New Vienna Arena set for 2030 debut

Article posted by Coliseum, November 27^th, 2024

Image: APA,Wien Holding, Architekten Kronaus, Mitterer & Gallister, and expressiv.at

The new Vienna Arena which is being built on the St. Marx site in the Landstrasse district in the Austrian capital will be ready by 2030.

Construction of the new venue will be completed by then, according to city councilor Peter Hanke and Wien Holding Director Kurt Gollowitzer.

Vienna Online said the Wien Holding Arena will be designed with a 20,000 capacity and is intended as a venue for all types of shows and events, including large rock and pop concerts, sports competitions and trade fairs.

German group CTS Eventim was earlier this month awarded a contract to develop the new arena in Vienna, after a court last year overturned a deal for Oak View Group (OVG) to helm the project.

OVG was identified as the ‘best bidder’ in July 2023 following a tender process staged by government-owned corporation Wien Holding. However, later that year, the award was “declared void for formal reasons” by Vienna Regional Court after an objection by rival bidder CTS Eventim.

The project has been designed by Viennese architects Christian Kronaus, Peter Mitterer and Reinhardt Gallister.

The city will pay a maximum of €153 million towards the project and the rest will be financed by CTS Eventim. The total costs will amount to €450-500 million.

The arena will be able to accommodate around 145 events per year.

Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, the head of the CTS Eventim entertainment group, which also owns the Öticket platform in Austria said the economic risk of the project is lower, as the entertainment sector has regained its former strength after the pandemic.

The property itself remains in the city’s possession. Schulenberg also made it clear that there are no plans for CTS Eventim to be the only one to set the arena’s program.

He said, “It will be open to the entire industry, including competitors.”

Vienna’s Finance and Economics Councilor Hanke was pleased about the “important step forward.”

He said that among other things, the arena should ensure that international stars and events continue to rely on Vienna as a “must-play city.”

Hanke also emphasized that the Stadthalle should also remain available after the opening of the Wien Holding Arena. Both locations are important, he said.

The Vienna ÖVP party now hopes for the project to be implemented quickly.

Leader Markus Wölbitsch said, “Now that the strategic partner CTS Eventim for the Wien Holding Arena has been presented, the City of Vienna is now required to support it to the best of its ability.”

A professional environment must now be provided for implementation of the project and full cost transparency is now also necessary, he added.

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