South America’s first climate-neutral arena is slated to open in Paraguay in 2028.

The 15,000-capacity Smart Arena Net Zero is planned for a site close to downtown Asunción on the banks of the Paraguay River, near the newly built Héroes del Chaco Bridge.

Prior to that, a 7,000-capacity arena called Music House will be built on the site to serve as “proof of concept” for the broader project, according to the president of Smart Arena Entertainment and local promoter, Walter Ayala.

“It will incorporate the sustainability pillars of Smart Arena Net Zero from day one – clean energy, waste management, electric mobility, smart design and EV charging stations. It will also encourage healthy living by including parking areas for bicycles and electric motorcycles,” said Ayala.

Music House is set to open in the first quarter of 2026, while construction on Smart Arena Net Zero is scheduled to begin in 2027 to open in late 2028.

A 7,000-capacity arena will be built on the site first to serve as “proof of concept”

Entirely privately funded, the full development of Smart Arena Net Zero is currently expected to cost $208 million (£153.5m/€180.5m).

The firm says it’s also seeking strategic partners who not only provide capital but also share the long-term vision and sustainability values of Smart Arena Net Zero. This includes potential naming-rights sponsors and founding partners willing to contribute capital and expertise.

In addition to the venues, the site will offer a range of entertainment options, including a wax museum dedicated to music history, a walk of fame, themed restaurants, a convention centre, and a hotel.

The project will be designed by HOK, the global architecture firm behind venues such as the Las Vegas Sphere, New York’s Yankee Stadium and London’s Wembley Stadium.

The world’s first climate-neutral arena, Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, US, was opened in 2021 by Oak View Group and Amazon.

Germany’s first climate-neutral arena, MUCcc – Munich, is currently in the works, but an opening date is yet to be confirmed.

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30e, the promoters behind System of A Down’s sold-out stadium tour of South America, have discussed the “historic and immense” impact of the outing.

The American heavy metal band sold 500,000 tickets, ranging from $50–$340, for their first tour of the continent in a decade.

Tickets for the initial seven dates sold out within hours and prompted 30e to add two more shows in São Paulo, at the Allianz Parque and the Autódromo de Interlagos (home to F1 Grand Prix and Lollapalooza Brazil).

The tour also stopped in Bogotá (Colombia), Lima (Peru), Santiago (Chile), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Curitiba (Brazil) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) between April and May.

“The first show of the tour took place in Bogotá, Colombia, and it was fascinating to see how, from one performance to the next, the response and intensity increased,” says 30e CEO Pepeu Correa, who founded the company in 2021.

“The shows transcended mere music fandom; they made headlines everywhere”

Drone footage from the 75,000-capacity tour finale at Autódromo de Interlagos went viral and drew comparisons to the mega concerts at Copacabana Beach.

“The fans were dedicated to giving their best for the band at each show,” says Correa. “The shows transcended mere music fandom; they made headlines everywhere.”

He continues: “To give you an idea, in one month, SOAD’s streaming on Spotify in Brazil increased by 63%; the number of songs saved by users grew by 122%; and Brazil became the second-largest country listening to the band on the platform (with São Paulo ranking as the top city globally). The impact was immense and historic.”

That impact was also historic for 30e, having organised their biggest-ever concerts with SOAD’s 70,000-capacity performances at São Paulo’s Autódromo de Interlagos and Santiago’s Parque Estadio Nacional.

“There is a global issue concerning a shortage of artists who can serve as headliners at festivals or fill stadiums on a headline tour,” says Correa. “Our approach has focused on headline tours, and we’ve successfully curated both the lineups and partnerships with the artists. Organising a System Of A Down stadium tour across South America may seem bold, but we always believe in the band’s stature and the strong connection the members have with the audience here. We recognise that both SOAD and 30e emerge even bigger from this experience.”

São Paulo-headquartered 30e has previously staged shows by the likes of The Killers, Gorillaz, Twenty One Pilots, Lana Del Rey, Florence and the Machine, Slipknot, Bring Me The Horizon, Pantera, Judas Priest, J Balvin, and organised festivals including Music Is The Answer, Ultra Brasil, and Knotfest Brasil.

 

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Argentina’s La Costa Stadium reopened last month after being shuttered for over two decades.

Located in the coastal area of La Costa, in the province of Buenos Aires, the venue was inaugurated in 1997 under the name San Bernardo Stadium.

San Bernardo Stadium hosted a variety of entertainment, such as concerts by national stars including La Renga, Los Pericos and Soledad Pastorutti, before falling into disuse and deterioration less than a decade after opening.

Thanks to an ambitious renovation project spearheaded by La Costa’s biggest real estate company Ricchezza Real Estate, the venue reopened on 19 April with a concert featuring Turf, Alejandro Lerner and Kill Hits XXL.

“[We want to] consolidate the stadium as a key location within the country’s cultural and sporting landscape”

The newly renovated building now boasts 10,000 square meters of covered space and a capacity for 12,000–14,000 people, as well as a sustainable design that includes energy efficiency, accessibility, rainwater harvesting, and acoustic treatment.

La Costa Stadium says it aims to attract nationally and internationally renowned artists and host high-impact sporting competitions, “consolidating the stadium as a key location within the country’s cultural and sporting landscape”.

Argentina’s existing arena offering includes the 15,000-capacity Movistar Arena and the 8,400-capacity Estadio Luna Park, both in Buenos Aires.

In the second city of Córdoba, Grupo Q last year put a roof on its Quality Arena to create an 8,000-standing, 4,200-seated, indoor venue. Combined with its 1,500/3,500-cap Quality Espacio venue and 300/400-cap Quality Teatro, the complex represents the largest and most versatile events centre outside the capital.

Read more about Argentina’s venue business in the most recent edition of the Global Arena Guide.

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Brazilian entertainment and marketing company The Umauma Group has announced the creation of promoter Super Sounds, with plans to stage events at home and abroad.

The firm will be led by the São Paulo-headquartered group’s co-founder Guilherme Teixeira and Tiago Maia, former MD of Move Concerts in Brazil.

Super Sounds will be responsible for shows, tours and festivals, and is already working with acts including domestic singer-songwriters Ana Castela and Iza.

“We are very happy to launch Super Sounds,” says Teixeira. “We have dedicated a lot of energy to structuring this project, with in-depth analyses of the market and consumer behaviour. We support our strategies for shows, tours and festivals – whether national or international – through research, data and insights, which help us build and foster communities around music.”

Former C3 Presents international director Leca Guimarães, who was involved in the South American expansion of Lollapalooza, has been brought in as head of shows and festivals.

“With the arrival of Leca, we complete the team and take an important step towards the next cycle of our history”

“The challenge of creating sustainable projects, in addition to bringing new projects to South America, was what motivated me to embark on this journey, which will be very creative, productive and rewarding,” says Guimarães.

The firm hopes to hold in the region of 20 shows throughout the country this year, building to more than 80 dates per annum from 2026.

“We have a very strong base in Brazil, with relevant artists who trust the project,” adds Maia. “With the arrival of Leca, we complete the team and take an important step towards the next cycle of our history, always respecting the time needed for maturation and building true relationships, whether here or abroad.”

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Purchasing power, ticket prices and the cost of infrastructure are among the top challenges in emerging touring markets, according to executives.

Connie Shao (AEG Presents), Tom Matthews (Live Nation APAC), Naman Pugalia (Book My Show) and Melanie Eselevsky (Move Concerts Argentina) united at last month’s ILMC Futures Forum to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by newer touring territories.

While India is on the verge of a breakthrough as a must-play destination for global artists, Pugalia said that the market’s purchasing power is “still not where it needs to be”.

“However, there are forward-looking artists who realise that India is the next big market they need to cultivate,” he continued. “And they’ve agreed to lower prices and be flexible with the number of tickets allowed per transaction etc. Those artists who have bet on the market are now beginning to reap the rewards.”

Pugalia referenced recent high-profile tours by Coldplay and Ed Sheeran – acts that have frequently visited the territory over the last decade and continually invested in the market.

“A million dollars in Singapore and a million dollars in Jakarta is very different, and we can’t achieve both without causing an issue”

Matthews, a former UTA agent who was recently appointed director, talent & touring at Live Nation APAC, pointed out that many artist teams approach the continent of Asia as a single touring market. He reminded delegates that purchasing power varies widely from country to country.

“The big problem I’ve seen recently – on the agent and promoter side – is artists wanting a million dollars for a show,” he said. “A million dollars in Singapore and a million dollars in Jakarta is very different, and we can’t achieve both without causing an issue. It means we’re going to have to pump the ticket price, but the average income across these countries is not the same.

“With a European or North American tour, an agent could increase the price by $40 or €40 across the board. You can’t do that in Asia. Each market is too different, so it’s very price sensitive. So you need to weigh it up. Our goal is to make the artist as much money as possible but selling out the show is the best thing for their career. There are other ways to make money that don’t affect the artist sales so we have to be smart as promoters and educate the artist.”

Pugalia agreed that raising ticket prices isn’t the best way to achieve a higher artist guarantee – especially in a country with such a huge disparity between socioeconomic classes.

“Our country is very compartmentalised,” he said. “There is a segment of society that will pay top dollar for shows in India and those VIP prices compare to anywhere else in the world and sometimes are even more expensive. But as far as GA is concerned… that still needs to pull its weight.”

“This may come as a surprise but doing a show in India is more expensive than doing a show in Europe or North America”

Eselevsky said that Move Concerts Agentina has been forced to increase ticket prices to compete with an increasingly crowded market, though fans aren’t entirely happy about it.

“Last year we went on sale with Eric Clapton and we were the first promoter to go on sale with ticket prices over the 200,000 pesos mark. Fans were like, ‘Oh yeah, but it’s more expensive than in the UK’. Then the other promoters started to scale up their prices as well. Now it’s standard for a GA stadium ticket to cost $150, which is a lot for any market.”

The cost of infrastructure is also an issue when it comes to staging shows in South America, according to Eselevsky. “We don’t have enough lighting equipment, sound equipment, stages or roofs and bringing it from abroad is way too expensive,” she added.

Investing in infrastructure is a top priority for Book My Show. “Every time we’re doing a festival or a show, we’re essentially building a city that we need to dismantle right after and it’s very expensive,” said Pugalia. “This may come as a surprise but doing a show in India is more expensive than in Europe or North America because of the paucity of equipment and venues. We’ve got to build a market here.”

Though these newer touring territories have a way to go with purchasing power and infrastructure, the panel was confident that international artists will reap the long-term benefits of visiting the markets.

“A lot of our artists are now making Asia a primary market and planning the rest of their world tour around it”

“Yes, it’s a lower guarantee now but if we look at a 2-3-4 year plan and we start generating the ticket prices at this number, this is how much you’re going to get on your VIP lift on your first tour, and on your second tour, and on your third tour,” said Matthews. “We don’t want artists to come in as a one-stop. We want them to come back year on year. A lot of our artists are now making Asia a primary market and planning the rest of their world tour around it. It’s a beautiful market with incredible infrastructure and if it’s done correctly, you can reap huge financial rewards.”

Pugalia was similarly optimistic about the potential of higher touring revenues in India, especially now that the concert economy has entered the political lexicon.

“There’s traditional sponsorship and we work with brands – both in India and globally – to try and make sense of these P&Ls,” he said. “But governments are increasingly stepping in. They have realised – for better and worse – that tickets are political currency, as well as social and cultural currency. As a result, state governments in India are competing to get business, which we’ve never seen in the past. That’s supremely helpful. I believe this is a good thing for the overall market in terms of pricing.

He continued: “With no venues, abysmal infrastructure and scant interest, we’ve already made our presence felt over the last few quarters. With all of these things improving and artist interest increasing, we’re just getting started. This is day zero for us.”

Eselevsky, meanwhile, said Argentina stands to benefit from newfound economic stability. “We’ve had the same exchange rate for over a year, which is a long time,” she said. “I foresee much more investment in our market because the economy is not as unclear as it was not so long ago.”

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Live Nation and subsidiary DF Entertainment have secured a 40-year deal to operate Buenos Aires’ Luna Park in Argentina.

The companies won an auction to manage the 92-year-old, 8,400-capacity arena in the downtown San Nicolás neighbourhood, and will invest US$34 million (€32m) to increase the venue’s capacity to 13,000 – rivalling the city’s 15,000-cap Movistar Arena.

The agreement is for an initial 20 years, with an option to extend it for a further 20 years. According to La Politica, the firms will pay the stadium owners a $1m premium and guarantee a minimum of $1m in annual profit.

Since 2013, Luna Park has been owned by two branches of the catholic church. International acts to perform at the indoor arena in recent times include Placebo, Interpol, and 5 Seconds of Summer.

Live Nation bought a majority stake in DF Entertainment in 2018

Buenos Aires-based DF was founded in August 2015 by leading promoter Diego Finkelstein. Live Nation bought a majority stake in the company in 2018.

DF, which runs Lollapalooza Argentina, inked an exclusive multi-year deal to promote concerts at Buenos Aires’ River Plate Stadium, aka the ‘Monumental’, in 2023.

It also sold out an unprecedented 10 nights at the 65,000-cap stadium with Coldplay in 2022, staged Taylor Swift’s first ever concerts Argentina last year and is collaborating on Oasis’ upcoming reunion gigs at the venue on 15-16 November.

The next edition of Lollapalooza Argentina, meanwhile, is slated for 21-23 March 2025 at San Isidro Racecourse, also in Buenos Aires. Headliners include Justin Timberlake, Alanis Morissette, Shawn Mendes, Tool, Olivia Rodrigo, Rüfüs Du Sol and Tan Bionica.

Read our lowdown on the Argentina market from IQ‘s 2024 Global Arena Guide here.

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Rock in Rio bosses have given an update on the brand’s expansion plans after its 40th anniversary edition in Brazil pulled in 730,000 fans across two weekends.

Held at the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, from 13-15 & 19-22 September, the festival’s headliners included Travis Scott, Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, Avenged Sevenfold and Mariah Carey, as well as the likes of Evanescence, Ne-Yo, Deep Purple, Charlie Puth and Hollywood star Will Smith.

Roberta Medina, EVP of Rock World, the company behind the biennial event, trumpets the 2024 flagship as a “tribute to the ability that music and culture have to unite people in peace and harmony and to show new possibilities”.

“It was a peaceful event, where thousands of people came together, vibrating with happiness and sharing unforgettable moments,” she says.

The Brazilian festival, which will return in 2026, also upped its sustainability push – initiating a reusable cup drive for the first time in partnership with Heineken, Red Bull, Coca-Cola, Schweppes and Braskem, which encouraged conscious consumption and correct disposal.

More than 150,000 cups were collected, washed and returned for use, while 1.5 tons of cups were collected for reuse in the VIP area. Consequently, the festival avoided generating more than 14 tons of waste.

At last count, Rio-based company Comlurb had collected 288.5 tons of waste from inside Rock in Rio, of which 129.8 tons were potentially recyclable materials.

“We’re not planning international expansion at this point, but we decided to expand to the closest market to Rio – that is São Paulo”

Earlier this month, Rock in Rio founder Roberto Medina unveiled a “visionary project” to turn the area around the Rock in Rio site into the largest entertainment complex in Latin America. In partnership with financial group Genial Investimentos, the Imagine scheme will transform the Olympic Park, home to Rock in Rio Brazil since 2017, into a leisure, sports and entertainment centre.

The Rock World portfolio also includes Portugal’s Rock in Rio Lisboa, which takes place in the even years, and The Town in São Paolo, held in the odd years. It also took over the running of Lollapalooza Brazil in 2023. Rock in Rio Lisboa staged its 20th anniversary edition in June at the 80,000-cap Parque Tejo, attracting 300,000 attendees and selling out three of the four dates. Acts included Scorpions, Jonas Brothers, Doja Cat, Macklemore and Ed Sheeran.

Meanwhile, The Town (cap. 105,000-cap) launched at the Interlagos race track in September last year, headlined by Post Malone, Foo Fighters, Maroon 5 and two nights with Bruno Mars. It welcomed more than 500,000 fans over five days.

Roberto Medina discusses potential future expansion of Rock in Rio as part of a feature celebrating 40 years of the festival in the new issue of IQ.

“I think expansion in Latin America is possible, but it is not in my plans because I am now focused on Lollapalooza and The Town in São Paolo, and Rock in Rio, which makes us one of the biggest festival companies in Latin America,” he says. “This year, with the three events all put together, we made R$1.1bn, while we sold 2m tickets over the past two years. So I want to focus more on these [existing] markets where there is lots of opportunity to grow.”

Roberta Medina adds: “We’re not planning international expansion at this point, but we decided to expand to the closest market to Rio – that is São Paulo. They are both big cities, but São Paulo is very different to Rio. It’s been a conversation for a number of years to take Rock in Rio to São Paulo, but what we realised is that Rock in Rio sees 50% of our revenues coming from sponsorship and 50% from ticket sales – it’s a very different model, and we understand it’s not similar in other territories. But we can definitely grow in our own markets and become bigger in Brazil, while the new site in Lisbon allows us to concentrate on making that bigger, too.”

The full feature on 40 years of Rock in Rio appears in the issue 130 of IQ, out now.

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Rock in Rio founder Roberto Medina has unveiled a “visionary project” to create the largest entertainment complex in Latin America.

In partnership with financial group Genial Investimentos, the Imagine scheme will transform Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic Park, home to Brazil’s iconic Rock in Rio festival since 2017 and site of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, into a leisure, sports and entertainment centre.

The complex will house at least 10 distinct areas, including the main 100,000-cap space – the largest events park in Brazil – plus Latin America’s biggest amphitheatre (cap. 40,000), capable of attracting top international acts.

“Forty years ago, we created an innovative project that came back to stay in 2011. Now, we are going even further,” says Rock World president Medina. “In addition to Rock in Rio maintaining its permanent structures, we are valuing the legacy and making the space ready for various entertainment events. We will use all of our expertise to build, together with the various levels of municipal, state and federal government, a policy that places tourism as the main vocation of this city and the country.

“What would take years to build will be done in a period of three to four years. We already have the structure of the Olympic Park practically ready to bring Imagine to life. We have to embrace entertainment as the key to boosting the city’s economy, creating jobs, bringing companies from various sectors and even more development to Rio de Janeiro.”

Other attractions will include the Rock in Rio Factory, which will take people behind the scenes of the festival, a museum in honour of the Rio 2016 Olympics and various parks, as well as a creative hub, theme park, gamer arena, skate park, ice rink, gastronomic hub and resort. It will be the stage for celebrations such as Carnival, Easter, Oktoberfest, Halloween, Christmas and New Year, as well as music, dance and sports events.

“This is a transformational project for Rio de Janeiro”

The project also includes a mobility scheme integrating all types of transportation in the city and is expected to generate an economic impact of R$9.2 billion (€1.5bn) for the Rio economy, along with more than 140,000 jobs

“This is a transformational project for Rio de Janeiro,” says Genial Investimentos CEO Rodolfo Riechert. “Genial Investimentos has been a long-time investor in Rio de Janeiro, and together with our partner Roberto Medina, we will help transform Imagine into reality.”

Rock in Rio returns to the Olympic Park over two weekends this month for its 40th anniversary edition from 13-15 & 19-22 September. Headliners will include Travis Scott, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry, Shawn Mendes and Avenged Sevenfold.

A special feature celebrating 40 years of the biennial festival will appear in the forthcoming issue of IQ.

Medina debuted spin-off music festival The Town last year at the Interlagos race track in São Paulo, attracting 500,000 fans over five days for acts such as Post Malone, Foo Fighters, Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars.

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Primavera Sound organisers have cancelled all of the brand’s South American festivals in 2024, blaming “external difficulties”.

Festivals in Argentina and Brazil, plus Primavera Day events in Uruguay and Paraguay had been slated to take place in late November and early December this year.

The Spanish institution debuted in Brazil, Argentina and Chile in 2022 to commemorate the event’s 20th birthday, and expanded its footprint on the continent last year.

“This is undoubtedly a difficult decision, taken after many months of work and after pursuing numerous paths in order to be able to hold these events with guarantees, especially in the context of the current musical industry situation and its challenges,” says Primavera Sound director Alfonso Lanza. “Now that we have exhausted all of the possibilities, we must be prudent and focus all our energy on future plans.”

Citing sources from the festival, La Vanguardia suggests the reason for the cancellations is related to complications around securing headliners.

Primavera attracted close to 350,000 people across its events in Latin America in 2023, with second editions of the festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina and São Paulo, Brazil drawing 120,000 and 115,000 people respectively, according to promoters.

Organisers stress their commitment to returning “stronger” to Latin America “as soon as possible

In addition, 35,000 people attended Primavera Sound concerts in Santiago, Chile, over 12,000 fans experienced the first Paraguay event to mark Asunción Spring Day, and more than 30,000 people went to the inaugural Road to Primavera concerts in Lima, Peru.

Headline acts included The Cure, Blur, Pet Shop Boys, Beck and The Killers, with The Cure also selling out standalone Primavera concerts in Montevideo, Uruguay and Bogota, Colombia.

Primavera organisers say they are already looking to the future and stress their commitment to returning “stronger” to Latin America “as soon as possible”.

“We want to thank our local partners for their dedication and effort,” adds Lanza. “They have given invaluable support for a project in which we continue to believe for its cultural value and for extending the musical routes in the southern hemisphere at atypical times of the year, something that we consider positive for all the parties involved in the process, from fans to artists.”

After debuting in Madrid in 2023, the Barcelona-hailing festival opted against running another instalment this year following a “complicated” debut edition.

The flagship Primavera Sound Barcelona will return to Parc Del Forum from 5-7 June 2025. Full festival tickets are available from €265. Portuguese spin-off Primavera Sound Porto is set for 12-14 June 2025 at Parque Da Cidade. Remaning three-day tickets are priced from €160.

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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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