Ocesa to create 40k-cap complex in Colombia
Latin American promoting giant Ocesa has announced the creation of a new 40,000-cap events venue in Colombia.
The scheme, called Distrito Verde (Green District), will be located in a 24-hectare space in the Salitre area of the capital Bogotá, and will bid to combine “culture, shows and respect for the environment”.
It will comprise three spaces: a multipurpose area with modular and versatile stands; a green area to host festivals and other attractions; and a 5,800-cap pavilion for circuses, large-format exhibitions and cultural and corporate events.
Forbes Colombia and La Republica report that Colombia welcomed superstars such as Karol G, Jonas Brothers and Maná in April alone, with 300 major concerts being held in the country annually.
“Distrito Verde is the result of the vision of the growth of the live entertainment industry in Colombia, enabling a multipurpose space that combines the environmental recovery of a piece of land with the versatility and adaptation of that space to host concerts, exhibitions and gastronomic festivals, among others,” says Luz Ángela Castro, CEO of Ocesa Colombia.
“It is a multipurpose space that offers comfort and ease in all its experiences, with large green areas outdoors, ideal for holding different events aimed at all types of public.”
“Distrito Verde complements the offer of Bogotá and the country, enriches the alternatives for cultural events and is not comparable with any existing venue”
Live Nation secured a controlling interest in Mexican-headquartered Ocesa in December 2021. Via Ocesa, it expanded its presence in Latin America last year by acquiring a majority stake in leading Colombian promoter Páramo Presenta.
Páramo is best known for its flagship four-day event Estereo Picnic, the biggest music festival in Colombia, as well as Bogotá’s Baum Festival and Knotfest.
Bogotá is already home to other notable venues including the 24,000-cap MedPlus Coliseum and 13,000-cap Movistar Arena, as well as the El Campín Stadium and Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park, but Castro insists the proposed new development is a unique proposition.
“Distrito Verde complements the offer of Bogotá and the country, enriches the alternatives for cultural events and is not comparable with any existing venue in the capital or outside of it,” adds Castro, who reveals the cost of the project exceeds US$20 million.
“[With] investment in mobile infrastructure and investment in the environment, reforestation and soil adaptation, we are talking about more than US$22 million,” he says. “Beyond the investment, what is relevant is the commitment to a vision of the future, foreign direct investment.”
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