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Romania remains a challenging territory when it comes to international touring. Aside from issues with infrastructure and a lack of dedicated suitable venues for large shows, the war in Ukraine looms large.
“2024 hasn’t been so great regarding touring – there are not so many bands on tour – and it seems like 2025 might be the same,” says Emil Ionescu, general manager and founder of promoter BestMusic Live and ticketing firm iaBilet.ro. “Bands are considering not touring in this part of the world as sometimes it’s not financially viable.”
Even those who do wish to perform face the issue of venue availability. “We don’t have a proper venue in Romania,” says Ionescu. “Just sports halls, which we can hardly get; stadiums or parking lots; and auditoriums meant for public speaking, not events.” He says there’s just one venue in Bucharest – the Arenele Romane, with a 5,000-6,000 cap. “We all wish someone would build a proper concert venue in Bucharest.”
“We all wish someone would build a proper concert venue in Bucharest.”
One of the largest options for tours is the Romexpo, a 14,000-cap hall that can be significantly expanded given that it’s just one part of a multi-hall exhibition centre. Elsewhere, there’s the 4,060-cap multipurpose indoor Sala Palatului, which has previously hosted Tom Jones, and Cluj-Napoca’s BTarena, a multipurpose hall for sports and music concerts that can welcome up to 10,000 people. This year, the latter is due to host Plácido Domingo, DJ BoBo, and the We Love Retro festival, which will feature East 17 and Whigfield.
Despite these limitations, it’s not all bad news for Romania. “Trap hit hard in Romania, and sales are good for festivals such as Beach, Please!, and SAGA, who book big names in trap,” says Ionescu. “Also, rock names are still selling medium-sized events.”
He adds: “There are years where you say things are bad and everything turns out good and years where you say it’s good and it ends up bad. I would say the touring market gets healthier and healthier every year but with many ups and downs.”