Italian Rock Star Ligabue To Open Arena Milano In May 2026

Arena Milano, the first building by CTS Eventim in Italy, will host its first concert on May 6, 2026, headlined by Luciano Ligabue, one of Italy’s most influential and bestselling rock artists of all time.

Ligabue will present a special opening show called “La Prima Notte”, which translates to The First Night. The “La Prima Notte – Music Opening Ceremony” follows the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina in February 2026, where Arena Milano will host the men’s ice hockey competition.

The building was designed by David Chipperfield Architects in collaboration with Arup to become Italy’s largest, most innovative and most sustainable indoor venue with a capacity of up to 16,000 visitors. The construction only took 2.5 years.

See: EAA Welcomes Finland’s Nokia Arena and Italy’s Arena Milano As New Members

Arena Milano combines “functionality and design, offering state-of-the-art acoustics as well as integrated premium and VIP areas. The hospitality offer ranges from modern lounges and club areas to flexible partner spaces, ensuring a premium experience for guests and sponsors alike,” according to a press release from CTS Eventim, operator of the new arena.

The architectural highlight is the cantilevered LED ring system that encircles the bowl and enables “immersive content integration and branded partner activations, offering promoters and corporate clients a highly versatile visual platform.”

Ligabue, who will give the first musical performance at Arena Milano, boasts an uninterrupted streak of number-one albums since 1999, and several Multi-Platinum awards. Known for his stadium-scale live shows and his status as a cultural figure in Italy, he is set to deliver a spectacular opening night for Arena Milano.

He once held a European concert audience record set during his Sept. 10, 2005 performance in his birthplace of Reggio Emilia, where more than 165,000 attended. He’s performed at the same site several times since.

In recent years, Ligabue has been extensively touring Italy with Friends & Partners, an Eventim Live company, selling out venues all over the place.

He played mostly arenas in 2023, including two nights at Verona Arena, Oct. 9-10, 2023, selling a total 21,171 tickets, and grossing $1,421,392, according to the box office report submitted to Pollstar for the shows. He sold out 12,362 tickets at Unipol Arena in Bologna, Oct. 20, grossing $876,424. His July 5 performance at Stadio San Siro in Milan that year moved 49,203 tickets, and grossed $3,581,630.

Last year, Ligabue focused on more intimate theaters, like Teatro Rossetti in Trieste, Nov. 25, 2024 (1,474 tickets, $143,076 gross); Teatro Degli Arcimboldi in Milan, Nov. 27, 2024 (2,212, $218,865); or Teatro Europauditorium in Bologna, Dec. 1, 2024 (1,646, $165,247) to name but a few.

His last box office report is from Sept. 6 of this year, a show at the Piazza Carlo di Borbone in Caserta, which moved 36,204 tickets at a $3,415,293 gross.

Ligabue is a prime example for the strength of domestic talent, not just in Italy, but all over Europe. As Eventim Live managing director & SVP international growth, CTS Eventim, Frithjof Pils told Pollstar last year, he’s a big fan of local repertoire.

“In most countries,” he explained, “local artists are responsible for the vast majority of live business. (..) Global touring may be a focus, but it is not our only one, not by a long stretch. Local repertoire forms a central pillar of our future growth.”

Commenting on his “La Prima Notte – Music Opening Ceremony” on May 6, 2026, Ligabue commented, “I’m thrilled and honoured to be the first to bring my music to Arena
Milano. I want this show to be something special, and we’ll do everything we can to make it that way.”

Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO, CTS Eventim, said, “Arena Milano is a significant addition to our international venue portfolio and reflects our ambition to develop first-class event infrastructure in Europe’s most dynamic metropolitan areas. Its opening introduces a new benchmark for large-scale international events in Italy. Starting this new chapter with Luciano Ligabue – a defining figure of Italian rock music – sends a strong signal to the European and global live entertainment market.”

Luca Martinazzoli, Managing Director, Arena Milano, added, “Opening our stage with Ligabue is a statement. His energy and cultural impact embody exactly what Arena Milano stands for: striking moments, strong identities and world-class live entertainment. This premiere will show what this venue is capable of — and position it firmly on the map as a new powerhouse for live entertainment in Europe.”

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