Movistar Arena (Santiago)

Movistar Arena
The arena under new signage in April 2018
Map
Former namesMetropolitan Indoor Stadium
Arena Santiago (April 2006-October 2008)
LocationAv. Beaucheff 1204, O'Higgins Park
Santiago, Chile
Coordinates33°27′46″S 70°39′43″W / 33.46278°S 70.66194°W / -33.46278; -70.66194
OwnerHiller Investments
OperatorASM Global
Capacity12,000 (stands)
17,000 (concerts)
Construction
Broke ground1956
OpenedApril 15, 2006
ArchitectMario Recordón
This article is about the arena in Chile. For the arena in Argentina, see Movistar Arena (Buenos Aires). For the arena in Colombia, see Movistar Arena (Bogotá).

Movistar Arena is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena in Santiago, Chile. It is located inside O'Higgins Park, in downtown Santiago. Its main structure was built in 1956, but it remained unfinished and without a roof, until the roof was installed in 2000.

Buyer Peter Hiller opened it on April 15, 2006 as Arena Santiago with a seat-capacity of 12,000. Telefónica's cell phone division Movistar bought the stadium's naming rights, changing its name on October 6, 2008, while also expanding its capacity by 5,000 seats.[clarification needed] It is one of the largest multipurpose arenas in South America, with a total surface is 44,000 m2. An additional 3,000 seats can be placed over the court during concerts, boosting the total capacity to 17,000 seats.

As of 2023, Movistar Arena in Chile is the busiest indoor arena in South America, with more than $94.6 million in grosses and 1.58 million tickets sold in the past year.[1]

History

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The arena is next to the stands of the Esplanade of O'Higgins Park.

The original building was designed and conceived by Mario Recordón in 1956 with the name "Metropolitan Indoor Stadium" to be the seat of the World Basketball Championship. However, funding was redirected to remodeling the Estadio Nacional de Chile, with a view to achieving the 1962 FIFA World Cup. The roofed stadium was left in total neglect.[2]

In 1998, during the term of Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle it was decided to complete it. The work was financed by Hiller Investments, which received a grant from the Ministry of Public Works with a 20-year lease.[2]

Arena Santiago was symbolically opened on March 7, 2006 by then President Ricardo Lagos,[3] and it was inaugurated on April 15 that year by his successor, Michelle Bachelet.

In 2008, managers signed a contract with portable phone company Movistar Chile for 16 years.[4]

On 13 March 2018, Pearl Jam gave a concert to 17,000 people, setting a new attendance record at the venue.[5]

On 5 November 2018, Robbie Williams performed on the arena as part of The Heavy Entertainment Show Tour.

Iron Maiden played their first-ever arena show in Chile on 14 October 2019, as part of their Legacy of the Beast World Tour. The show was announced because the first concert at the Estadio Nacional on October 15 sold out all the 63,000 tickets half a year before the show.[6]

Europe played in Movistar Arena on September 27, 2019 as part of their world tour called Walk The Earth Tour.

The arena was the volleyball venue during the 2023 Pan American Games.

Kylie Minogue will play on the arena on August 12, 2025 as part of her Tension Tour.

Davis Cup incident

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On 7 April 2000, the site served as the location of a Chile-Argentina Davis Cup rubber. During the second singles match between Nicolás Massú and Mariano Zabaleta, the crowd became violent, throwing fruit, coins and plastic chairs at the Argentine team.[7] As a result, the Chilean Tennis Federation was fined nearly US$50,000 and was prohibited from hosting Davis Cup games for two years.

References

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  1. ^ "South America Focus Hub - Pollstar News". 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  2. ^ a b "Quiénes somos". Movistar Arena. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  3. ^ Díaz, Jorge (7 March 2006). "Chile tiene un estadio a la altura del siglo XXI" [Chile has a stadium at 21st century standards]. El Mercurio (in Spanish). Santiago. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Nuevo recinto Movistar Arena abre sus puertas en el Parque O'Higgins" [New venue, Movistar Arena, opens its gates in O'Higgins Park]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Santiago. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Pearl Jam abarrota y marca hito en Movistar Arena" (in Spanish). La Tercera. 14 March 2018.
  6. ^ "MAIDEN TOO HOT FOR CHILE!! New date added".
  7. ^ Nancucheo, Nicolás (6 April 2015). "A 15 años de los sillazos chilenos que avergonzaron al tenis" [It's been 15 years since the chilean chair throws that shamed tennis] (in Spanish). Santiago: La Tercera. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
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Media related to Movistar Arena, Santiago de Chile at Wikimedia Commons

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