Paris La Défense Arena

Paris La Défense Arena
Former names Arena 92 (planning/construction)
U Arena (2017–2018)
Location Nanterre, France
Coordinates 48°53′45″N 2°13′49″E / 48.895844°N 2.230203°E / 48.895844; 2.230203Coordinates: 48°53′45″N 2°13′49″E / 48.895844°N 2.230203°E / 48.895844; 2.230203
Capacity 30,681 (rugby)
40,000 (concerts)
5,000+ (various indoor sports)
Surface SoftGrass (artificial)[1]
Construction
Broke ground 2 December 2013
Opened 16 October 2017[2][3]
Construction cost €360 million[1]
Architect Christian de Portzamparc
Tenants
Racing 92

Paris La Défense Arena, known in its earlier planning and construction stages as Arena 92 (stylized as Arena92) and later known as U Arena, is the largest concert hall in Europe and a multi-use domed stadium that is located in Nanterre, which is a western suburb of Paris.[4] It one of the two multi-use domed stadium to be built in Europe, with Telenor Arena. The arena was renamed from U Arena to "Paris La Défense Arena" following a vote by its board of directors.[5] For the 2024 Summer Olympics, in which the arena will host gymnastics events and commercially sponsored names are prohibited, the local organizing committee is using the "Arena 92" name.[6]

The venue offers three separate configurations. In its rugby configuration, it has a nominal seating capacity of 32,000. For concerts, it is able to seat 40,000.[7] Finally, a movable stand allows it to also be used for a variety of indoor sports, at various capacities, with a capacity of as low as 5,000 being possible. The venue also includes 33,000 square metres (360,000 sq ft) of office space, 300 student rooms, shops, including a club shop, a brewery and a gourmet restaurant. The arena was built by the French rugby union club, Racing 92, and replaced their previous stadium, Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir.

History

View of Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre, seen from the Grande Arche in La Défense.

Paris La Défense Arena was originally planned to open in 2014, but that date was delayed, due to local protests.[3] It eventually opened in October 2017, although Racing 92 did not play their first home game in the new stadium, until they hosted Toulouse, on 22 December 2017.[8] The stadium's working name was changed from "Arena92" to "U Arena"; referencing the configuration of the main stands, and the structure's shape, when viewed from the air, in November 2016.[9] The name was changed a second time to the current Paris La Défense Arena on 12 June 2018.[10] This followed a 10-year naming rights agreement with Paris La Défense, the company that manages the nearby La Défense business district.[11]

The venue was originally planned to have a retractable roof, but it was ultimately built with a fixed roof instead.

The Rolling Stones were the first band to ever perform a concert in the stadium, closing their Europe-only No Filter Tour, with three shows, on 19, 22, and 25 October 2017.[12] The arena's first rugby union match, took place on 25 November, 2017, between the French national rugby team and the Japanese national rugby team. On 11 March, 2018, the French professional basketball clubs Nanterre 92 and ASVEL Basket, played each other in a LNB Pro A 2017–18 season game. The game had an attendance of 15,220, which was the highest attendance of any game in the league's history.[13]

Entertainment events

Entertainment events at Paris La Défense Arena
Date Artist(s) Tour Supporting act(s) Attendance Box office
2017
19 October The Rolling Stones No Filter Tour Cage the Elephant 109,126 / 109,126 $18,529,324
22 October
25 October
2018
8 June Roger Waters Us + Them Tour N/A N/A
9 June
13 October Booba N/A

References

  1. 1 2 Escot, Richard (16 October 2017). "Le nouvel écrin du Racing 92, la U Arena, ouvre ses portes". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  2. ↑ "Moment historique ! La #UArena est officiellement inaugurée". Twitter. U Arena. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  3. 1 2 "L'Arena 92 sera livrée en septembre 2017". L'Équipe (in French). 2 May 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "Top départ pour le grand stade de Nanterre". Leparisien.fr. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  5. ↑ "«Paris La Défense Arena» : la U Arena de Nanterre se fait un nouveau nom". leparisien.fr (in French). 2018-05-07. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  6. ↑ "La carte des sites" [Site map]. Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  7. ↑ Racing-Métro: La construction de l'Arena 92 enfin lancée (in French).
  8. ↑ "R92 vs ST à la U Arena - La billetterie est ouverte !" [R92 vs. ST at U Arena - The ticket office is open!] (Press release) (in French). Racing 92. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  9. ↑ "Nanterre-La Défense : l'Arena 92 devient U Arena". Le Parisien (in French). 15 November 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  10. ↑ "La U Arena devient Paris La Défense Arena" [The U Arena becomes Paris La Défense Arena] (Press release) (in French). Paris La Défense Arena. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  11. ↑ Opoczynski, David; Moulin, Louis (7 May 2018). "«Paris La Défense Arena» : la U Arena de Nanterre se fait un nouveau nom" ["Paris La Défense Arena": U Arena in Nanterre receiving a new name]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  12. ↑ "STONES – NO FILTER – EUROPEAN TOUR". Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  13. ↑ 15.220 fans in the U Arena!
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