90s, salsa, bachata and Latin party coexist with electronic music, and the current programming adds reggaeton and trap. In 2023, manager Sam López was still drawing the same map—lounge, elephant and main room, plus terrace and karaoke—as a way not to tie itself to a single generation. There is a VIP area with tables, bottles and preferred location.

Campus Thursdays and makina memory

After Covid, the club reinforced its pact with the university. Thursdays concentrate faculty parties—Medicine, Business Administration, Teaching, Physiotherapy, Nutrition, the Freshman Party—under the umbrella of Universitaria Go Fabri. At the same time, the venue has served as a physical home for the electronic memory of the Camp de Tarragona: anniversaries and tributes to Level, the nightclub that marked a generation in the province, and makina retrospectives with Javi Level, Pastis or Xavi Metralla. It is not a party brand: it is the venue on Passeig de Mata where Reus brings together commercial clubbing, Latin dance and, when the calendar calls for it, the remember that no longer fits in a single room.

Staying open when the coast pulls

Tintorer summarized the recipe as offering a room for all ages. López insisted on recovering the party away from posturing, just when small venues seemed to be the trend. On the nightlife axis of Passeig de Mata, facing the competition from Salou in summer, the management maintains that many people now prefer a less touristy night. The club speaks today of The new era, with a calendar of events and VIP reservations. The building is still running, still mutating its public, and continues to be the large venue that Tarragona travels to when it wants a dancefloor.