Film
Music ♡
Centro Dragão do Mar de Arte e Cultura
Two museums, a cinema, a theatre and open squares on one site, linked by a red footbridge. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 21:00.
- 📍AddressRua Dragão do Mar, 81
- 🕒OpenTue–Sun 9:00–21:00
- 🎬CinemaR$ 16, half price R$ 8
- 🎂Opened28 April 1999
Our own visit: This page only contains checked facts. After our own visit we will add what we saw ourselves, with our own photos.
A piece of the city given to culture
The Centro Dragão do Mar de Arte e Cultura sits in Praia de Iracema, between the old centre and the sea. On the site you find the Museu de Arte Contemporânea do Ceará, the Museu da Cultura Cearense, the Dragão’s cinema and theatre and the Planetário Rubens de Azevedo. The Instituto Dragão do Mar says about 90% of what happens here is free or very cheap.
It opened on 28 April 1999. The architects, Fausto Nilo and Delberg Ponce de Leon, did not want an American or English building in Ceará, but nothing folkloric either. The red bridge ties the buildings together. Only the cinemas and museums are air-conditioned; the rest is open and cooled by the wind.
✅ Good for
- Art, film and theatre in one place
- An afternoon into evening: the grounds stay open until 21:00
- A cheap night at the cinema, even cheaper on Tuesdays
⚠️ Less good for
- Mondays: the whole complex is closed
- The planetarium: no shows for now
- Midday: the squares are open and not air-conditioned
Everything for your visit
Opening times
Grounds Tuesday to Sunday 9:00–21:00. Museums (MAC and Museu da Cultura Cearense) Wednesday to Saturday 9:00–19:00, Sundays and public holidays 10:00–19:00, last entry 18:30. Cinema Tuesday to Sunday 14:00–21:40.
✅ Official source: Instituto Dragão do Mar: Centro Dragão do Mar · read 14-10-2026Entry and prices
Cinema R$ 16, half price R$ 8; Tuesdays R$ 10, half price R$ 5. About 90% of the programme is free or very cheap. The official page gives no museum price.
✅ Official source: Instituto Dragão do Mar: Centro Dragão do Mar · read 14-10-2026Tours and programme
The Planetário Rubens de Azevedo has no programme for now because of maintenance. For shows and concerts, see our event calendar.
✅ Official source: Instituto Dragão do Mar: Centro Dragão do Mar · read 14-10-2026Getting there
From the Beira-Mar in Meireles: 4.2 km by road (taxi or Uber) or a 48-minute walk. From the cathedral: a 12-minute walk.
🧭 Calculated with OpenStreetMap: OpenStreetMap routingAccessibility
The official page says nothing about wheelchair access or other facilities. Ask before you go if you need it.
ℹ️ Not mentioned by the source: Instituto Dragão do Mar: Centro Dragão do Mar · read 14-10-2026Good to know
Closed on Mondays. The two museums are also closed on Tuesdays.
✅ Official source: Instituto Dragão do Mar: Centro Dragão do Mar · read 14-10-2026🗓️ Open by day
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🎭 Dragão do Mar | – | 9–21 | 9–21 | 9–21 | 9–21 | 9–21 | 9–21 |
Who was the Dragão do Mar?
A fisherman who said no
The centre is named after Francisco José do Nascimento, nicknamed Dragão do Mar, the sea dragon. He was a jangadeiro, a raft fisherman, and in 1881 he refused to ferry enslaved people out to the ships.
His story on the wall
A large mural on the site tells his story: the sea, the jangada rafts and his portrait. A good place to begin.
Films in an old office block
The Dragão’s cinema and theatre were built into a disused government building (O POVO, 2023).
Other places from here
Walking times and distances from OpenStreetMap (14-10-2026). More than 20 minutes on foot? Then we give the road distance for a taxi or Uber.
🚶 12 min walk · 914 m⛪ Catedral Metropolitana
Two pointed spires above the centre. The first stone was laid in 1939 and the cathedral was inaugurated on 22 December 1978. Closed on Mondays.
See this place →
🚶 15 min walk · 1.2 km🏰 Fort Nossa Senhora da Assunção
The city began here, at a fort the Dutch built as Schoonenborch. Today it is an army headquarters. Visits are free, by appointment only.
See this place →
🚕 3.4 km by taxi or Uber🎻 Theatro José de Alencar
A theatre from 1910 with ironwork from Glasgow and a garden by Burle Marx. Guided tours Tuesday to Saturday, free on the 17th of every month.
See this place →
🚕 4.5 km by taxi or Uber📷 Museu da Fotografia
A free museum full of photographs, open since 2017. On now: Fotofantasma and Territórios de si. With ramps, lifts and adapted toilets.
See this place →Food, neighbourhood and beach
Questions about Dragão do Mar
What are the opening times of Dragão do Mar?
The grounds are open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 21:00. The museums open Wednesday to Saturday 9:00–19:00 and Sunday 10:00–19:00 (Instituto Dragão do Mar, read 14-10-2026).
Is the planetarium open?
Not at the moment: according to the Instituto Dragão do Mar the planetarium has no programme for now, because of maintenance (read 14-10-2026).
Why is it called Dragão do Mar?
After Francisco José do Nascimento, the Dragão do Mar, a fisherman who refused to transport enslaved people in 1881.
Sources: Instituto Dragão do Mar: Centro Dragão do Mar · Diário do Nordeste (26-08-2026): Fortaleza reúne museus · Diário do Nordeste (2019): Dragão do Mar completa 20 anos · O POVO (04-09-2023): Dragão do Mar, a arquitetura de um gigante · Wikipedia: Dragão do Mar (Francisco José do Nascimento) · OpenStreetMap routing
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