Bizkaia Arena is an indoor

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

Barakaldo Barakaldo (; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Biscay province in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country in Spain. Located on the Left Bank (Biscay), Left Bank of the Estuary of Bilbao, the city is pa ...

Greater Bilbao Greater Bilbao (Basque language, Basque: ''Bilboaldea'', Spanish language, Spanish: ''Gran Bilbao'') is an administrative division of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the se ...

. It is the biggest multipurpose hall in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, as it can hold up to 26,000 people, and 15,414 for indoor sports. The arena is part of the

Bilbao Exhibition Centre The Bilbao Exhibition Centre (commonly abbreviated as BEC) is an exhibition centre in Barakaldo, Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, Spain. The current headquarters of the Feria de Muestras de Bilbao, its facilities are located ...

(BEC) complex, the Exhibition and Congress Centre of

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

and

Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...

, inaugurated in April 2004. The venue regularly hosts

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

games, for which it has a capacity of 15,414. It was one of the six venues used for the

2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. The tournament was held from 30 August to 14 September 2014. Hosted by Spain, it was the la ...

, hosted by Spain. The arena hosted the annual

MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

as the awards show was held in Spain for the third time and the first time in Bilbao.

History

The arena was used as the home arena of the Spanish League basketball club

Bilbao Basket Club Basket Bilbao Berri Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D., commonly known as Bilbao Basket (), also known as Surne Bilbao Basket for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Bilbao, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. T ...

during the 2009-10 season. In other seasons, it has also occasionally been used for their most attractive games. It hosted the 2010 Spanish King's Cup Final Eight. The arena hosted a

preseason In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

game between

and the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

team the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. Several international pop and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

acts have also performed at the Bizkaia Arena. The venue has also been used for other kinds of shows, such as opera,

Disney on Ice Walt Disney's World on Ice is a series of touring ice shows produced by Feld Entertainment's Ice Follies And Holiday on Ice, Inc. division under agreement with The Walt Disney Company. Aimed primarily at children, the shows feature figure ska ...

, etc., political speeches, and religious meetings.

Concerts

References

External links

*
Bilbao Basket Official Website
{{Authority control Indoor arenas in Spain Basketball venues in Spain Sports venues in the Basque Country (autonomous community) Barakaldo Bilbao Basket Sport in Biscay Buildings and structures in Biscay Sports venues completed in 2004 2004 establishments in the Basque Country (autonomous community)

History

Concerts

See also

References

External links