Araneta City
Cubao, situated in Barangay Socorro, is known as the commercial heart of Quezon City due to its wide array of entertainment, dining, and business opportunities.
General Roxas Ave., Araneta City, Quezon City 1109
Contact Number: (02) 8911 5555
Operating Hours: Opening time varies and depends on the start of the show/event
Ordinance No. 2796 S-2018 declaring Cubao Growth Center also known as Araneta City as the Tourism District of Quezon City. The city’s oldest commercial district is a historical destination in itself. Here, one can watch a concert or a basketball game at the Big Dome, once Asia’s largest Coliseum.
Need to Know: Socorro, which means “succor” or “help” in Spanish, derived its name from Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The barangay is also best known for its famous landmark, the water tanks or “Twin Towers” which were completed in 1938. These became a part of the history and landscape of Barangay Socorro and used to be the tallest structure and source of potable water in the Cubao area. These tanks became non-operational in the late 1950’s. Also, through the efforts of former First Lady Imelda Marcos, its barangay hall was allowed to be built within the MWSS property and was then called “Imelda Park”.
With Araneta City, formerly known as Araneta Center, at its core, the entire complex became a hub of commercial mixed-use urban developments such as retail, entertainment, residential, office, and hospitality. Due to its proximity to transport terminals and railway stations such as the MRT-3 and LRT-2, Cubao offers unparalleled access to the North-South and East-West passage of Metro Manila.
Cubao started to blossom and attract crowds through the existence of the Smart Araneta Coliseum, also known as the “Big Dome”, which became a famous venue for sporting events, local and international concerts, beauty pageants, and more. This venue was also recognized as the “biggest covered coliseum in the world” and is one of the largest indoor arenas in Asia. The dome measures approximately 108.0 meters, with a seating capacity of 16,500 and has a total land area of almost four (4) hectares and has two thousand three hundred (2,300) square meters of floor area. Some notable events that took place at the arena were the “Thrilla in Manila” which was the Ali-Fraizer World Heavyweight Championship Fight, the Philippine Basketball Association Games, and annually, the Bb. Pilipinas Beauty Pageant. Notably last year, the Smart Araneta Coliseum hosted the FIBA World Cup from Aug. 26 to Sept. 3 wherein the arena underwent major improvements to give the players and audiences more convenience and comfort.
Aside from the Smart Araneta Coliseum, other main structures located within the property are the Gateway Mall and Gateway Mall 2, the New Frontier Theater, Ali Mall, Farmers Market and Farmers Plaza, Manhattan Gardens, Araneta City Cyberpark, Aurora Tower, Ibis Styles Araneta City, and the Novotel Manila. Also known as a business hub, Araneta City houses several companies at the Aurora Tower, Cyberparks 1 and 2, and the Gateway Tower.
Last 2023, the Araneta Group reopened Fiesta Carnival which was called the “mini-Disneyland” in its early years. It was first launched in 1971 as an indoor amusement center and was closed in the early 2000s as newer amusement parks and arcades opened in malls and kids preferred to play computer games at home.
Aside from the big establishments, Cubao Expo, formerly known as Marikina Shoe Expo, is also one of the must-visit spots in the area. The small strip is composed of quirky and rare find shops, lifestyle stores, unique gift and collectors items, and a mix of new and old restaurants and bars to try. Bellini’s, an Italian restaurant has been standing its ground since 1999 and is known for its replica of the leaning tower of Pisa displayed up front. The Expo is also filled with coffee shops in the day turning to bars at night. Fred’s Revolucion is one of the long-running dive bars in the Expo, where people of all ages come to unwind, celebrating the legacy of Lolo Fred since 1905. Then for all sorts of quirks, you can check out the Vinyl Dump, My Breathing Space, and Bumi and Ashe.
To accommodate the number of footprints around the city daily, there are venues for residential and rest at the Manhattan Gardens as well as the Novotel Manila and the newly opened economy hotel Ibis Style Manila Araneta City. The Araneta Bus Center serves as a drop and pick-up point for several buses traveling to and from outside Metro Manila, bringing Araneta City as the first and/or last destination for travelers.
Venturing out of Araneta City, you will find more sights to see. Visit the Art in Island along 15th Ave., the first mixed media art museum in the Philippines which boasts of interactive art exhibitions with around 100 unique paintings as of 2015.
Now, Cubao is declared as Cubao Growth Center under the Ordinance No. 2796-2018 recognizing the area’s “six decades of being the country’s pioneer in commercial center operations”.
Gallery
