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An inevitable fact of the international touring market is that it tends to go where the money is – which is one reason why Bolivia, the poorest nation in Latin America, is not necessarily always high on the list.
Things are potentially changing, though, with a new 20,000-seater stadium in the mountain-fringed administrative capital of La Paz breaking ground in December 2022 and scheduled for completion in 2025. A new home for local football team Club Bolívar, the Bolívar Stadium has been designed in imposing concrete by L35 Architects and is also intended for wider use, including concerts.
No venue operator has yet bestowed a modern indoor arena on Bolivia. In La Paz, the 8,000- to 10,000-cap Teatro al Aire Libre Jaime Laredo, built in 1952, is the sole outdoor amphitheatre, with Puerto Rican singer Mora, New York metallers Manowar, and Latin-pop boyband CNCO stopping by last year.
In the tropical eastern commercial centre of Santa Cruz, outdoor sites are key venues for bigger shows. Sonilum Arena is a 6,000-capacity outdoor plot that welcomes medium-sized acts, from Sebastián Yatra and CNCO in past years to Puerto Rican rapper Farruko, who is visiting the venue in June as part of his Latin American tour.
No venue operator has yet bestowed a modern indoor arena on Bolivia.
Another outdoor site, Fexpo Arena, out in the west of the city, was the location for Ultra Worldwide’s house and techno one-dayer Resistance last October. Fexpocruz, the city’s convention centre around the corner, also accommodates shows, including José Feliciano in March.
Otherwise, when international artists go in, they tend to go big. Those with memories that go back a few years might recall Guns N’ Roses at Estadio Hernando Siles La Paz in 2014, and Ricky Martin at the same 41,000-cap stadium in 2016. Most recently, Puerto Rican heroes Wisin & Yandel brought their La Última Misión tour to the same location in 2022, while Daddy Yankee graced the similarly spacious (38,000-cap) Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera in Santa Cruz that same year.