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The 17,000-capacity, Live Nation-operated venue has hosted concerts from acts including Metallica, Olivia Rodrigo and Rod Stewart
By Lisa Henderson on 03 Oct 2024
Denmark’s Royal Arena is being put up for sale by its current owners, the Municipality of Copenhagen and the private architectural association Realdania.
The €200 million arena opened in 2017 in the Ørestad South area of Copenhagen after substantial investment from both owners.
Since opening, the 17,000-capacity has been operated by Live Nation Entertainment subsidiary Danish Venue Enterprise, which has brought rafts of international artists to its stage.
Acts such as Metallica, Olivia Rodrigo and Rod Stewart have performed at the Royal Arena, while Billie Eilish, Jonas Brothers and Childish Gambino will grace its stage before the end of the year.
“Today, Royal Arena attracts world-class cultural events, sports, and music to Copenhagen with great success,” stated Copenhagen’s Mayor Lars Weiss in a press release.
“This should continue into the future, but since the arena’s success no longer depends on our ownership, we’ve decided to sell our shares. The proceeds can then benefit other important projects.”
“Since the arena’s success no longer depends on our ownership, we’ve decided to sell our shares”
Danish Venue Enterprise holds a lease for the venue until December 2046, and this agreement will remain intact following the sale.
In IQ‘s 2024 Global Arena Guide, Dan Hammer, CEO/MD at Royal Arena/Danish Venue Enterprise, said the next 12–18 months are “looking really sold for the arena, with an incredibly diverse range of artists on the books”.
“The health of the live entertainment market in Denmark is good,” he added. “Obviously, Copenhagen is an attractive city for both international artists and fans, and thankfully, we have some competent promoters doing everything in their power to present some of the world’s greatest artists in Denmark.”
Alongside high-profile concerts, the Royal Arena has also hosted major sporting competitions such as the European Swimming Championships in 2017, the Ice Hockey World Championships in 2018, and the Men’s Handball World Championships in 2019.
In other venue news, The Roig Arena, a new multi-purpose venue scheduled to open in Valencia in 2025, has joined the European Arenas Association (EAA).
The 18,600-capacity venue will be the home of Valencia Basket Club as well as hosting concerts and other entertainment. It is being funded by and named after Spanish entrepreneur Juan Roig, the billionaire owner of the Spanish Mercadona supermarket chain. Costing €280m, it will be the largest capacity arena in the country.
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