Photo Credit: MEO Arena in Lisbon, Portugal / Live Nation
Live Nation announces plans for major venue investments in Portugal and South Africa in 2025.
Live Nation has announced plans for major venues in Portugal and South Africa next year. The company will acquire a majority stake in Lisbon, Portugal’s MEO Arena, and has teamed up with Stadium Management South Africa and Gearhouse South Africa to bring The Dome, a new 10,500-capacity arena, to Johannesburg.
“This marks a major investment in Portugal by Live Nation,” the company says, “highlighting its commitment to enhancing the country’s live entertainment scene with more local and international shows.”
MEO Arena is Portugal’s premier indoor venue, and one of Europe’s largest, with a capacity of 20,000. Since opening its doors in 1998 for the Expo 98 World Trade Fair, it has hosted stars like Harry Styles, Adele, Dua Lipa, and Travis Scott.
Planned renovations include upgraded premium seating, skyboxes, dressing rooms, and concessions, improving the fan experience overall and making the arena more enticing to visiting artists. Live Nation will also build on the arena’s sustainability efforts, focusing on reducing its environmental impact and increasing social benefits as per its Green Nation pledges.
“MEO Arena is known nationally and internationally for hosting Portugal’s major shows and events. With this deal, we want to build on the arena’s reputation as a cultural destination, and we feel that Live Nation is the right strategic partner to achieve this. I am really excited to enter this new era, not only for MEO Arena but also for Portugal,” says Jorge Vinha da Silva, CEO of MEO Arena.
Meanwhile, Johannesburg’s new venue is set to become South Africa’s largest dedicated live entertainment space, marking Live Nation’s first permanent venue in Africa. The project reflects the company’s commitment to expanding venue infrastructure, growing the touring circuit, and bringing African fans even more shows from both local and international acts.
Located next to FNB Stadium in Johannesburg’s Nasrec suburb, The Dome will serve as a hub for local and pan-African talent, having been designed, manufactured, and built in South Africa. It will offer over 6,000 square meters of multi-purpose space and will be used for conferences, exhibitions, banquets, and product launches.
Live Nation South Africa will promote and produce The Dome’s events, while Stadium Management South Africa will oversee the management of the facility as part of its agreement with the City of Johannesburg.
“The Dome fills a critical gap in South Africa’s live entertainment scene, creating a unique space that will support pan-African talent,” said Justin Van Wyk, chief executive of Live Nation South Africa. “The venue will provide new opportunities to connect emerging and established artists with a new demographic of South African fans.”
Live Nation’s expansion into new regions comes as it continues to fight an antitrust lawsuit filed by the United States Department of Justice that seeks to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster over an alleged illegal monopoly that ousts smaller promoters and drives up ticket prices for consumers.
