Arena Market: Latvia

With a capacity from 2,000–14,500, Arēna Rīga more than holds its own in a competitive market, serving as the ideal leg enroute from Helsinki to other parts of Central and Eastern Europe. Indeed, some artists, such as Thirty Seconds To Mars and Andrea Bocelli, have chosen to play here on their current tours instead of neighbours such as Tallinn’s Unibet Arena and Vilnius’s Twinsbet Arena.

It also helps that Arēna Rīga is a multifunctional arena capable of hosting any kind of sports, including ice hockey, futsal, and extreme sports, as well as having the requirements for a wide variety of music and entertainment live shows. “The next 12 to 18 months look healthy with lots of bookings – several local acts, sports, and some international acts,” says Șirts Krastiņš, Arēna Rīga’s chairman. In addition to those artists mentioned above, Bryan Adams will swing through town in July, while 50 Cent, Robbie Williams, and One Republic have all graced the arena’s stage recently.

Sports fans can look forward to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Basketball Tournament this summer, while the future also looks good; Arēna Rīga will host matches for EuroBasket 2025, including the final phase, and for UEFA Futsal Euro 2026.

“The demand for international acts is back, but the offer is not there yet”

Such bookings are all part of the arena’s – and the region’s– recovery after Covid-19 and a few difficult years. Yet, while noting that the general trends are positive, challenges remain, not least growing regional tension. “The demand for international acts is back, but the offer is not there yet,” adds Krastiņš. “International acts are touring less in our region due to economic factors, as well as the geopolitical situation with the war between Russia and Ukraine.” Indeed, he notes that these issues are the greatest contributors to the fact that international live entertainment “is not where we would like it to be” but says that focusing on sports, local content, and international competitions is helping the arena overcome them.

To this end, Krastiņš says the venue is working closely with local acts to increase the number of shows in the arena, to compensate for the decrease in international acts. And, driven by a desire to maintain their competitiveness, constant improvement remains on his agenda – digitalisation of static advertising spots, new restaurant menus tailormade for different types of events and fans, and developing online platforms for selling hospitality products, are just a few of their current initiatives.