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Frankfurt arena plans approved in principle

Plans for the long-awaited 15,000-cap multipurpose venue in Germany will be discussed in parliament after receiving initial backing

By James Hanley on 20 Jan 2025


image © AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH

Long-held hopes for a multifunctional arena in Frankfurt, Germany, have been given a significant boost after the city council approved the plans in principle.

The 15,000-cap venue would host concerts and other events, as well as serving as the home venue for local professional basketball club Skyliners Frankfurt and ice hockey team Löwen Frankfurt.

The proposed site is located next to 51,500-cap stadium Deutsche Bank Park – home to Bundesliga football club Eintracht Frankfurt and a popular concert venue in itself.

“The decision in principle now finally creates the basis for starting planning and implementation,” says Frankfurt lord mayor Mike Josef. “This brings us closer to the actual goal that has been planned for this area for more than 20 years.”

The scheme, which already has planning permission, was backed by the council at a meeting on Friday (17 January) and will now be discussed in parliament before reverting to the authority for the final decision.

“We have been waiting for the construction of a multifunctional hall for over a quarter of a century”

“We have been waiting for the construction of a multifunctional hall for over a quarter of a century,” says Gunnar Wöbke, managing partner of Skyliners Frankfurt. “One of my biggest dreams in life will come true if the city council also votes yes. We can then look to the future with real optimism.”

Frankfurt’s biggest indoor live music venue is currently the 13,500-cap Festhalle. In 2019, one of Canada’s largest private firms, The Katz Group of Companies, revealed its ambition to build the largest indoor arena in Germany next to Frankfurt Airport, but the project stalled.

Separate German arena projects are also underway in Munich, where Bavaria-based developer SWMunich Real Estate is planning a 20,000-cap venue supported by more than €300 million of private sector investment, while a city council-backed 7,000-cap multipurpose complex is on the cards in Würzburg.

 


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