Bizkaia Arena is an indoor arena in Barakaldo, Greater Bilbao. It is one of the biggest multipurpose halls in Spain, as it can hold up to 26,000 people with maximum legal capacity, although in most concert configurations the capacity is reduced to 18,640.
- Venue
- Bizkaia Arena
- Town
- Barakaldo, ES
- Capacity
- 26,000
Bizkaia Arena is an indoor arena in Barakaldo, Greater Bilbao. It is one of the biggest multipurpose halls in Spain, as it can hold up to 26,000 people with maximum legal capacity, although in most concert configurations the capacity is reduced to 18,640. It can also be exceptionally expanded to 21,500 (combining the maximum capacity of the bleachers and stands with the stage), and for basketball the maximum capacity is 15,414 people. The arena is part of the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC) complex, the Exhibition and Congress Centre of Bilbao and Biscay, inaugurated in April 2004. It is situated in the Pavilion 4. The venue regularly hosts basketball games, for which it has a capacity of 15,414. It was one of the six venues used for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, hosted by Spain. The arena hosted the annual MTV Europe Music Awards in 2018 as the awards show was held in Spain for the third time and the first time in Bilbao. The Bizkaia Arena has a perimeter of 22,000 m², measuring 125 x 175 meters. As for the court, it has a variable width from 29 meters to 60 meters, a surface area from 2,300 m² to 4,700 m², and a depth of 79 meters. The bleachers are with 11,500 seats, expandable by 3,500 and the court with capacity of 10,000 standing spectators. The ceiling height varies, ranging from a minimum of 11.5 meters to 18.3 meters. The venue has six dressing rooms, with the possibility of adding more in the adjacent pavilions. In addition, the concert configuration includes a 142 m² catering area and dressing rooms for production catering, with a 10-meter bar and temporary storage for equipment. VIP areas can also be installed. Above the usual stage location is an aerial structure consisting of 18-meter-long bridges, with a maximum load capacity of 2 tons per unit. Finally, there are small rooms that function as offices and two interconnected, independent modules of 37 m² each for event production and setup equipment. Like the BEC, it has an operational helipad. Bei