Live Nation is to operate its first venue in Colombia – Cali’s Arena Cañaveralejo – through Ocesa and Grupo Páramo.

The partnership is designed to help expand touring opportunities while also building on existing cultural and economic impact, further establishing Colombia as a key live entertainment destination.

“This venue will allow us to bring more world-class artists to Cali while also supporting local talent and growing the live music ecosystem in Colombia,” says Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino. “Live Nation is committed to investing in Latin America’s thriving music scene, and this partnership with Grupo Páramo will help us create unforgettable experiences for fans in the region.”

Live Nation acquired a majority stake in Colombian promoter Páramo Presenta, which has worked with acts such as Shakira, Travis Scott, Feid and Paul McCartney, in 2023.

We are excited to take this step in Cali, a city with great potential for live entertainment

The Cali arena was built in 1957 and underwent a major renovation in 2021, with a multi-million dollar investment. Upcoming concerts at the venue, which has a capacity of just under 15,000, have been announced with artists such as Fonseca and Andrés Calamaro.

“We are excited to take this step in Cali, a city with great potential for live entertainment,” says Gabriel García, CEO of Grupo Páramo. “We are incredibly grateful for the support of Miguel Yusti, chairman of the arena’s board of directors, who, along with the city of Cali, is joining us in this effort to offer fans world-class experiences and help boost the city’s cultural development and its regional growth, supporting its mission to make Cali a major tourist destination.”

Live Nation says the partnership reinforces its mission in the Latin American market, while Grupo Páramo continues to solidify its leadership in event and festival production in Colombia.

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Festivals worldwide are reaping the rewards of diversifying their lineups as audience tastes evolve, organisers tell IQ.

According to a joint report by IQ and music biz directory and data platform ROSTR, which analysed the lineups of 50 top European festivals, rock/indie acts accounted for just 30% of headliners in 2024, compared with 43% the previous year.

Conversely, genres like hip-hop (14%), dance/electronic (26%), R&B/soul (4%), metal (5%), and “other” (5%) – including country, folk and classical, all experienced growth.

Hungary’s Sziget Festival will welcome the likes of Charli xcx, Shawn Mendes, A$AP Rocky, Anyma, Post Malone, and Chappell Roan to Budapest’s Óbuda Island, from 6-10 August this year, with roughly half of its 65,000 daily festivalgoers coming from abroad.

“We try to focus on diversity a lot to represent all our visitors,” says booker Virag Csiszar. “We always do an artist poll, where people can vote for the artists that they would like to see. This is what we use as the basis when we look at artist booking for the festival, and when we see the results, we see lots of different people with different music tastes.”

This format of audience participation began about a decade ago, with trending genres shifting greatly in that time.

“Back then, it was more about the big rock bands that were touring festivals,” she says. “It has changed a lot in recent years, because we’re seeing many more pop artists. Last year, hip-hop was especially popular; This year, we can already see that pop artists — especially female pop headliners — are huge.”

Csiszar says audience fervour was a key motivator in their decision to elevate Roan to a headliner for this year.

“We didn’t even consider [Roan] as a headliner from the beginning of the booking season for ’25,” explains Csiszar. “In the end, we changed our mind and we gave her the headline slot on the closing day, because obviously she grew so quickly and became so big in such a short of time that now she’s an obvious headliner for us.”

“We have to target different crowds, audiences, and generations”

Down in Colombia, Estéreo Picnic Festival celebrated a blowaway edition earlier this year. The 27-30 March event welcomed roughly 40,000 people daily, anchored by headliners Olivia Rodrigo, Justin Timberlake, Justice, Shawn Mendes, Alanis Morissette, Tool, Beck, and Rüfüs Du Sol.

Festival director Sergio Pabon Castañeda says that having an eclectic lineup is integral to the Bogotá festival’s longevity.

“We are very open and like many genres, because the markets aren’t that big here,” says Castañeda. “So if we were just dealing in a couple of genres and their audiences, it wouldn’t be enough to make the festival viable. We have to target different crowds, audiences, and generations. People love Latin music and reggaeton, but they also like electronic and rock. Maybe we’re all unified by the word party. They are very open to going from one party to another.”

With a range of offerings, the Páramo Presents-produced festival is seeing a boost in international attendees at its Parque Simón Bolívar home, up about 20% this year.

“There are so many people wanting to come to this country and discover it, and this might be the best excuse,” adds Castañeda. “We’re seeing more and more people doing that, and we have to think about how to make everyone more welcome. Trying to offer from a programming point something for people who are not just Colombian or Latin.”

“We’ve learned that our audience is far more eclectic than most festivals give people credit for”

In Romania, Electric Castle is set to return to the historic Banffy Castle in Cluj from 16-20 July. The 24-hour festival’s 11th edition will be led by Justin Timberlake, Queens of the Stone Age, Yungblud, BICEP, Shaggy, Artemas, Sofi Tukker, and Róisín Murphy.

As the festival has evolved from a “niche electronic/alternative festival to a full-blown multi-genre experience,” head booker Edmond Lenarth says its audience is helping steer the ship.

“Diversity is part of our brand now,” he asserts. “We’ve learned that our audience is far more eclectic than most festivals give people credit for. They might be front row for a legendary punk band, then dance until sunrise at a techno set. That kind of openness is what defines Electric Castle.

“These days, our strategy leans heavily on contrast: pairing acts that wouldn’t typically sit on the same bill, and giving audiences a journey. We’re also more strategic now about how every stage is curated — each one has its own personality, and we use that to frame different sounds.”

He notes the rise of Afro-house, dark techno, and genre-bending pop in the Romanian market, genres he calls “acts that defy categorisation.”

“There’s also a growing appetite for live electronic performances, not just DJ sets.” continues Lenarth. “We’ve reflected these trends in how we curate stages like Hangar, Booha, Hideout, Backyard and in spotlighting artists who are pushing hybrid sounds. Romanian trap and indie scene are also evolving, and we’re paying attention there.”

“We’re noticing that fans are more willing to explore music outside the Anglo mainstream”

Speaking to IQ last year, economist Will Page suggested streaming algorithms were having a direct impact as listeners dip in and out of different styles.

“Today, it’s best to think of the algorithm’s impact on our choices, be it listening or live, as a concierge,” he said. “If that multigenre festival poster doesn’t resemble the playlist my concierge has built for me, I ain’t gonna go.”

Electronic or club-like offerings are a trend across the board. Sziget will launch an electronic district with three venues this year, with programming on until 6 AM, while Estéreo Picnic have integrated an after-hours clubbing offer to their schedule, with spaces up to 5,000-capacity for a post-headliner party that runs past 3 AM.

“It’s great for a festival, because it makes us less dependent on the lineup and more on offering a great experience,” says Castañeda. “That feeling of the club and being in a dark tent is way more intimate than being in front of a huge stage. We’ve got a reggaeton club, a cabaret with a strong LGBTQ community presence, a techno club – it’s become an activity that people really love.”

With audiences hungry for different types of experiences, languages no longer look to be a major restriction for organisers. Just last week, Live Nation said ticket sales for non English-speaking artists have nearly tripled pre-pandemic levels as the global artist pipeline continues to grow. Non-English speakers now account for twice as many of the top 50 tours, relative to 2019, the company revealed in its Q1 2025 earnings report.

“Language is less of a barrier now — people connect to energy, authenticity, and stage presence,” says Electric Castle’s Lenarth. “We’re noticing that fans are more willing to explore music outside the Anglo mainstream, and we’re responding by integrating more acts that perform in their native languages, whether that’s a cumbia-infused party set or a Korean R&B artist.”

In conclusion, an increasingly interconnected world will continue impacting how organisers put together their events.

“I believe the essential role of a festival is to reflect the spirit of our times in which we’re living, so as that changes and evolves, the programme has to change and reflect towards new audiences,” says Castañeda. “We change to what the audience says and the music changes to reflect the times, but I’m sure that people go to the festival and find something new that they weren’t expecting.”

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Colombian singer Maluma has announced a three-day festival in his native city of Medellín.

The free-to-attend event will revolve around his sold-out hometown show, which is scheduled for this Saturday (26 April) at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium.

Ticketholders for the concert will be guaranteed access to the three-day festival (25–27 April) at the same venue, which will include activities, food courts, and brand activations.

Those without a concert ticket can enjoy the festival on Friday and Sunday by registering for free.

In 2022, Maluma drew an estimated 54,000 people to the Medallo En El Mapa show at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium

In 2022, Maluma drew an estimated 54,000 people to the Medallo En El Mapa show at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium.

The show, which was streamed live on Amazon in more than 240 countries, featured guests such as Feid, Grupo Firme, and superstar Madonna, and marked a milestone in the Colombian singer’s career.

Elsewhere, a new one-day festival will debut next month in Mexico, featuring an array of reggaeton and corridos tumbados stars.

Resuena Dos Equis will take place at Foro Cholula in Puebla on 31 May with acts including Natanael Cano, Nicky Jam, Arcangel, Luis R Conriquez, Alvaro Diaz, Oscar Maydon and more.

The festival is promoted by La Familia Presenta, Ocesa and Apodaca Live.

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Shakira has been forced to postpone tonight’s show at Estadio Atanasio Girardot in Medellín, Colombia, due to safety concerns.

Promoter Páramo Presenta said the roof of the stage installed by local production was damaged, posing a safety risk to the performers, the crew and the crowd.

“During the assembly process of the show scheduled for 24 February, the roof of the stage installed by the local production suffered damage that puts at risk the safety of the artist, her staff and, most importantly, that of the audience,” reads a statement by Páramo Presenta.

“The promoter and the artist’s team are working together and hope to reschedule the date in the future. We understand that this decision may be annoying for the public who were anxiously awaiting the show, but the most important thing is everyone’s safety.”

Shakira — who was forced to reschedule another Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour date in Lima, Peru, last weekend, when she was hospitalised with an “abdominal” condition — expressed regret regarding another unexpected concert postponement on Saturday.

“It hurts me a lot not to be able to get on stage and sing for you as much as I wanted to”

“My people from Medellín! It hurts me a lot not to be able to get on stage and sing for you as much as I wanted to,” she wrote in a post on X. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, especially for those who have travelled. It’s out of my hands and those of my production team, but I’m sure we’ll soon find a new date to celebrate together.”

Concert promoter Páramo Presenta said Shakira’s performance would be rescheduled, adding: “Together with Shakira’s team, we are working on new concerts for Colombia in the second half of this year, news that will be celebrated by more than one city in the country.”

The Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour continues on 26 February at Estadio El Campín in Bogotá, Colombia.

Next month, the Colombian superstar will make history by becoming the first artist to have seven consecutive shows at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City.

The Mexican residency is set for 21-30 March, kicking off the North American leg which reaches the US on 13 May at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, before making stops in Montreal, Toronto, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and more before wrapping up on 30 June in San Francisco at Oracle Park.

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Move Concerts founder Phil Rodriguez has hailed the stadium concert boom as the business gears up for another huge year.

Acts including Coldplay, Oasis, Dua Lipa, AC/DC, Lana Del Rey, Shakira, Ed Sheeran, Guns N’Roses, Linkin Park, Imagine Dragons, Billy Joel, My Chemical Romance, Olivia Rodrigo, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are all set for next year’s outdoor circuit.

The list also includes the likes of Robbie Williams, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Stereophonics, System of a Down, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Stray Kids, Sam Fender and Iron Maiden.

“I’m loving all the stadium tours that are going on and coming up in 2025,” Rodriguez tells IQ. “I remember a few years ago one of the worries in our industry was who would be our future stadium headliners. That’s been answered.”

“We had some great shows in 2024, but I must highlight our tour dates with Iron Maiden – they’re bigger than ever in our markets”

Memorable concerts over the past 12 months for Florida-headquartered Move, which is Latin America’s largest independent promoter, include Iron Maiden’s The Future Past Tour.

Rodriguez marvels at the legendary metal band’s enduring appeal in the region, as well as the growing popularity of another British group, Keane, who played arena headline dates in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Uruguay.

“We had some great shows in 2024, but I must highlight our tour dates with Iron Maiden – they’re bigger than ever in our markets,” he says. “We had stadium dates selling out in 30 minutes. We’ve worked together for decades, but the speed and volume of sales for this tour were totally unexpected.

“Also, our dates with Keane were not only all sellouts, they doubled the attendance from their last tour – very impressive.”

Move also has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and Puerto Rico, and Rodriguez notes the “rapid devaluation” of the Brazilian currency, the Real, has provided some cause for consternation.

“We did not expect it to drop as much as it did,” he says. “At the start of 2024 the exchange rate was R$4.85/US$. This month, it is at R$ 6.08/US$ – a 20% devaluation – and it is expected to continue dropping in 2025.”

“Latin music is unquestionably in growth phase. The media ‘hype’ may have settled down, but it is solid and growing”

Nevertheless, Rodriguez insists the market for Latin music remains robust.

“It is unquestionably in growth phase,” he says. “The media ‘hype’ may have settled down, but it is solid and growing.”

Speaking in IQ‘s end-of-year issue, Rodriguez also expressed his admiration for Adele’s “historic” August concert residency in Germany, which saw the singer perform 10 nights at a bespoke 73,000-capacity pop-up stadium in Munich.

“The whole concept of a temporary venue and residency was ambitious, but the execution was flawless,” he says. “I have no doubt this will be a model that may be duplicated in different ways and/or scale in the future.”

Looking ahead to next year, Rodriguez says 2025 is “looking good” for the firm, adding his ambitions are simply “for our Move Concerts family to enjoy good health, continue to have fun doing what we do and to keep our numbers growing”.

“So far, we have a solid number of shows lined up,” he concludes. “Those announced include Katy Perry dates – that kicked off strong – and we’re also partnering on Ado with Concerts West, who quite frankly, convinced us to take the risk with them, and sales kicked off beyond our expectations.”

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To celebrate the hard work of the numerous independent operators that make the live entertainment industry such a vibrant – and growing – business worldwide, IQ is publishing its inaugural Indie Champions list.

Our shortlist of 20 companies were chosen by the IQ readership and have headquarters across 11 different nations but service live events the world over, thanks to their various satellite offices and the artists and partners they work with.

The Indie Champions will become an annual staple of IQ, so if your company did not make it onto this year’s debut list, fear not, as you have a full ten months to prove your credentials to friends, colleagues, and business partners ahead of next year’s nomination process.

IQ will continue to publish entries across all categories over the coming days, and you can find the whole cohort in the latest edition of IQ here. Find part one here and part two here.

LS Events (UK)
Launched in 2004 by Jim King and later joined by Dave Grindle, Loud Sound made its name in the UK festival industry. In 2016, it welcomed Steve Reynolds to the business and has since been able to diversify across a wide range of sectors. Now a 40-strong team with a freelance network of 1,500, the company delivers event excellence across core sectors of live entertainment, sports, public sector, and major ceremonies.

“Our foundations continue to inform a culture of development and personal growth that empowers our employees to thrive,” says co-CEO Grindle. “We have taken time to think about the way that we operate to ensure that our systems and policies are meaningful. We continuously evaluate the ways in which we can support our teams, both professionally and personally. This commitment to looking after our greatest asset – our people – enables us to be adaptable to the ever-changing landscape of events.

The LS client list includes AEG Presents, UEFA, The Greater London Authority, Formula E, LIV Golf, and Pride in London

“Drawing on our expertise, we have refined our creative/operational processes to offer clients unmatched insight when curating, producing, and delivering their event stories. Our commitment to excellence is underpinned by extensive ISO accreditations, which not only hold us accountable to continual improvement but also ensure that we operate to the highest possible standards.”

The LS client list includes AEG Presents, UEFA, The Greater London Authority, Formula E, LIV Golf, and Pride in London.

Marauder (US)
Rev. Moose and his partners formed Marauder in 2015 “to work with people in music who fell between the cracks of the existing American industry.” These were people primarily based outside the US and had needs American companies weren’t set up to handle.

“So many Americans focus on one specific need rather than addressing a project’s overall goals,” notes Moose. “With Marauder, we’re set up to process what each client wants to achieve and create a complete marketing campaign based on what will actually advance a project.”

“What separates Marauder from other companies with similar services is our intention to build through service”

Since its inception, Marauder has worked to give a voice to those supporting their own music ecosystems. This mentality was the catalyst for bringing Independent Venue Week to the US in 2015, which became integral in creating the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA).

Marauder’s core work revolves around building marketing strategies for companies and programmes and executing those ideas in a way that meets their goals. “What separates Marauder from other companies with similar services is our intention to build through service,” says Moose.

“All of our clients, in one way or another, are working to better their communities. We have the market knowledge and professional connections to create meaningful programmes for our clients while focusing on everyone’s core business needs.”

MCT Agentur (DE)
MCT was formed in 1984 by Die Toten Hosen manager Jochen Hülder, Rough Trade Booking Germany chief Dietrich Eggert, and tour manager Scumeck Sabottka. The trio decided to start their own company so that they could not only promote the acts they liked but also “make some real money.”

Sabottka tells IQ, “We were naive and signed deals with experienced agents in the UK that meant we only saw the downside, so in 1986, Dietrich left the company, and we nearly went broke. But I found new partners, parted ways with Jochen, and got new cash into the company.”

However, Sabottka later relied on other independent promoters to keep MCT running. “In the early 1990s, I contacted Marcel Avram through Gary Kurfirst (manager of the Ramones, who we promoted), and he sent his bagman, Bruce Glatman, who brokered for MAMA Concerts and Rau to become majority partners in MCT. I moved to Munich, and we started to make money. So, in early 2000, I bought the shares back from Marcel and Fritz [Rau] and have been independent since.”

“I bought the shares back and have been independent since”

In addition to being concert and tour promoters, MCT (which is now based in Berlin), acts as an agency, as well as managing a number of acts. The company promotes Rammstein in the European Union and Robbie Williams in Germany; it manages Yasmine Hamdan and Die Antwoord; and it is the EU agent for Marilyn Manson, Gus Gus, Hatari, and VÖK.

Its promoting roster also includes Björk, Massive Attack, Moby, New Order, Radiohead, Florence and the Machine, Pearl Jam, Janelle Monae, Four Tet, Beth Gibbons, Okay Kaya, Charlotte Day Wilson, L ́Impératrice, Trentemøller, Gorillaz, Tom Waits, and Tamino.

This year, MCT’s team of 20 full-time staff promoted around 30 Rammstein stadium shows, selling 1.3m tickets in the process. It also sold out shows for Beth Gibbons in Berlin, a Die Antwoord European tour, and sold out Marilyn Manson’s European tour in February 2025.

Mercury Concerts (BR)
Following T4F’s IPO in 2011, Jose Muniz ended his 12-year tenure at the business and went on to join XYZ Live, a company owned by media empire ABC group, which seemed to be a
good project with lots of potential. However, after one year, it tanked, and he decided it was time to bring back Mercury Concerts – a company he founded in 1980 before selling to OCESA in 2000.

After the Mercury relaunch in 2014, the first tour saw Guns N’ Roses playing 14 dates across South America. Other acts promoted by the company include KISS, Aerosmith, Rush, Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, David Gilmour, Deep Purple, Scorpions, Judas Priest, Megadeth, and Pearl Jam.

Mercury’s Monsters of Rock festival will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year

Unsurprisingly, given that roster of talent, Mercury is also the owner of Monsters Of Rock in the region, which has now expanded to Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, and will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year.

With 15 personnel running operations between Orlando and Brazil, Mercury also relies on business with similar infrastructure in other countries, meaning it can offer clients a full team on the road, from day one till the last show of the run, making sure the artists are comfortable with the same level of production in every city of the tour.

Move Concerts (US)

Move Concerts was formed ten years ago in what was essentially a rebranding and restructuring of promoter Phil Rodriguez’s various enterprises, Water Brother Productions, Evenpro Group, and XYZ.

Move has five verticals: concert promotions, artist management, record label, publishing, and an Argentine ticketing company, Livepass. “The artist management, label, and publishing were born during the Covid years, when the live touring business shut down and many of us looked at what else we could do with our resources,” explains Rodriguez. “These were a new challenge for us, but all three are growing at a relatively fast clip, and we have a licensing deal with Warner Latin that is very strong and healthy and will allow our label and management to grow faster.”

On the concerts side, Move works with numerous artists, including Ed Sheeran and Iron Maiden, who have strong fanbases in Latin America, thanks to longstanding relationships with Rodriguez and his company.

Move Concerts will end 2024 with more than 1.1m tickets sold

With offices throughout Latin America and a HQ in Miami, Move Concerts has 53 full-time staff and will end 2024 with more than 1.1m tickets sold.

Noting 2024 tours with Iron Maiden, Paul McCartney, and Karol G, Rodriguez adds, “We had a chance to work with Ne-Yo for the first time this year, and his show is amazing. We’re also doing the LatAm leg for Keane, who are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album, Hopes and Fears, and they’re selling stronger than ever – we had arena dates sell out on the on-sale.”

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Colombian superstar Shakira has added a slate of Latin America stadium dates to her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Women Don’t Cry Anymore) World Tour.

The outing will be Shakira’s first since her 2018 El Dorado World Tour, which stopped at stadiums and arenas around the world.

On the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, produced by Live Nation, the 47-year-old will visit Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Peru and Colombia.

The 11-date leg will kick off on 11 February 2025 at Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and conclude on 19 March at GNP Seguros Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico.

The stint will see Shakira deliver three stadium dates in her native Colombia at Metropolitan Stadium (Barranquilla), Atanasio Girardot Stadium (Medellin) and El Campin Stadium (Bogota), which range from 39,000 to 46,000 capacity. It will mark the first time she’s performed in her hometown of Barranquilla in 19 years.

The tour will be Shakira’s first since her 2018 El Dorado World Tour, which stopped at stadiums and arenas around the world

Before heading to Latin America, the star will kick off the North American leg of the tour on 2 November at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California.

The 17-date stint will stop at arenas across the US before wrapping up on 15 December at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

North America and Latin America are currently the only markets confirmed for the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, which is in support of her LP of the same name that dropped in March – her first new album in seven years.

Following its release, the set landed at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums chart, a feat that made her the first woman to secure No. 1 albums in four different decades. It recently scored a Latin Grammy nomination for album of the year.

Shakira is represented by WME worldwide.

Check out the full Latin American tour dates below:

Feb. 11 — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Nilton Santos Stadium
Feb. 13 — Sao Paulo, Brazil — MorumBIS Stadium
Feb. 16 — Lima, Peru — National Stadium
Feb. 21 — Barranquilla, Colombia — Metropolitan Stadium
Feb. 23 — Medellin, Colombia — Atanasio Girardot Stadium
Feb. 26 — Bogota, Colombia — El Campin Stadium
March 2 — Santiago, Chile — National Stadium
March 7 — Buenos Aires, Argentina — Argentine Polo Field
March 12 — Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico — BBVA Stadium
March 16 — Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico — Akron Stadium
March 19 — Mexico City, Mexico — GNP Seguros Stadium

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Online video game Fortnite has announced a ‘playable concert’ with Latin superstar Karol G as part of its Festival Season 5.

Karol G MSB Fortnite is billed as a five-part visual journey through the Colombian singer’s life and music career, which runs from 23–26 August.

Karol G songs available to play in the Fortnite Festival rhythm music game include Oki Doki, Provenza (Remix), Cairo and Qlona.

Players can also purchase an upgrade called Premium Reward Track which will unlock Karol G-themed items including the Bichota Season Karol G Outfit, the Bichota Mic, and the Bichota 6-String Guitar.

While Fortnite itself is developed by Epic Games, the Festival game mode is developed by Harmonix – the studio behind the Rock Band video game franchise. Harmonix was acquired by Epic in November 2021 to develop Fortnite experiences.

Karol G songs available to play in the Fortnite Festival rhythm music game include Oki Doki, Provenza (Remix), Cairo and Qlona

Karol G is the latest musical icon to appear in Fortnite Festival, following in the footsteps of Metallica, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish.

The reggaeton star recently wrapped her Mañana Será Bonito Tour, which sold more than two million tickets, grossed $300 million and shattered attendance and revenue records in Europe, the US and Latin America.

The latest edition of IQ goes behind the scenes of the year-long tour to find out how her crew and advisors cope with the ever-growing fanbase and the demands they make on Latin America’s newest megastar.

“We always knew [the tour] was going to be big – there was such a level of demand and excitement – but we didn’t know how big,” Live Nation’s Joe Schiavon, the tour’s promoter, told IQ.

Subscribers of IQ can read the full feature here. Not a subscriber? Click here to change that or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below.

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Latin American promoting giant Ocesa has announced the creation of a new 40,000-cap events venue in Colombia.

The scheme, called Distrito Verde (Green District), will be located in a 24-hectare space in the Salitre area of the capital Bogotá, and will bid to combine “culture, shows and respect for the environment”.

It will comprise three spaces: a multipurpose area with modular and versatile stands; a green area to host festivals and other attractions; and a 5,800-cap pavilion for circuses, large-format exhibitions and cultural and corporate events.

Forbes Colombia and La Republica report that Colombia welcomed superstars such as Karol G, Jonas Brothers and Maná in April alone, with 300 major concerts being held in the country annually.

“Distrito Verde is the result of the vision of the growth of the live entertainment industry in Colombia, enabling a multipurpose space that combines the environmental recovery of a piece of land with the versatility and adaptation of that space to host concerts, exhibitions and gastronomic festivals, among others,” says Luz Ángela Castro, CEO of Ocesa Colombia.

“It is a multipurpose space that offers comfort and ease in all its experiences, with large green areas outdoors, ideal for holding different events aimed at all types of public.”

“Distrito Verde complements the offer of Bogotá and the country, enriches the alternatives for cultural events and is not comparable with any existing venue”

Live Nation secured a controlling interest in Mexican-headquartered Ocesa in December 2021. Via Ocesa, it expanded its presence in Latin America last year by acquiring a majority stake in leading Colombian promoter Páramo Presenta.

Páramo is best known for its flagship four-day event Estereo Picnic, the biggest music festival in Colombia, as well as Bogotá’s Baum Festival and Knotfest.

Bogotá is already home to other notable venues including the 24,000-cap MedPlus Coliseum and 13,000-cap Movistar Arena, as well as the El Campín Stadium and Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park, but Castro insists the proposed new development is a unique proposition.

“Distrito Verde complements the offer of Bogotá and the country, enriches the alternatives for cultural events and is not comparable with any existing venue in the capital or outside of it,” adds Castro, who reveals the cost of the project exceeds US$20 million.

“[With] investment in mobile infrastructure and investment in the environment, reforestation and soil adaptation, we are talking about more than US$22 million,” he says. “Beyond the investment, what is relevant is the commitment to a vision of the future, foreign direct investment.”

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Colombia’s MedPlus Coliseum is celebrating its second anniversary, having welcomed more than 550,000 people and a raft of international stars since its Covid-delayed opening.

The 24,000-cap multi-purpose venue in Bogotá is the brainchild of Colombian-born US promoter Henry Cardenas, president and executive director of US-based promoter Cárdenas Marketing Network (CMN).

“It’s about time that Colombia had a building that was able to offer more and better shows,” said Cárdenas at the time.

Artic Monkeys, Imagine Dragons, Roger Waters, Twenty One Pilots, Swedish House Mafia and Luis Miguel are among the 180-plus acts to have graced the building since it launched with a show by Latin singer Marc Anthony in August 2022.

As well as its 20,000+ capacity main room, the Coliseum houses more than 750m2 of LED screens, ten loading and unloading docks and a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces. Healthcare company MedPlus agreed a five-year sponsorship deal with the venue last year.

“This alliance with the MedPlus Coliseum has been fundamental in promoting well-being beyond the physical,” says MedPlus CEO Hernando Botero, as per La Republica. “Through this collaboration, we have been able to show that well-being is not only about health, but also about enjoying high-quality experiences and balance, essential aspects for a full life.”

“Inflation here in Colombia is hitting pretty hard, but the big names are selling out, both in stadiums and in arenas”

Upcoming acts set to perform at the US$100 million entertainment and sports venue include Travis Scott, Eric Prydz and Feid.

CMN entered into a “historic” partnership with AEG Presents in March this year in a strategic alliance to create “the world leader in live Latin music”, with ambitions to develop “elevated and expanded experiences” for artists and audiences globally.

The Colombian capital is also home to the 13,000-capacity Movistar Arena, operated by Colombiana de Escenarios – a joint venture between Movistar Arena Chile owner HLR Group and Colombian ticketing market leader Tuboleta.

“Inflation here in Colombia is hitting pretty hard, but the big names are selling out, both in stadiums and in arenas,” Movistar Arena Colombia general manager Luis Guillermo Quintero told IQ‘s 2024 Global Arena Guide.

The country is South America’s fourth-biggest economy, and its second city of Medellín is also set to gain a 16,000-capacity multipurpose arena by 2026. Built by CLK Group, the company behind Tuboleta and promoter TBL Live, Arena Primavera is projected to host 600,000 spectators across 75 events each year.

“We are convinced of the potential of the entertainment market in Medellín and [the administrative department of] Antioquia, which has become a musical and cultural reference for the country, a must-stop for national and international artists,” said Hernando Sánchez, CLK general manager. “Therefore, a venue is needed to place the department as a leader in the global arena circuit.”

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