Madrid’s WiZink Center will rebrand as the Movistar Arena in 2025 as part of a new sponsorship deal with telecommunications company Telefónica.

Telefónica, the parent company of Movistar, agreed the deal with Impulsa Eventos e Instalaciones, the company that manages the arena. Movistar also sponsors arenas in Buenos Aires, Bogotá and Santiago.

Spanish online bank WiZink has sponsored the 17,400-capacity arena since 2016. In 2020, the company agreed a new six-year deal that had been due to run until 2026, but it has now been replaced by Movistar.

In a statement, WiZink Center said that WiZink expressed a willingness to end its sponsorship early, motivated by the launch of its new strategic plan which will run from 2024 to 2028.

WiZink Center serves as the home of basketball teams Real Madrid and Movistar Estudiantes. It has also hosted EuroLeague, EuroBasket and FIBA events, as well as regular concerts.

Parc del Fòrum has made available nine days of programming across the year for both large and small night-time music festivals

The Comunidad de Madrid-owned venue is one of the busiest arenas in the world, attracting more than two million visitors and staging more than 200 events annually.

Elsewhere in Spain, Barcelona’s Parc del Fòrum (home to Primavera Sound and Cruïlla) is going out to tender for new live music events between 2026 and 2028.

The park has made available nine days of programming across the year for both large and small night-time music festivals.

Events will be awarded by tender, with all bidders required to meet a new set of obligations regarding acoustic impact, mobility, safety and sustainability.

These measures are aimed at improving “good coexistence and the positive impact of their activity in the nearest neighbourhoods”.

“The new award formula also responds to the music sector’s demand to be able to work in the medium term, improving logistics services and artist recruitment,” reads a statement from the park.

Parc del Fòrum is permitted to host 15 days of musical activity during cultural hours and 15 concert days.

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A charity concert held in Barcelona has raised €775,000 for victims of the Spanish flooding disaster.

Barcelona amb València took place at Barcelona’s Palau Sant Jordi on 29 November, with tickets priced between €38-80, and attracted almost 15,000 people.

The event, which was coordinated by Barcelona-based promoter TheProject, featured acts such as Joan Manuel Serrat, Estopa, Andrea Motis, Judit Neddermann and Lucia Fumero.

The concert was co-organised by Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat with the support of ARC (Professional Association of Representatives, Promoters and Managers of Catalonia), ASACC (Association of Concert Halls of Catalonia) and APM (Association of Music Promoters). Donations can still be made here until 5 December.

The Spanish sector also united for the sold out Music from the Heart benefit gig at Madrid’s WiZink Center (cap. 17,456) on 24 November. Performers included Amaral, Arde Bogotá, Dani Fernández, David Bisbal, Hijos de la Ruina (Natos, Waor & Recycled J), Malú, Manuel Carrasco, Pablo Alborán, Raphael, Rozalén, Sole Giménez, Vanesa Martín and Viva Suecia.

Promoter Pino Sagliocco is teaming with Teatro Pereyra Ibiza to present a further charity gig on 14 December

Collaborators included Valencia-based promoter The Music Republic, as well as other Spanish event organisers, record labels, artist managers and music associations. The amount raised from the show is yet to be confirmed.

Meanwhile, Live Nation Spain president Pino Sagliocco is teaming with Teatro Pereyra Ibiza to present a further charity gig: Ainhoa ​​Arteta and Ramón Vargas together for the DANA. The show will be held at the theatre on 14 December.

The fundraisers come in the wake of the weather phenomenon known as DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos), which caused the deadliest flooding catastrophe to hit Europe in 50 years and led scores of events to be cancelled.

Valencia was the hardest-hit region, with the death toll exceeding 200, with fatalities also reported in the Castilla La Mancha region and Andalusia. Valencia’s live music industry reported material losses exceeding €5 million and the cancellation of 300 concerts and festivals.

The Valencian Federation of the Music Industry, which represents 60 companies including venues, promoters, artistic agencies and festivals, has requested the creation of a short, medium and long-term recovery plan that includes financial aid, logistical support and fiscal measures that allow the reactivation of the sector.

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The Spanish music sector is uniting for a benefit gig in aid of those affected by the worst natural disaster in the country’s modern history.

Music from the Heart will take place at Madrid’s WiZink Center on 24 November, featuring artists Amaral, Arde Bogotá, Dani Fernández, David Bisbal, Hijos de la Ruina, Malú, Manuel Carrasco, Pablo Alborán, Raphael, Rozalén, Sole Giménez, Vanesa Martín and Viva Suecia.

It follows the weather phenomenon known as DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos), which caused the deadliest flooding catastrophe to hit Europe in 50 years and led scores of events to be cancelled.

Valencia was the hardest-hit region, with the death toll exceeding 200, with fatalities also reported in the Castilla La Mancha region and Andalusia.

Collaborators include Valencia-based promoter The Music Republic

The charity concert has the support of the Generalitat Valenciana and the Community of Madrid, which owns the 17,456-cap WiZink Center. Collaborators include Valencia-based promoter The Music Republic, as well as other Spanish event organisers, record labels, artist managers and music associations.

Tickets go on sale today (8 November), with prices starting at €30. All profits raised, plus any additional income from the show, will go to the Som Solidaritat platform of the Generalitat Valenciana, which will channel aid to flooding victims. A phone line will also be set up for further donations.

Operator Baila.fm will not charge a commission and will “assume the transaction costs to ensure that 100% of the proceeds reach their destination”.

Elsewhere, a sold-out fundraising concert in Austria on 26 October, organised by Barracuda Music, held at Arena Nova in Wiener Neustadt, raised €250,000 for victims of the recent Austrian floods resulting from Storm Boris.

And in the US, Luke Combs’ Concert for Carolina at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium raised $24.5 million for the Hurricane Helene relief effort.

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Mexican music star Carin León has broken the attendance record at WiZink Center in Madrid with his debut performance in Europe.

The Latin Grammy-award-winner drew 17,426 people to his 31 October concert, achieving the highest attendance of more than 1,200 concerts held at the iconic venue.

The record sees 35-year-old León unseat American heavy metal band Metallica, who held the previous record for 17,267 attendees at their 2018 concert at WiZink Center.

León’s concert in Madrid was the first stop on the European leg of his Boca Chueca Tour, which also visited London (UK) and Amsterdam (NL) and concludes tonight in Paris (FR).

The record sees 35-year-old León unseat American heavy metal band Metallica

The AEG Presents-promoted trek also visited 23 cities in North America between July and October, and included a stop at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The tour came on the heels of the star’s historic achievement as the first Latin artist to perform at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Festival in the same year. In addition, León was honoured with the keys to the City of Coachella, California.

The Música Mexicana star is due to return to North America in April 2025 for two arena shows in Florida and another in North Carolina.

Carin León is represented by UTA worldwide, except in Latin America.

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Madrid’s Wizink Center is to celebrate its 1,000th show with a 1,000-minute macro-concert featuring rising talent from across Spain.

A total of 317 emerging acts – 75% of them from Madrid – have signed up for the chance to perform on stage at the 17,456-cap venue for The 1,000 of the Wizink Center – a 16 hour, six minute music marathon on 24-25 October.

The successful 100 entrants will be revealed on 16 October, with 100 performances by the chosen bands to take place uninterruptedly, interspersed with musical performances by already established groups.

The event will serve as a celebration of the 1,000 concerts held at the WiZink Center since the venue was reopened in 2005, Its 1,000th concert, headlined by Spanish singer Raphael, will take place on December 16.

Upcoming shows at the venue include Greta Van Fleet, Jason Derulo, The 1975, IDLES, Depeche Mode and Niall Horan

Pop group Miss Caffeina will be in charge of opening this musical marathon on 24 October at 7pm, with Spanish band Marlon to close it on 25 October 25.

Upcoming shows at the venue include Greta Van Fleet, Jason Derulo, The 1975, IDLES, Depeche Mode and Niall Horan.

In the spring, Wizink Center opened new 1,000-cap concert lounge La Sala inside the complex. which is located at the same level as the main floor of the arena.

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Madrid’s WiZink Center is to open new 1,000-cap concert lounge La Sala inside the complex next month.

The space will be located at the same level as the main floor of the 17,456-cap venue and has been made possible via a significant investment effort to soundproof it from other events held at the larger arena, as well as independent access offered by Goya Street.

Targeted at emerging artists, it can also be used for audio and video recordings, soundchecks and artist rehearsals, having been equipped – in a Spanish first – by Clair Brothers, supplier of loudspeaker products for tours by the Rolling Stones, U2, Maluma and Paul McCartney, among others. It also offers a 21 sq m LED screen at the back of the stage in addition to cutting-edge lighting.

La Sala del WiZink Center will launch on 19 May with a headline performance by Ice Nine Kills

La Sala del WiZink Center (The Room of the WiZink Center) will launch on 19 May with performances by Ice Nine Kills, Skynd, Lansdowne and Defying Decay, promoted by Doctor Music.

The Wizink Center’s main 2023 calendar, meanwhile, includes arena shows by Hans Zimmer (16 May), Maroon 5 (15 June), Feid (2 July), Romeo Santos (6-9 July), Arctic Monkeys (10-11 July), Rod Stewart (12 July), Andrea Bocelli (20-21 September), Blink-182 (3 October), Louis Tomlinson (5 October) and Greta Van Fleet (4 December).

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Colombian singer Maluma last night (5 April) broke the attendance record for Madrid’s WiZink Center, with an audience of 17,412.

The Latin superstar, who is undertaking his Papi Juancho Europe Tour 2022, opted for a 360º format which meant the venue’s maximum capacity of 17,453 could be used.

The record was previously held by American heavy metal legends Metallica, who also used the 360º format and drew 17,267 fans to their 2018 concert.

The record was previously held by American heavy metal legends Metallica, who also used the 360º format and drew 17,267 fans

The WiZink Center says it deployed its maximum organisational capacity, including 704 workers, to make the Maluma concert possible.

This included 226 technical professionals, lighting, sound, assemblers, loading and unloading operators, 252 people in the security device, health services, fire prevention technicians, ushers and access controllers; and another 172 in restaurant services, bars, and kitchens; in addition to another 54 professionals in other different tasks.

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Madrid’s WiZink Centre is due to reopen tomorrow (27 November) to 2,000 attendees for the Spanish Padel Tennis Championship with a number of new Covid-19 health and safety precautions in place.

The 16,000-capacity indoor arena, which will open at less than the authorised 40% capacity, has improved its ventilation systems to nullify the recirculation of air and guarantees that its 160,000 cubic meters of air will be completely renovated every 12 minutes.

Scientists from Germany’s Restart-19 project recently found that poor ventilation can significantly increase the number of people exposed to a risk of infection.

WiZink will top its maximum attendance so far with a concert by Spanish star Raphael in December with up to 5,000 fans

The venue’s other health and safety measures include taking spectators’ temperature on arrival; blood tests for staff; and leaving at least two seats between groups when regulations only ask for one seat distance.

WiZink Center was one of the first international venues to reopen its doors to the public after the first lockdown, holding its first show on 3 July, with Spanish rockstar Loquillo performing to more than 1,700 fans.

The arena has since hosted a number of music events including Madrid Summer Fest, a nine-concert series featuring Spanish and international artists, with an audience of up to 2,000 people for each show.

WiZink will top its maximum attendance so far with a concert by Spanish star Raphael on 19 December with up to 5,000 attendees, while Spanish dancer and choreographer Joaquín Cortés will perform on 23 December.

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Promoters Live Nation and the Music Republic are kicking off new, open-air concert series in Spain this week, as venues including the Wizink Center and Ifema prepare to host live shows over the next few months.

The Music Republic, which promotes festivals Arenal Sound, Viña Rock, Granada Sound, Madrid Salvaje and the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim (FIB), announced its Republic Alive concert series this week, with 800-capacity outdoor shows taking place throughout July, August and September in Valencia, Granada, San Fernando, Seville and Toledo.

Artists performing as part of the series, which kicks off tomorrow (17 July), include Andrés Suárez, Miss Caffeina, Diego El Cigala, M Clan, Viva Suecia and Cepeda. Tickets for the shows are available here.

This week has also marked the start of Live Nation’s Crew Nation Presents concert series, which is taking place at the 2,500-capacity La Riviera in Madrid until mid-September.

The first sold-out show of the series took place last night with a performance by Spanish singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente. Other acts playing as part of the Crew Nation Present series, which raises money for Live Nation’s Crew Nation relief fund, include El Kanka, Sex Museum, Muchachito and Triángulo de amor bizarro.

Tickets for the Crew Nation Presents shows are available here.

Madrid’s 15,500-capacity Wizink Center, the largest arena in Spain, is also preparing to welcome back artists and fans, with the Proactiv- and Voltereta Tour-promoted Truss Madrid Madriz Summer Fest, which will see performances from over 30 artists from 15 August to 15 September.

Promoters Live Nation and the Music Republic are kicking off new, open-air concert series in Spain this week, as venues including the Wizink Center and Ifema prepare to host live shows over the next few months

The arena will operate at a reduced capacity, with between 1,200 and 2,200 attending each concert, sitting at tables and chairs around a 360° stage.

Spanish techno-rumba group Camela will kick off the concert series, with other performance coming from acts including Funambulista, Despistaos, Izal, Stay Homas, Pablo López, Ara Malikian, Sara Baras and Sofía Ellar.

Tickets will become available here over the coming days.

Fellow Madrid venue, the Ifema conference and exhibition centre, is also returning to live music after a bout serving as Spain’s largest ‘hospital’. Abre Madrid! (Madrid Opens) began on 7 July and is running until 6 September, with acts performing to up to 1,000, seated fans on two open-air stages in the Ifema grounds, which usually plays host to Live Nation’s Mad Cool festival, DGTL Madrid and Río Babel festival.

Artists performing as part of Abre Madrid! include Xoel Lopez, La Habitación Roja, Carlos Sadness, Diego el Cigala, Mala Rodríguez and Miguel Poveda.

Ifema has been recognised as a safe space by the Community of Madrid and the World Travel and Tourism Council, allowing the venue to host events at up to 75% of its full capacity, provided that the configuration of space allows for 1.5 metres to be maintained between individuals.

In addition to the Abre Madrid! Shows, the venue plans on hosting 60 fairs and congresses in the last six months of 2020.

Tickets for the Ifema shows, which also span comedy, theatre, cinema and family entertainment, can be found here.

This article forms part of IQ’s Covid-19 resource centre – a knowledge hub of essential guidance and updating resources for uncertain times.

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Live Nation has announced the Crew Nation Presents concert series, which will take place in Madrid from 15 July, as Spain prepares to allow outdoor concerts of up to 800 people.

Taking place at 2,500-capacity La Riviera, the series of reduced-capacity concerts will raise funds for artists’ technicians, musicians and touring staff affected by the live event shutdown, with €1 from every ticket donated to Live Nation’s Crew Nation relief fund.

Starting on 15 July, the shows will run until mid-September. Confirmed acts include singer-songwriter El Kanka, pop group Miss Caffeina, rock band Sex Museum, psychedelic rumba band Tu Otra Bonita and alternative rock musician Xoel López.

Tickets for Crew Nation Presents concerts go on sale on 22 June at 10 a.m. here.

“The series of reduced-capacity concerts will raise funds for Live Nation’s Crew Nation relief fund”

Spain is expected to move into the final stage of its reopening plan next week, which will see the reopening of clubs and bars at a third of usual capacity, indoor shows of up 80 people allowed and a capacity limit of 800 for outdoor events.

The news comes as Madrid’s 16,000-capacity WiZink Center announces its intention to open its doors – both virtually and physically – in the coming weeks.

Under the new phase of reopening, the arena will be able to admit a “significant” proportion of its full capacity for seated shows.

More details will be available on the WiZink Center website in the next few days.

Photo: Fermín Rodríguez Fajardo/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) (cropped)

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