Bristol Arena Contract Goes To SMG/Live Nation

The biggest arena operator in Britain and the world’s biggest promoter are going to manage and program the new Bristol Arena, which is supposed to be completed in 2018.

Photo: Populous

The finished £90 million project will hold 12,000 people and be located next to Bristol Temple Meads railway station. Bristol City Council awarded a 25-year lease to SMG and Live Nation.

Bristol Arena will be designed for “a wide range of different events, with spaces for public exhibitions, fashion shows, conferences and meetings, as well as flexible space for 4,500 theatre-goers, comedy shows and 12,000 live-music fans,” the announcement reads. “The arena will also comfortably host large-scale sporting events including ice hockey, tennis, basketball, boxing, handball and gymnastics.”